Electrical scorching hatches are few and far between. Fashions that spring to mind embrace the Abarth 500e, Cupra Born VZ, Mini John Cooper Works, and the lesser-known MG4 XPower. Renault desires to overshadow all of them—together with its very personal Alpine A290—with a ludicrously highly effective iteration of the reborn 5. Sure, the Renault 5 Turbo is again, and similar to the Porsche Taycan, it is an electrical automobile with “Turbo” in its identify. Complex, I do know.

Though it might ship an idea vibe, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is not only for present. The automaker with the diamond emblem intends to place the automobile into manufacturing. The tiny-but-mighty hatchback will likely be rear-wheel drive, very like its Eighties ancestor. As an alternative to getting the unique automobile’s mid-mounted four-cylinder engine, it’s going to rock a pair of rear electrical motors. That turbo 1.4-liter mill made about 160 hp, whereas its EV religious successor has greater than 3 times the facility.

The French tout a mixed output of over 500 horsepower, or a whopping 285 horsepower greater than the Alpine A290 we talked about. The facility hole between the 5 Turbo 3E and a typical Renault 5 is even larger, at a ridiculous 350 hp. Torque is not talked about; however, we all know the electrical hatch will want solely three and a half seconds to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill. It makes it 0.3 seconds faster than the MG4 XPower, which packs “only” 429 hp.

The spectacularly muscular physique deletes the common Renault 5’s rear doorways in alternate for aspect vents. Renault provides bulging fenders as a throwback to the unique R5 Turbo. We’re additionally noticing huge 20-inch wheels on what stays a diminutive automobile. The 2-tone alloys are wrapped in 245/35 ZR20 tires on the entrance and meaty 275/35 ZR20 rubber on the rear.

Though it is the primary Renault-badged electrical scorching hatch to enter manufacturing, there have been one-offs previously. A few of you’ll recall the 2017 Zoe E-Sport with 460 HP and the 2022 R5 Turbo 3E with 375 HP. The road-going mannequin will trump each, presumably for an exorbitant price ticket and low manufacturing numbers.

For the reason that the common Renault 5 has a front-wheel-drive structure with a single motor, it is safe to say there are some main adjustments beneath the pores and skin. The twin-motor RWD efficiency model makes use of a “carbon superstructure,” claimed to be “light-weight and very stiff.” Weight is not talked about; however, the previous idea of the automobile—which additionally had two motors on the rear—tipped the scales at 3,306 kilograms (1,500 kilograms). The Alpine A290 is a smidge lighter, at 3,260 lbs (1,479 kg).

We will draw parallels between the Renault 5/Turbo 3E and the vehicles offered within the Eighties. Again then, the common mannequin additionally had FWD with a front-mounted engine, whereas the homologation particular Turbo mannequin put the engine behind the seats, with energy going to the rear wheels.

Absolutely, there is not an enormous marketplace for this sort of automobile; however, we’re glad it exists. It is anticipated to go on sale in 2026. Renault, when you’re at it, can we’ve got one other mid-engine Clio?

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