When the Renault 5 Turbo 3E was digitally unveiled as an aside in a presentation, it felt like Renault had gone mad. Surely, they weren’t doing the hyper hatch thing a third time? Even if they did, surely it wouldn’t look like that. Well, Renault actually built one, it’s real, and it’s magnificent beyond our wildest dreams.
This insane machine may be called the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, but that doesn’t mean it’s based on the electric Renault 5 hatchback that’s already on sale in Europe. Riding on a dedicated aluminum architecture designed and engineered by Alpine (yes, as in the company that owns the Formula 1 team of the same name), this hyper-hatch has a three-centimeter-longer wheelbase than the standard Renault 5, its windscreen has been pulled back, it features two doors instead of four, and the bodywork that you see is made of carbon fiber.
Oh, and what bodywork it is. Measuring just 160.6 inches long and standing a mere 54.3 inches tall, the base of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is still small, but then the designers and engineers went to town. There are strakes on the roof, gills in the front fenders, nostrils in the bumper, and the rear valence might as well be taken from Alpine’s WEC car. You even get two scoops in front of each rear wheel, one for powertrain cooling and one for brake cooling.
However, the best part about the look of this thing is the stance of those 20-inch wheels tucked up inside enormous box flares that make this French hatchback as wide as a Ford F-150. You read that correctly, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is nearly a foot shorter than a Toyota Corolla Hatchback, two inches lower than a three-door Mini Cooper, and as wide as a Ford F-150. Bonkers.
Speaking of wheels, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E features two in-wheel electric motors producing a combined 536 horsepower, all on the rear axle. While that sounds like a recipe for laying enormous black stripes down the tarmac, Renault claims a zero-to-62 mph time of fewer than 3.5 seconds, in the same ballpark as many all-wheel-drive performance EVs. Top speed? A tidy 167 mph. What’s more, the high-voltage system including the 70 kWh battery pack runs on an 800-volt architecture, meaning that once you run through the 248-mile range, it won’t take long to juice up from a 350 kW DC fast charger and go again.
Oh, and in case the half-cage and bucket seats weren’t enough of a clue, this thing isn’t just about straight-line brutality. It weighs just 3,197 pounds, only 11 pounds more than a Hyundai Elantra N, and it has a multitude of toys for when you’re bored of cutting tidy laps. Like almost any modern high-end electric performance car, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E features a drift mode and a boost button, but it also gets a vertical handbrake for locking up the rear tires. To only be used responsibly, I’m sure.
Renault will only be making 1,980 5 Turbo 3E hyper hatchbacks, a number that commemorates the original, and they aren’t going to be cheap. What’s more, none are expected to be sold in North America, making this Alpine-developed machine an exceptionally special dream. Considering the first examples won’t roll off the line until 2027, is this unhinged EV worth waiting 27 years for? You know, if replacement battery packs are available to restore this unusual performance car to factory fresh, it just might be.
Top graphic credit: Renault
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It seems a little wild to say given this is made in homage to a Group B car, but this the bodywork is too over the top for me.
This looks way more inspired in the IMSA Le Car than any of the Group B versions of the 5 Turbo. And yup, it’s definitely too much, and at the same time, not enough of. This definitely lacks – or straight up botches – a lot of important cues from the design it’s based on. Not as bad as the Renault 4 E-tech, but kinda bad still.
Holy shit! It’s a little extreme-looking for me, and I really do not like those wheels but who cares? That sounds absolutely fantastic and would indeed merit moving to France.
Damn, now I need to really figure out how to get French citizenship (and a place to live in France) and the money required to buy this. It’s definitely the best version of a sports EV I have seen yet outside of maybe a Rimac. The reasonable weight is astounding, other OEMS need to take note of this. It’s properly crazy in both style and capability. I approve.
Ach, what a dope car! Finally, some retro looks I can get behind. Too bad the motors are in the wheels, because the wheels are butt ugly.
Seems like that puppy will be in the 6 digits territory. While a cool car, it’s far too rich for my blood.
With those specs, I regret we won’t be seeing the old Top Gear guys reviewing it. I can just picture the glam shots of it on the track, in tight & slow motion on a rear wheel, then a pull-out shot of the car in an abrupt spin. And Clarkson’s pithy remark & smug little smirk as he smokes the tires out of shot again.
As long as they keep Richard Hammond far, FAR away
And Clarkson having to roll out of it in order to get out a’la the Lotus.
Beyond just the fantastic specs (less than 3,200 lbs with that big of a battery pack is epic!) the motor setup really deserves extra emphasis.
This has one electric motor *per rear wheel.* This will be able to vector torque, and the steering feel could be fantastic since steering is all the front wheels will do.
It’s what an electric driver’s car ought to be, using all the right advantages of electric powertrains to enhance driver connection.
I think this’ll feel more like some of the good performance EV conversions — look up Magnus Walker’s review of the Bisimoto 935 on YouTube for an idea of the vibes.
I want this, “turbo” badging and all. Like, few new cars excite me like building an old car, but this is genuinely desirable.