The new Renault 5 E-Tech is a sepia-tinted throwback to one of the most revered French cars ever but it’s not some unabashedly retro spin-off as underneath sits a competent electric hatchback. The new Renault 5 does borrow a lot from its illustrious predecessors- the wildly popular 5 hatchback from the 70s – but the mission here is also to replace the Zoe hatchback and make an EV that offers greater value for money. Speaking of which, it’s priced from €25,000 in Europe and that easily makes it one of the most affordable EVs on sale.
That said, the Renault has not skimped on style or specifications. The exterior design is getting the most attention here and rightly so since the design language is not a pastiche but a carefully curated homage. It also stays faithful to the concept shown back in 2021 albeit with some watered-down details. Overall, we think the car looks fantastic with some typical French flair.
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The design is doused in signatures inspired by the original including the light signature featuring two rectangles with rounded corners positioned in the front bumper, bright colours, and a similarly shaped vent but this time, it works as a charging indicator. Based on the AmpR small car platform, the Renault 5 is compact at 3.92m and is 9cm shorter than Clio. The wheels are pushed to the sides and it sits low to the ground with a wide stance and lovely 18-inch wheels.
As mentioned, Renault has not been subtle regarding the colour palette of the car with the Pop Yellow and Pop Green shades being knicked from the 70s version too. More restrained colour options include Artic White, Diamond Black, and Midnight Blue. The two-tone paintwork with the Diamond Black roof will also be available on some trim levels.
Similarly, the interior does a fine job of combining the past and the present with the padded dash and the two-tier structure. Even the rectangular instrument cluster with round edges is like the original R5. On the Five high-spec trim level, the “Renault 5” signature can be seen on the black horizontal trim facing the passenger above the padded area.
Sustainability has also been keyed in with the recycled denim upholstery used on the ‘H-shaped’ seats harking back to the original Turbo R5. Despite the compact propositions, maximum space has been squeezed out with a wheelbase of 2.54m and a decent boot capacity of 326 litres. Standard equipment includes twin 10-inch screens and Google built-in along with Chat GPT. Oh, and there is also a Baguette holder- how French!
Let us talk specifications and here, the new Renault 5 will do a respectable 400km per charge with a 52kWh battery pack while a smaller 40kWh battery pack will yield about 300kms.
Three power outputs are available, all with a single motor and a front-wheel drive layout with power outputs ranging from 148bhp to 94bhp. Other nifty features include bidirectional AC charging with V2L (vehicle-to-load) for connecting a device to the vehicle battery and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) for feeding electricity back into the grid and saving on home charging.
With an 11 kW AC charging point, the 52kWh equipped version will take 4hrs 30 minutes to charge from 10% to 100% while the smaller 40kWh battery will take an hour less.
Going on sale in Europe this year and in the UK next year in right-hand drive form, the new Renault 5 has great potential in Australia and a debut here is likely with sub-$50,000 pricing. Bon!
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