First sight: Renault 5 Turbo 3E

As the smoke clears and a curtain of blue lasers parts, four LED eyes shine brightly to reveal a bold and sporty face, heavily reminiscent of past glories from the 1980s. It’s the new Renault 5 RS Turbo 3E.

For Renault, incorporating heritage is key to connect with its customers and evoke nostalgia. Speaking at the launch of this new electric hot hatach, EVP of design Laurens van den Acker described the status quo as the “age of transformation… The world is changing quickly and we felt that the treasure box of icons is a card that only we can play. Only we can do a Renault 5 Turbo.”

Beginning a new generation of ‘mini-supercars’, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is the length of a city car but the width of a supercar – measuring 4.08 metres long and 2.03 metres wide. This plays into Renault’s broader design strategy, which balances ‘future icons’ and ‘legendary icons’ to maintain a strong brand identity while appealing to diverse customer tastes.

On a jaunt to France last week, Car Design News got up close and personal with the new 5 Turbo 3E, as well as the icons that have come before it.

A legend is re-born

The journey began with a tribute to the ‘80s legends that inspired the Renault 5 Turbo 3E – the Turbo 2, Renault 5 Coupe, Maxi Turbo – all icons that paved the way for this electric reincarnation.

“I believe it conjures up a reservoir of sympathy that people had for the brand of the good old days,” commented van den Acker.

It was a history lesson wrapped in nostalgia, but then came the main act: the 5 Turbo 3E, standing there in all its wide-bodied, winged glory. And let us tell you, it has presence.

This car isn’t just another EV with a retro twist. It’s a wild ‘mini-supercar’ that expertly combines old-school attitude with new-school tech. The design is impressive without being outright aggressive, a rare balance in a world where everything either shouts or whispers.

This mini supercar is like the underdog is an action film. You root for them from the beginning and celebrate their inevitable victory at the end. “People tend to already have a sympathy for it because it’s the small kid,” van den Acker agrees. “You have this little thing that’s a wolf with a big heart. There’s not many of those around.”

The square LED headlights give a nod to its ancestors, while the widened stance and aerodynamic flourishes make it clear this is no ordinary city car.

The front bumper’s aerodynamic splitter and bonnet air vents aren’t just for show – they help manage airflow, keeping things planted at high speed. And that charging hatch disguised as an air intake? Pure genius.

From the side, the Turbo 3E plays with proportions. It’s got the width of something that demands two parking spaces and it’s almost comical how beefy the wheel arches are – housing 20-inch wheels – but it works.

Renault’s design team has taken the best of the ‘80s and remixed it to create something fresh, right down to the rear spoiler that flows from the cabin’s roofline like it was born there.

The interior is where things get really interesting. It’s not just a tech-laden homage to the past – it’s actually practical. The cabin keeps all the modern connectivity you’d expect, but it’s been given a sporty, rally-inspired twist.

The seats are wrapped in Alcantara, with a six-point harness to keep you locked in for the inevitable spirited drives. Oh, and there’s a proper vertical handbrake lever for drifting because, let’s face it, that’s exactly what this car is meant for.

The digital dashboard takes cues from the original Renault 5 Turbo, but with a futuristic spin: round dials, vintage-inspired graphics and the OpenR infotainment system lifted from Renault’s latest EVs.

The balance between feelings of the past and the comfort of today has been struck, with van den Acker going further to say “the reality is that you look at [the past] through rose coloured glasses. In today’s context you want to have a GPS, you want to be connected.”

Then there’s the French text inscribed on the passenger-side footwell, which translates to ‘hold tight’. It’s less of a friendly suggestion and more of a warning. With its lightweight built and instant EV torque, this thing does 0-100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds. You’ll want to grab onto something. We suggest the steering wheel.

Personalisation is another big part of the 5 Turbo 3E’s charm. Renault encourages owners to get creative, even to the point of using their own curtains as seat fabric. Van den Acker pointed out that personalisation is key for enthusiasts as they are looking for “rarity”, with the ultimate way of achieving this to be owning one of a kind.

The boot is surprisingly spacious for something so performance-focused, making it one of the few track-ready EVs that can also handle a food shop. It’s an oddball mix of flamboyance and function, but that’s what makes it so irresistible.

Ultimately, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a love letter to Renault’s past while making a bold statement about its future. The brand refuses to take itself too seriously, combining performance with playfulness. This little monster is a promise that the electric revolution doesn’t have to be dull. If this what the future of performance EVs looks like, count me in.

As for the future of Renault’s designs, expect a more diverse line up with buckets of personality; van den Acker summarises it best: “I think we are beyond where I could dream of [design wise]. This very rarely happens in a design career. We have a period that is so rich with dream cars because our CEO wants to tap into the passion and put it on the road for everyone to access. We need to start filling our drawers again with secret projects.”