Reborn electric 2027 Renault 5 Turbo even wilder than it looks

Renault has unleashed its all-new 2027 Renault 5 Turbo 3E hyper-hatch, also revealing how it will challenge both Ferrari and Lamborghini for performance and on-track prowess when the vehicle goes on sale in Australia in two years’ time.

Despite looking like an evolution of the 2022 concept of the same name, the latest Renault 5 Turbo 3E is all new and is based on a bespoke aluminium spaceframe chassis that’s wrapped with a body made entirely of lightweight carbon-fibre.

Highlights include state-of-the-art in-hub rear motors that (combined) pump out more than 400kW. That should enable a dash to 100km/h in less than 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h.

Sharing just the front windscreen, door handles and rear tail-lights with the Renault 5 E-Tech supermini, the R5 Turbo 3E heralds the Renault Group's next-generation EV technology that includes a powerful 800V electric architecture.

Combined with a new lightweight and ultra-thin 70kWh battery, the new French Ferrari rival will be capable of covering more than 400km on a charge, with a 15 to 80 per cent top-up said to take less than 15 minutes.

Designed for both road and track, engineers say that the R5 Turbo 3E can deliver maximum power for two hot laps, enabling most drivers to match the behaviour of most track day fans.

Developed by Renault and its standalone performance brand, unlike the regular Renault 5 there will not be a dedicated Alpine version, although expect the advanced powertrain to reappear in inbound Alpines in the future.

It’s those in-hub motors that will give the edge over all its rivals, say Renault engineers.

Capable of unprecedented torque vectoring, the two 200kW motors – that have no mechanical connection – can ‘lock’ the virtual differential, creating a car that loves to drift one moment, while maximising traction the next.

On track the advanced tech ensures not a single kilowatt will be wasted in the pursuit of a hot lap.

Key to the R5 Turbo 3E’s performance is its modest kerb weight. Thanks to its carbon body and aluminium underpinnings, the R5 Turbo 3E will weigh less than 1400kg when it arrives – over 20kg less than the lightest version of the latest 375kW Porsche 911 GT3.

Maximising performance on track, the jaw-dropping looks hide an advanced package of air bending that has been employed to add big downforce without adding range-sapping drag.

Borrowing from Alpine’s motorsport expertise, there are huge front arch extractors, complex underbody blades and spoilers, an enormous rear diffuser and a prominent tailgate lip.

If you’re missing the 2022 concept’s big rear spoiler, don’t fret – designers are working on an enormous wing for the production model as Renault bosses lament the loss of the original car’s wing.

Sticking with the looks, it’s hard to express just how dramatic the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is in the flesh.

That’s because measuring in at 4080mm long and 2030mm wide, the R5 Turbo 3E mashes up the length of a Honda Jazz with the width of a Lamborghini Revuelto, while adding box arches lifted from an ’80s’ silhouette racer.

Despite a hatchback profile, the R5 Turbo 3E is strictly a two-seater, with a half cage taking up the space in the rear providing for huge amounts of luggage room.

Ahead of the driver is the same dual-screen set-up as the Renault 5 E-Tech with a Google Android-powered infotainment system.

There’s also an Alpine A290 steering wheel with a round dial used to select one of four driving modes, including a dedicated Track and Rally setting.

Launch control and a configurable drift assist is also present, while that huge lever sprouting from the centre console replicates a rally car’s hydraulic handbrake, putting large slides just a hand-pull away.

Other notable introductions are a pair of full carbon-fibre race seats and a dash wrapped with fabrics that mimic the original mid-engine R5.

Once launched, the R5 Turbo 3E will also be offered with Porsche-style heritage colour schemes inspired by the teams that used to race the R5 Turbo and Turbo 2 in the ’80s.

Already confirmed for an Australian launch, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E should land here in 2027, with keen buyers capable of registering their interest in the coming weeks.

Pricing and full specification will be released later but early indications suggest the R5 Turbo 3E won’t come cheap, with pricing tipped to kick off around $200,000 when it eventually lands Down Under.

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