Renault declares the 5 Turbo 3E a ‘mini-supercar’
Renault has confirmed a few more details of the forthcoming 5 Turbo 3E, which will be arriving in showrooms in the first half of 2027. Rekindling memories of mid-engined Renault hatchbacks of the past, namely the original rally-bred Turbo and Turbo 2, and the Clio V6, only this time there’s no engine. Instead, it has a battery in the floor and motors in the rear wheels.
‘Turbo’, then, is just a nickname, since there’s no forced induction. No turbo lag, either, thanks to 548PS (403kW), which we already knew, and the frankly astonishing 4,800Nm (3,540lb ft) of torque, which is brand new information.
Renault is pitching the 5 Turbo 3E as a "mini-supercar" and backs up that claim with its length-to-width ratio of 2.01. That’s hardly a statistic that’s in the lexicon of car enthusiasts, but if you’re creating new genres you have to draw comparisons where you can.
Performance is certainly in the league of full-size supercars. The 0-62mph time is below 3.5 seconds and we now know that the top speed is 167mph for "several hot laps," with the Turbo 3E weighing in at 1,450kg. Some of the more everyday details have now also been released. For instance, with 350kW DC charging, the 70kWh battery can go from 15 per cent charged to 80 per cent in 15 minutes.
If you’re keen to drain the batteries as quickly as possible, there’s a push-to-pass button on the steering wheel for a power boost, and drivers can also vary the level of regeneration. There are four driving modes – Snow, Regular, Sport, and Race. It’s surely the last two that will most suit the limited run mini-supercar.
The bespoke nature of the Turbo 3E extends beyond the carbon fibre construction – which adds credibility to the supercar claim – to the car’s shape. The windscreen is set back further than that of the regular 5 E-Tech, and the wheelbase is extended by 3cm. If you spotted that in the official photos from a few months ago, give yourself a pat on the back.
Much more obvious are the wide wheelarches and aero, which look fresh from the rally stage. The air outlet on the bonnet aids downforce to balance things front and rear with the Turbo 2 style wing. You’d be forgiven for assuming the vents ahead of the rear wheels are just for show since there’s no engine to cool, but the upper ones feed air to the rear aero and the lower ones cool the brakes.
The flat battery (by which we mean shape, not its level of juice) and in-wheel motors leave a huge amount of luggage space. You might wonder why it’s not given over to seats, but what self-respecting mini-supercar would even consider carrying rear-seat passengers? Those in the front get bucket seats and six-point harnesses. Two screens dominate the dashboard (one measuring 101", the other 10.25") and have Google apps built in, as with the regular 5 E-Tech.
Those lucky customers who get to spec one of the 1,980 that will be built will have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of interior trims and exterior colours. The yellow, black and white livery from the 1982 Tour de Corse is one option, as is the Rouge Grenade livery. Either retro scheme suits the squared-off styling, but it seems that there’s plenty of scope for creativity.
There’s one big question that remains unanswered: the list price. We don’t mind betting it’s the only part of this mini-supercar that’s not small.
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5 Turbo 3E
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