All of this means there’s very little compromise in choosing the Pleid Sud. The R4’s cockpit is one of the best in the segment, with twin 10-inch screens and Google-powered infotainment that is much more user-friendly than the systems found in the more expensive Ford Puma Gen-E and MINI Aceman. There’s a nice blend of materials, too, although we wish the R4 had proper moulded cup-holders, rather than the bisected storage cubby-style arrangement it’s saddled with.
The more affordable techno+ is our pick of the range, because it includes all the main kit you’d want including 18-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, air-conditioning, a reversing camera and a heat pump. The iconic+ costs £2,000 more and gets heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a Harman Kardon sound system and blind-spot monitoring.
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Renault is yet to produce a UK-spec vehicle. Hence, the example we drove was on gravel tyres and featured an ‘extended grip’ setting which, for a reason that Renault was unable to identify, won’t be available in the UK. Even so, we’re pleased to report that the general driving experience of the Plein Sud is by and large unchanged versus the standard car.
Producing 148bhp, the Plein Sud provides all the zip most buyers of this type of car could need. It gets from 0-62mph in the same 8.2 seconds as the fixed-roof model, with the steering wheel hilariously squirming away whilst you accelerate. At high speeds with the roof open, there is a bit of wind buffeting. Ironically, this appears to be caused in large part by the large flip-up wind deflector that deploys when you open the roof. There’s no option to close it, sadly, although it does helpfully prevent the wind from restyling your hair.
