It used a dashboard-mounted gear-lever with forward, over-the-engine reaching gear-shift linkage, principally the same as those used in both the Renault 4, and in the subcompact Citroëns it competed against.

In part because of this, the R6 had worse fuel economy than the larger but outdated, rear-engined Renault 8 saloon, which had a bigger engine and still performed better.

[7] The new cooling system necessitated a supplementary grille beneath the original one (in the place occupied by the license plate of the R6-850), while the disc brakes meant slightly redesigned rims with openings in them.

This was an open, plastic-bodied utility vehicle in the style of the Citroën Méhari, which was sold by selected Renault dealers.

Production and sales in France and most of Europe ended in 1980 with no direct successor, but in Spain and Argentina the car was still produced and sold until 1986.

In Argentina, where the car was built by IKA-Renault, the original design (without the additional grille seen on European 1100s) continued until it received a facelift in 1978 along with a name change to "6 GTL".