Head to certain parts of Europe and there’s a good chance you might still find a battered original Renault 4 ‘Fourgonnette’, a high-roofed van version of the sturdy little hatch, still plying its trade. Now, in the great tradition of the 4, the reborn electric version now comes in van form too.
Sadly, this one doesn’t come with an enlarged back end ideal for filling up with baked goods or whatever other stereotypically French things people might use a small Renault van to transport. In fact, it’s about as bare-bones as a van conversion can get, not even getting screened-off windows. Maybe don’t use it for carrying around priceless artwork or jewellery, even if there is a load bay cover.
Renault 4 van – cargo bay
What you do get as part of the conversion is the ditching of the back seats, with a flat loading area and various lashing points replacing them, and optionally, a mesh grille separating all the stuff in the back from the people up front. All in all, you get 1045 litres of storage, 55 of which are in an underfloor cubby, and a fairly meagre payload of 345kg. It is only a little electric hatch, though.
Powertrain choices are the same two offered for the passenger 4 in mainland Europe. They include a base version not offered in Britain, teaming a 118bhp motor with a 40kWh battery, good for a quoted 191 miles of range; and the top 148bhp, 52kWh version, bumping range to 254 miles – both plenty for a day of zipping silently from boulangerie to bistro.
Renault 4 van – rear
Before we slip too far into lazy stereotypes, it’s worth noting that pricing’s only been confirmed for France so far, where the 4 Van starts at €29,300 (around £25,500) before VAT. It’ll be sold in various LHD markets, but UK availability is apparently still under consideration – better make your voice heard if you want one.
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