• Durable feel to the cabin
• Some hard plastics
• Decent ergonomics

How is the quality and layout?

Our first impression of the Symbioz’s cabin was that it has a sort of hardy family car durability to its feel. From the fabric of the seats to some of the plastic trims around the cabin, we reckon it could probably withstand a bit of a beating and still scrub up well. It’s what you’d want in a voiture à vivre, but that’s not to say it feels bland or cheap.

The Symbioz mixes a touch of artistic French flare into the durability, breaking up some of the hard plastics with dashboard fabric, or polished blue metal (depending on which trim you go for). The cabin can feel quite dark with the limited colours on offer, but this can be remedied with an open Solarbay sunroof – only available on Iconic Esprit Alpine cars.

In the top two trims, the Symbioz gets a littering of Alpine branding, along with stitching in the blue, white and red of the French tricolour. The touches help to elevate the sportiness of the cabin even further, if you’re of that persuasion.

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Infotainment and tech

The Symbioz comes with Renault’s OpenR 10.4-inch display as standard. The protruding tablet itself may not be the sleekest in design, but the display graphics were as sharp and responsive as we could want. Google services get baked into the software, and they include Google Maps and a voice-controlled assistance service that would even clear our opacifying sunroof for us. 

We’re also happy to report that the Symbioz features a row of real rocker switches for functions like the climate control and fan speed. They were very welcome, as finding the right buttons on the infotainment screen while on the move can be a pain. 

Comfort

• Seats are reasonably supportive
• Electrically adjustable on top models
• Lacks some plushness

We’re pleased to report that the seats themselves are also decently comfortable. They may not have swallowed us in exotic leathers or racy Alcantara, but the seats were supportive, nicely bolstered to keep us in place and were easily adjustable so we could find the perfect position. 

Heated front seats are provided on Techno Esprit Alpine and Iconic Esprit Alpine cars, plus they’re electrically adjustable in these trims, too.