The incoming Renault 5 supermini has been spotted testing in the UK for the first time, ahead of customer deliveries beginning in the coming months.
The French brand’s next small EV – which Autocar will drive for the first time in a matter of weeks – will rival the likes of the Mini Cooper E and Fiat 500e.
It is the first in a wave of retro electric cars coming from Renault over the next few years.
In just a few weeks, it will be joined by a new Renault 4, using much of the same technical make-up. Based on the Renault 4Ever concept, it will sit higher and wider, in a bid to capture a share of the ever-popular compact crossover market.
After that will come an evolved version of the similarly nostalgic Twingo concept.
The 5 was revealed in production guise at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, remaining faithful to the acclaimed concept from 2021.
Renault is aiming to defend its position in the increasingly competitive small car market, and the 5 is testament to the company’s commitment to providing affordable cars in the EV era.
The launch price of €25,000 (approximately £21,400) in Europe is expected to translate to less than £25,000 when it arrives in the UK. That will make it one of the most affordable EVs on the market, undercutting some of today’s cheapest.
Platform
The 5 is based on a new EV architecture dubbed Ampr Small (formerly CMF-BEV), which shares much of its core structure with that used for the Nissan Juke and Renault Clio.
Using the fundamentals of an existing platform is said to have cut development costs by 30%, compared with engineering a bespoke platform like that which underpins the £28,195 Fiat 500e.
Renault engineers say driver engagement was a priority in the development of the 5, which is why it has multi-link suspension at the rear, rather than the torsion beam design used on the Clio.
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This is the first BEV that's really caught my attention, so I was disappointed that we couldn't get to the Geneva show this year but delighted to find there was going to be a 5 at Goodwood FoS. I sat in the one at Goodwood and then also looked at the one at the British Motor Show in Farnborough last month. It's great - it really is - but there is one (almost literal) elephant in the room. I tend to think of the original 5 as the car that coined the term "supermini" and, while no-one expected the new 5 to be the same size as the original, when you see it in the flesh this car is, relatively speaking, ENORMOUS! Google Renault's promotional pic of the two side-by-side (viewed from the front) to get an impression of its true enormity. I do understand the numerous reasons for this, but it's still a shock when you see it in the flesh and does detract somewhat from the ethos of the original. I know the same is true of the MINI and Fiat 500, but we got used to that transition in the ICE world, whereas the bloating of the 5 feels like it's due to the electrification. It will be a success, and deserves to be, but reading the above article with its numerous references to "supermini" and "small car" just drives home to me how much it really isn't...
Just a couple of weeks back I was in my local M&S car park and, lo and behold, spotted a mint condition Mk V Ford Cortina! I was shocked by the great looking paintwork and general condition of the car, but even more shocked by how small it looked. Especially the wheels, which looked like they were 13 inch or something!
Compared to the Vovlo XC60 that was parked beside it (and which had massive wheels), the Cortina looked almost like a toy car!
I always remembered those cars as being quite big back in the late 70s/80s - but it seems like I was just looking at them through kid's eyes.
I guess the "supermini" and "small car" references seem odd to us who are... ahem... of a certain age :) But they probably make perfect sense for the younger buyers of today who won't have known any different...
Such excellent and modern evolutionary design should not be written off as "retro". Few people regard Porsche design in that way.
I think Renault have really excelled themselves with the design of the 5 and if it is as good to drive as the adoption of a multi link rear suspension would suggest then the competition should be afraid - very afraid. As someone who doesn't buy into the minimalist touch screen dominated interior of most EVs I think Renault have struck a far better more user friendly compromise. Furthermore if it uses the Google tech in the Megane then it will be quick, easy to use and intuitive. Even if you factor in that the price of the bigger battery, higher motor output, top spec models are likely to be over £30k it will make the Mini look very expensive, especially for a more cramped 3 door. I think Renault are on a real roll with their new models. I like their design language and they appear to be being very clever in sharing componentary across vehicles which no doubt reduces costs.