Latest news with #EspritAlpine
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Renault's Symbioz gets two new hybrid petrol engines with prices from €31k
Combining the qualities of a compact car and a family car and at just 4.41 metres long, Symbioz offers the best of the C-segment, with boot space of up to 624 litres, interior space and a sliding rear bench seat. The new entry Evolution trim priced from €31,995 gets the smaller 1.3 litre four-cylinder petrol turbo engine, boosted by a 12v mild hybrid system with CO2 emissions as low as 131g/km and fuel consumption of just 5.8l/100km. If you want more grunt, you can opt for the E-Tech 160 engine with a larger 1.8 litre unit that delivers 160bhp (hence the name) and a reduced consumption figure of 4.4l/100km and even shaves €10 off the annual road tax. That's down to CO2 emissions figures that have been reduced to 98g/km. Prices for the entry level Evolution trim start at €34,995. Standard kit is generous and comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rear parking cameras and sensors, cruise control and speed limiter, auto climate control as well as additional features from the launch model. Techno trim for both powertrains adds navigation and multimedia thanks to OpenR Link with Google built in, adaptive cruise control, 18-inch diamond cut alloys, multi-sense driving modes, wireless phone charging and LED interior lighting. Moving up to the Techno Esprit Alpine with E-Tech hybrid 160 (from €39,595) adds hands free tailgate, 19-inch Esprit Alpine diamond cut alloys and sports seats, heated front seats and steering wheel and contextual adaptive cruise with lane centring assist. The Iconic Esprit Alpine trim (with E-Tech hybrid 160) includes the Solarbay opacifying sunroof and Harman/Kardon premium audio, 360 degree parking camera and full auto park from €41,595.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
My wife has osteoporosis. Which car will be the most comfortable drive?
Dear Alex, We've owned our Renault Captur Esprit Alpine for three months and need to change it for a car with a softer ride. My wife's osteoporosis has worsened and the ride is too harsh for any reasonable degree of comfort. We'd like to retain a similar high seating position. What should we choose? – BH Dear BH, This is difficult to answer, because small SUVs such as Captur are generally not the smoothest; what's more, the Captur is toward the more comfortable end of the spectrum (although the large diameter wheels on the upmarket Esprit Alpine version won't help with the ride comfort). There are a couple of even more comfortable models, however. I suggest the Citroën C4. Nifty hydraulic bump stops means Citroën has been able to fit softer suspension, with the result that it floats over road imperfections in an uncanny way. Memory foam seats help dampen the bumps further. It's not quite as soft as the mirror-smooth hydropneumatic Citroëns of old, but you'd be amazed how close it gets – and it's actually slightly better over shorter, sharper bumps, which were always the older system's Achilles' heel. The C4 has just been facelifted and is now offered with the option of a mild hybrid petrol engine. This is the one to choose, because it doesn't have the potentially troublesome 'wet' timing belt of the pure petrol models (avoid anything badged as a PureTech). What's more, as with all Citroëns, you can now keep the C4 in warranty until it's eight years old, thanks to a new service-activated warranty offer – you just have to use a main dealer for annual servicing to extend cover by a year. Also worth a look is the Skoda Kamiq, the Czech firm's rival to the Captur. Like all Skodas, it's pretty comfy; I drove one from Edinburgh to London in a day and felt surprisingly fresh at journey's end. It's best as a lower-spec model with smaller diameter wheels to get the best possible ride quality, with the excellent 1.0-litre turbo engine that provides peppy performance.
