- New Renault 5 Turbo 3E revealed in full
- We get an early look at this outrageous electric hot hatch
- Power of 533 bhp and 4,800Nm of torque
- 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds
- You might want to sit down for the asking price...
The 80s are hot right now – whether it’s 80s-inspired music, fashion or even the worst of all haircuts, the mullet, looking back 40 years seems to on trend in the 2020s.
So, it’s no surprise that the kings of the retro reboot, Renault, have dug into its back catalogue again to bring us something sensational – the new Renault 5 Turbo 3E.
We’ve already seen and fallen in love with the new Renault 5, while the slightly more practical Renault 4 is also being revisited soon.
But, if you know your hot hatches, you’ll also remember the original Renault 5 Turbos from the 1980s. The bonkers, mid-engined rally beasts took an everyday hatchback, slapped on a huge turbo, and gave it a body kit straight from the gym on Venice Beach. The new Renault 5 Turbo 3E sticks to that wild ethos, but with one key difference – it's fully electric.
So why call it a ‘Turbo’ if there’s no turbocharger? Good question. According to Renault’s design boss, Gilles Vidal, “Turbo is more of a spirit with this car.” Well, if it’s good enough for Porsche with its electric cars, it must be good enough for Renault.
Turbo or not, the 5 Turbo 3E certainly looks the part. The bodywork is every bit as outrageous as its predecessors, with enormous wheel arches (making it a full 300mm wider than the standard Renault 5) and huge spoilers – only the windscreen, wing mirrors, door handles and rear lights are carried over from the donor car, with the 3 E being longer as well as wider than the more accessible five. Oh, and to keep weight down, the body is all made from carbon fibre, bringing the total weight to an impressive 1,450kg – pretty lean for an EV, especially one with such performance.
This Turbo has been developed by Renault Group’s performance arm and F1 mid-fielders Alpine. Beneath that wild exterior sits an all-new aluminium platform with cutting-edge 800-volt technology. The result? Blistering performance and rapid charging.
There’s a decent-sized 70kWh battery sitting deep in the floor – giving a usefully low centre of gravity. That battery won’t hold its charge too long when you’re charging around a track, so it’s handy that the 800-volt platform means the 5 Turbo 3E can charge at speeds of up to 350kW, taking the battery from 15 to 80 per cent in just 15 minutes. Renault reckons it’ll do close to 250 miles on a charge, but maybe when you’re driving to and from the track, not when you’re on it.
Two electric motors sit inside each rear wheel rather than on the axle and together they deliver a combined 533bhp and an utterly ridiculous 4,800Nm of torque. The 0-62mph figure is a supercar-baiting 3.5 seconds with a track- or autobahn-only top speed of 168mph.
Renault is also offering buyers the chance to personalise their 5 Turbo 3E however they fancy – I asked if I could have one with a design like my 80s hero Nigel Mansell’s crash helmet. Strangely Renault’s design team didn’t bite my hand off, instead pointing me towards several design options inspired by the iconic 80s Turbos.
The interior can also be personalised, even with material from my grandmother’s curtains, I was told. Some elements inside are borrowed from the standard Renault 5, like the instrument binnacle, but that was also the case with the 80s originals.
Like in the standard car, the digital driver display is a crisp 10.1 inches, and there’s a Google-powered 10.25-inch portrait infotainment screen packed with Google apps. So, despite its track-focused nature, this is still a car you could use every day.
Inside, you’ll find carbon-fibre bucket seats with six-point harnesses, a hefty racing roll cage, and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel borrowed from Alpine’s Renault 5-based A290 hot hatch. There’s even a ‘boost’ button for overtaking, plus adjustable brake regeneration and four driving modes.
The highlight inside, though, is the rally-inspired vertical handbrake. Flick the car into Race mode, yank the lever, and you can send it sideways like a true Group B hero.
With a further retro nod, only 1,980 Turbo 3Es will be made, with sales kicking off soon and first deliveries expected in 2027. But it won’t be cheap.
You might have to sit down for this bit – I did. Rumours suggest a price tag somewhere between £120,000 and £140,000, with fully personalised models said to potentially nudge a staggering £200,000.
For that money, you could buy an original Renault 5 Turbo in decent nick plus a Turbo 2, then add in a modern Renault 5 and an Alpine A290. Renault refers to the Turbo 3E as a ‘mini supercar’ – but it comes with a regular supercar price.
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