Renault 4EVER Trophy is cooler than an electric Suzuki Jimny

Renault has used the Paris Motor Show to pull the covers off a pretty spectacular-looking all-electric show car. It’s called the 4EVER Trophy and it’s the kind of EV mini off-roader we could really get behind.

Designed as an all-electric homage to the Renault 4, the 4EVER Trophy is the next vehicle from the French brand to get an EV overhaul, after the Renault 5.

But what’s unique here is that the Renault 4EVER Trophy takes a more off-road-focused path, which Renault says is intended to give off “dune buggy vibes”.

“Renault 4 is a myth. And myths never die! R4 is a car that everyone can love, and today we want to rediscover this universal dimension through a modern and electric reinterpretation,” said Luca de Meo, Renault’s CEO.

Those dune-buggy vibes? They come courtesy of the tough-looking 19-inch wheels, each of which has been pushed in the furthest corners of the vehicle, the flared guards, and a short front overhang that looks tailor-made for off-roading.

The spare tyre is located on the roof (made of carbon-fibre, of course), and there’s a shovel and waffle board along for the ride, too. The focus here is on ground clearance, and there’s underbody protection to keep the battery safe, plus you can change tyre air-pressure on the fly from the cabin. All of which sounds very cool, for a show car.

Measuring up at 4160mm long, 1950mm wide and 1900mm high and with a 2570mm wheelbase, the 4Ever is powered by a 100kW e-motor driving the front axle, fed by a 42kW nickel-cobalt- manganese battery mounted under the floor.

The claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time is 9.0 seconds and the claimed range between recharges 400km.

Those numbers are worth paying attention to because the Renault 4EVER also previews a real “future B-Segment SUV” that will live on Renault’s CMF-BEV platform. It will be made in France and will feed on the 4EVER’s design.

It’s all part of Renault’s plan to be 100 per cent electric in Europe by 2030. But when will we see the real-world 4EVER? No sooner than 2025 was the word from the Paris show floor.