Is the Renault 4 worth a revisit? | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

Until very recently the most successful passenger car commercially to ever come out of France (second only to the Peugeot 206, of which more than 10 million have now been produced, with it still being made in Iran and South America), over 8 million R4s were built between 1961 and 1994, in more than 20 countries and on every continent of the world. Tatty and well-used examples are still a surprisingly common sight on the quiet back lanes of rural France, Spain, Africa and Latin America.

Taking clear (but rather too obvious) inspiration from the far more innovative, original and important Citroën 2CV that pre-dates the R4 in production by at least a dozen years (not allowing for the pre-war TPV prototypes of this influential basic car), the R4 was arguably the better car. It applied learnings from the 2CV’s flaws and improved upon them while retaining some of the Citroën’s smarter features, for example, lightweight, front-wheel-drive, a separate ‘platform’ chassis, soft long-travel suspension, removable seats, an ‘umbrella’ gear shift, simple coachwork, and so on, even with the extra-cost option of a full-length sunroof, a la 2CV!

This for me represents my first (and main) personal problem with the versatile Renault. It’s too much of a copycat car that lacks that the originality and authentic thinking that made the tin snail Citroën such an outstanding machine. Sure, the R4 has almost as much charm, soul and character as the 2CV, and it is possibly a tad more versatile and useable in real-world motoring, making it the great pretender. My heart still belongs to the authentic gallic ‘double chevron’ original though, and not Renault’s blatant response to its affordable local competitor, which its creators once described as “nobody's car, since it is everyone's car.”

When Citroën itself attempted to replace the 2CV (twice, with the Ami in 1961 and the Dyane in 1967), it doubtless learned much itself from the tin snail’s shortcomings. Ironically, it probably also scrutinised the R4 closely in the development of its later Dyane, incorporating some of the rival Renault’s features, such as the more practical five-door hatchback body (although the 2CV already offered this in the 1950s), plus its more spacious, comfortable and modern cabin.

Now please don’t get me wrong, the R4 was an exceptionally good and useful ‘everyman/everyday’ car; it was suitable for all families, on all budgets, offering great practicality, a soft, comfortable rolly polly ride with clever independent suspension suited to French roads, robust four-cylinder engines and characterful styling that only the French could pull off. The R4 pioneered the use of a sealed cooling system in a production car too, a world first, and was one of the first mass-produced hatchbacks, leading the way for Renault’s larger R16 in 1965, plus the R4-based R6 in 1968 and highly-influential R5 ‘supermini’ hatch in 1972. 

Importantly for Renault, the R4 was also the manufacturer’s first front-wheel-drive passenger car (the brand’s premier front-driver being the Estafette van two years earlier) and was a more usable and accessible successor to the decrepit rear-engined 4CV, the small entry Renault model that helped to mobilise France immediately post-war.

Like its Citroën mentor, in the 60 years since its debut in the Camargue in 1961, the R4 has endeared great devotion among its loyal fans, gaining plenty of nicknames throughout the world, including cuatro latas (four tins) in Spain, amigo fiel (faithful friend) in Columbia, mali div (little giant) in Bosnia, and so on. In the UK though, the R4 was never held quite so fondly in the nation’s affections, although it did attract a small but dedicated core following.

Based on childhood memories, in the UK the R4 became the preferred wheels of choice for local vicars and geography teachers, though with a less ‘tree hugging’ and Green Peace image than the 2CV. It was also a less discerning choice, not so admired by driving enthusiasts and those ‘in the know’, with no cult following and dedicated R4 owners clubs, unlike the charismatic Citroën. This was evidenced by RHD British R4 imports stopping some years ahead of sales of the model in other European markets. 

The R4 grew out of Renault’s minimal motoring Project 350 of 1958, this gawky-looking five-door prototype being refined down to the Project 112 of 1961, which became the R4. In the late 1950s, Pierre Dreyfus, the contemporary boss of Renault, recognised the transformations of French society and wanted to replace the 4CV with a more versatile, hard-wearing and inexpensive car as comfortable in town as in the countryside, much like the Citroën 2CV. 

At its debut 60 years ago, the new entry Renault model was presented in its simplest and most basic form, the R3, lacking any chrome embellishments initially, or rear quarter side glass in order to achieve the lowest possible price of 350,000 French francs (the equivalent of around just £4,900 today). The first post-war Renault model to use a number rather than a name, the affordable entry R3 was supplemented by then costlier R4 and ‘luxury’ R4L, which included glazed rear side windows, plus a beefier 747cc, 32PS (24kW) motor. 

The model’s other engine was initially taken from the out-going 4CV, with the R3 using a 603cc, 23PS (17kW) motor, then Renault’s later ‘Sierra’ motors as 845cc, 956cc, and 1,108cc derivatives, with useful Fourgonette vans, pick-up, beach cars and ACL (later Teihol)-built Rodeo ‘jeeps’ to tackle the dominant Citroën Mehari.

Just like its 2CV inspiration, over its 33-year career, Renault made very few mechanical or styling changes to the R4, with just an occasional facelift to the model’s front (with different grills from 1961-‘67, ‘’67-74, ‘74-‘78, and ‘78 onwards), plus updated bumpers and instrument panels, with a four-speed ‘box replacing the initial three-speed manual-only at first from 1968 (the 2CV always benefitting from four forward gears). The very last run out edition R4 were sold in France as the ‘Bye Bye’ with the final versions of the car built in the former Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) in 1994.

My second (very unsound) reason for not fully appreciating the R4 comes from personal experience, as many years ago, an old girlfriend of mine owned a mid-blue, mid-‘80s R4 GTL, which I used to drive quite a lot. She turned out to be a bit of a nightmare partner, possibly (and unfairly) tarnishing my impression of the Renault as when I see one (even now, especially if it’s a blue GTL) a small shudder runs down my spine as the memories return!   

Given the greater fondness and the R4’s cult status in its home country though, plus Renault’s recent confirmation that it will soon be reviving the 1970s R5 as a retro-modern 21st-century electric hatch, a brand new R4 is now being strongly rumoured too. Patented images of what appears to be this much-reputed new R4, an electric concept, are now being leaked online, with this anticipated spiritual successor to the utilitarian hatch featuring a compact squared-off practical design, with a distinct whiff of 1961 R4 about it. This includes a distinctive louvred C-pillar, occupied by the small rear side window, as in the original R4. 

As yet, no official information has been announced by Renault (the French brand possibly waiting for the R4s actual 60^th birthday in August to reveal the new model), but online rumours suggest this new electric R4 concept will be based on Renault’s CMF-B modular chassis architecture, as currently used on the Zoe EV city car. 

Plans for potential new R4 EV production versions are unknown as yet, but here’s hoping Renault will commit to the car, meaning that after 60 long years I might finally get to genuinely like the R4, rather than just admiring the fact that it exists.