Renault 5 Turbo 3E ‘mini supercar’ confirmed with rear in-wheel motors producing 533bhp … and insane levels of torque
No flame-spitting this time around
Spurred on by rapturous reception to its retro-styled R5 electric hatchback, Renault has confirmed that it will put a new take on the 1980 Renault 5 Turbo into production. And though it is an electric car, the 5 Turbo 3E will share very little with its rather meeker sibling.
The Turbo 3E is built on bespoke aluminium underpinnings and uses carbon fibre extensively to keep weight to a minimum. Renault says that it will weigh no more than 1,450kg, and the engineering team working on the project (largely comprising experts from Renault’s sporty sister company Alpine) confirmed it is hoping to get that closer to 1,400kg, which would mean it’ll be lighter than both the Renault 5 E-Tech electric and the Alpine A290 derivative.
However, the Turbo 3E gets a unique electric system, too. Where both the Renault 5 and Alpine A290 use a single, front-mounted electric motor, the Turbo 3E has two motors, and they’re actually within the rear wheels, making this car rear-wheel drive and allowing individual control of the motors. The Turbo 3E even gets a specific setting for drifting, as part of the Race driving mode.
Peak power is quoted as 533bhp, which gives the Turbo 3E roughly the same power-to-weight ratio as the Porsche 911 Turbo, while the motors produce a gargantuan 3,540lb ft of torque (twisting force) almost the instant you put your foot on the accelerator. That’s some 16 times the torque produced even by the Alpine A290’s electric motor, though when comparing the so-called “wheel torque” of both cars it’s likely that the Turbo 3E has effectively twice as much torque. That goes some way to explaining the predicted 0-62mph time of under 3.5 seconds (again, it was indicated that the final figure may be better). Flat out the Turbo 3E can hit a claimed 167mph.
While Renault helpfully points out that speed should only be attempted on a racetrack, it may come as a surprise that the Turbo 3E will be fully road legal. Under the floor sits a lithium-ion battery pack with an energy capacity of 70kWh, said to be good for nearly 250 miles between charges in the official lab test.
And unlike the regular Renault 5, this one has an 800-volt electrical architecture (the same as a Porsche Taycan, and twice the rate or most EVs on sale), so rapid DC charging of up to 350kW is possible, meaning a 15-80 per cent charge in as little as 15 minutes. AC charging on a three-phase 11kW outlet allows for a 0-100 per cent charge in eight hours. The charging port is hidden in one of the air scoops ahead of the rear wheels, incidentally.
Those wheels are 20in in diameter and sit within heavily boxed wheelarches, in keeping with the retro styling theme. Nonetheless, the bulging bodywork has also been honed in the wind tunnel to balance downforce front and rear. Check out the air flow path through the nose and out the bonnet, and another using the side scoops to channel air through the rear arches and out either side of the rear lights.
Those upright LED light clusters are some of the few carryover parts from the regular Renault 5 in showrooms today. The others are the door mirrors and handles. A massive aerodynamic diffuser at the back ensures no one will ever mistake the Turbo 3E for anything else.
Saying that, while the Turbo 3E is considerably wider than the standard car — at over two metres across — it’s not a lot longer. Which has led Renault to call it one of the first ever “mini supercars”.
Open the doors and it certainly lives up to that billing, as the cabin seats only two. It has a rollcage, netting to hold helmets and two deep racing seats with integrated six-point harnesses. There’s lots of carbon fibre and Alcantara on show, but all this has been somehow neatly integrated next to a fairly conventional Renault digital dashboard. A 10.25in touchscreen uses the familiar Google-based ‘OpenR’ software, and there’s digital instrumentation as well.
However, the slim-rimmed steering wheel is an Alpine item, with an overtake button for maximum performance, variable brake-energy regeneration and a Ferrari Manettino-like twist-switch to choose from Snow, Regular, Sport or Race driving modes. And to complete the rally-replica vibe, there’s a honking big rally-style handbrake.
Buyers wishing to live out their retro rally dreams in what Renault is billing as its most powerful and most advanced road car ever will have to be quick when the order books open as Renault will produce just 1,980 cars for worldwide consumption (1980 being the launch year of the original Renault 5).
A choice of paint liveries and interior finishes will be offered, including the — no doubt costly — option to meet with a Renault designer and choose your own exterior and interior theme. UK pricing has yet to be announced, but we can’t see it costing less than £120,000.
Driving.co.uk’s take on the Renault 5 Turbo 3E
As vanity projects go, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a very welcome one (writes Driving.co.uk’s editor, Will Dron). Many a headline was generated when the car was announced last December, with car enthusiasts drooling over its retro R5 Turbo looks and performance potential.
Renault won’t be expecting to make much money from the project, if anything at all, despite prices expected to range from at least £120,000 to £200,000 per unit, depending on which baubles buyers attach to it. Instead the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is seen partly as a brand exercise, cementing the French manufacturer as the coolest car brand out there right now, as well as a legacy vehicle for which Renault’s boss, Luca de Meo, will forever be remembered.
Its rear-mounted in-wheel electric motors, developed by Alpine, offer significant weight and space savings on the rear axles, and enhanced agility through separate control of the two motors. That’s Renault’s claim, anyway — there are concerns over in-wheel motors adding unsprung mass, so whether they negatively affect the car’s dynamics remains to be seen.
What we know for sure is that it will be bonkers. The total power output figure of 533bhp matches a McLaren 540C supercar, but it’s the torque available from them that will be the talking point: 3,540 lb ft is more than five times that of a Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar. Another way of describing it would be “insane”.
Renault’s quoted figure is actually the result of adding together the two motors’ individual torque output of 1,770 lb ft, and it’s not quite right to compare the figure with the output from a petrol engine, as the “wheel torque” is considerably higher, but whatever way you calculate the final combined output, the result will be stratospheric performance. It will also mean wheelspin on demand and the promise that owners will be able to drift their Renault 5 Turbo 3E with ease, especially with the drift-assist function and rally-style handbrake. So if you plan on buying one, bear in mind that you’ll also want to put aside a significant budget for rear tyres.
But taken as a whole, this car represents a much-needed shot in the arm for the image of electric cars. It blows to smithereens the idea that EVs are dull appliances; instead, this is a machine oozing character and, simply put, an in-your-face attitude. It’s possible the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N will still be the most engaging electric driver’s car, but the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is more exclusive and more outrageous.
Related articles
- If you were interested in the new Renault 5 Turbo 3E, you might also like to check out our review of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
- Also check out our review of the regular Renault 5: a fun, affordable electric car to ignite the small EV market
- Did you know Alfa Romeo is plotting an electric sports car to succeed the 4C?
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