[1] It was very similar to the R5 hatchback (which had been launched two years earlier), and identical mechanically, but offered with a smaller range of engines.

This involved extending the wheelbase by just under 6 cm (2+2⁄5 in)[2] though it retained the wheelbase difference between left and right sides, characteristic of several Renault models, resulting from the use of full-width torsion bars placed one behind the other, ahead of the rear wheels.

Another difference between the Renault 7 and the 5 was the use, on the 7, of 'conventional' chromed metal bumpers instead of off-body colour plastic ones,[3] giving the car a more refined appearance.

The R7 was introduced two years after the launch of the R5, then restyled in 1979, followed by an engine upgrade to 1108 cc in 1980.

In 1984, the R5 had been substantially redesigned (now based on the R9/R11 floorpan) and R7 sales did not justify the investment necessary to develop a new version of the R7.