ICONIC RENAULT 5 RETURNS AS A LOVABLE ELECTRIC SUPERMINI
The advertising blurb for the original Renault R5, the car with those mischievous headlamps that seem to be winking at you, marketed the model as a "little friend." It went on to sell five million units.
This made it one of the most successful cars ever from the French makers and now more than 50 years after that debut, the brand is hoping for a repeat performance.
The signs are good amid a dearth of stylish small electric cars and when it appears in showrooms at the beginning of next year the R5's price should lure a lot of would-be car to take a close look.
The price sticker will read around €27,900 in its home market of Europe, with the promise of a version for just €25,000 a little further down the line.
The aim is to create an affordable icon with "must have it" appeal and since the new R5 drives well into the bargain, the R5 seems to be a fine contender for stylishly mobilizing the masses.
To keep the price down, the French have taken a pragmatic approach to the drivetrain. The base model will have to make do with 66 kW/90 horsepower and a battery with 40 kWh for a given range of 312 standard kilometres. Fast charging has also been left out for cost reasons.
Dig a little deeper into your pocket and you can buy one with a more spirited motor turning out 88 kW/120 hp. It gets enhanced charging performance too, with 11 kW at the wall-box and 80 kW when you need to recharge quickly.
Top of the family tree is an R5 costing some €32,900. With that you can theoretically drive up to 410 kilometres and rely on 110 kW/150 hp. A 52 kWh battery is fitted which can be replenished at 100 kW.
While this is mediocre at best, the French still cut a dash at the charging station. The R5 is one of the few bi-directional cars in this league that can put electricity back into the grid. This means it can function as a power bank for e-bikes or as a buffer for the solar roof.
While common sense prevails when it comes to motive power, the French have focussed on attractiveness when it comes to the packaging.
Hardly any other small EV car on the market has such an appealing design as the cool R5 which stands at 3.92 metres.
Regardless of whether you grew up in the 1980s or the 2020s, a glance at the crisp proportions, the trendy colours and the clever details, such as a glowing number five as a charge level indicator on the bonnet, will inevitably soften your heart towards it.
The little Frenchman is a little rascal on the inside too. Though with a wheelbase of 2.54 metres, you shouldn't expect any miracles. The rear bench seat, which is only approved for two people, is comparatively cramped and the boot is not exactly suitable for long journeys, offering between 326 and 1,106 litres with the rear bench flat.
But the R5 makes up for it in other ways. Instead of the usual expanse of dreary black plastic there is a colourful sense of joie de vivre inside and some surprisingly elegant materials.
The dashboard is covered with textile and nicely quilted and the seat covers make a woollen, high-quality impression. Digital instruments and navigation with load planning are standard but there is a loving attention to detail everywhere.
The R5 silhouette smiles out at you from the centre console and you discover a baguette holder in the options list. Oh yes, and the gear selector lever can be ordered with the French tricolour badge on it to make it stand out.
The smile that the R5 conjures up on your face when you first see it remains once you get behind the wheel. Especially in comparison to other electric cars at the lower end of the price range.
Somehow the friendly Frenchman seems much more mature, solid and exudes confidence. In the city, it is as lively as any electric car, handy, agile and pleasantly manoeuvrable with direct steering.
The R5 loses out to the competition once built-up areas are left behind but thanks to a wide track and firm, but not uncomfortable suspension, it tackles bends with aplomb.
Forward urge runs out at 150 km/h but no matter. After all, many of its competitors run of steam before that, and the original petrol version only managed 135 km/h on a good day.
To sum up, this is one impressive comeback. The electric R5 harks back to the past without being retro and is inexpensive without looking cheap.
And despite its small size, the R5 drives like a big car. It looks good even if you don't remember the original which has long vanished from European roads.
More than 50 years after its debut, the R5 returns as a little big car and should give ailing Volkswagen some food for thought.
Stellantis is already fielding the Citroën C3 and the Fiat Grande Panda, and Renault has now fired its opening salvo with R5. Amid all this there is still no sign of the much-vaunted VW ID.2.