When the Symbioz was launched, Renault emphasised the car’s lineage as a driving force behind its design principles. This is one of the brand’s ‘voitures à vivre’ (cars for living), a theme that kicked off with the Renault 16 back in the 1960s. With the car’s ancestry in mind, the Symbioz was designed with space and light as top priorities. 

Sure enough, the car has plenty of space up front. There’s head room for two six-foot front passengers to settle down with ease, along with a generous amount of space between the front two seats – no elbow knocking here. Heading to the back bench, it should be able to accommodate three children with enough shoulder room easily, but three adults might be a squeeze. 

The tapering roof line does, however, begin to compromise headroom the further back you go – an issue further exacerbated by a couple of lights stitched into the lining on either side. We reckon a couple of six-footers would be able to get comfortable back there, but they’d feel pretty packed in.

19

Plus, even with the bench set to its rear-most position (more on that later), leg room is tight. Our taller road testers had their legs pressed up against the front seats, so those who intend on regularly carrying taller passengers in the back may want to consider sizing up to the Austral for a bit extra to keep them happy.

Boot Space and Storage

Renault has littered a few cubby holes and storage spaces and the cabin for owners to fill. Up front, I was able to utilise the big door pockets to store drinks and other items away in, while the central armrest can also open for storage purposes. Ahead of the armrest, you get a couple of cup holder receptacles and then a wireless phone charging point beneath the flying gear selector platform. 

Back-row passengers get a couple of smaller door pockets, plus storage netting behind both front two seats. Overall, there doesn’t feel like an enormity of storage space, but it should be enough to satisfy most owners.

The boot, however, is up there with the best in class. Renault has put the rear bench on a rail, so it may slide forward up to 16cm to optimise room in the boot. With the seats up and the bench all the way back, the boot can accommodate a maximum of 492, but with the rear bench slid all the way forward, the boot can carry up to 624 litres. 

19

That second figure is pretty impressive for a crossover SUV of this size, but it should be noted that sliding the bench all the way forward completely compromises rear legroom, rendering the rear seats unusable for sitting in. With the rear seats folded, the maximum boot volume is 1582 litres.  

Is it easy to park?

The Renault Symbioz comes with a rear-view camera as standard on all models. We must admit, it’s not the greatest quality and feels quite dated in what it’s able to feed back to you through the infotainment display, but it certainly helps. All cars also benefit from parking sensors with an alarm to notify you of hazards when parking, while top-end Iconic Esprit Alpine cars get 360deg cameras to make it even easier.

Again, we’ve tried the 360deg camera and it isn’t the best on the market with a pretty pixelated feed, but it does the job. Electrically adjustable mirrors are also standard on all cars; all things considered, the Symbioz is a doddle to park.

Safety 

• Not yet crash tested by Euro NCAP
• Lots of standard tech
• 360deg camera available

The Symbioz also comes with a raft of safety features as standard. They include an emergency braking system, driver attention alert and front and rear detection with emergency lane assist. Techno Esprit Alpine cars get blind spot warning plus active driver assist that will keep your speed and the car in line.

The Renault Symbioz hasn’t yet been crash tested by Euro NCAP, but other models in the Renault lineup such as the pre-facelift Captur have been awarded five stars. We’ll report back here when the Symbioz has been tested, but we expect it to do pretty well.