First look: Renault's radical Altica

RADICAL cars continue to emanate from the den of Renault's Patrick le Quement, who in this case has turned conventional wisdom concerning station wagon design on its head. Get a load of the Altica, will ya?The French maker insists the four-seater concept car combines the practicality of an estate with the sports appeal of a coupe and a high standard of travelling comfort – which, if it proves true, would be no small feat.

Power to the (21-inch) front wheels only comes from a 2.0-litre 16-valve four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which is good for 130kW/380Nm and combines with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Claimed 0-100km/h is 7.5 seconds. Other notable aspects include mosaic rear lights and twin scissor doors activated by optical sensors.

Rather than use fixed-position seats, Renault has also created a "drive station" which is suspended by four rods and, along with the pedal assembly,can be adjusted to match the driver’s physique.