Words by Donal Byrne. Video by Leah Carroll.
By today's standards, the original Renault 5 is a museum piece from the 1970s. With its rudimentary mechanics and chassis, it might never have achieved the level of popularity it did had the oil crisis of the time not driven the demand for smaller and more fuel-efficient cars.
The original car did have flair, however, with a design that was pretty progressive for its time. Renault went on to sell 9.5 million Renault 5s and created an iconic name, which retains a currency to this day. Not many cars still bear the name they had 53 years ago.
Renault clearly sees value in nostalgia and has launched its all-electric R 5 in Ireland and recently showed off its forthcoming re-invention of the equally iconic Renault 4, a car that will surely bring back memories for many people of their first car and, equally likely, their first date.
The designers have done a pretty good job on both cars - the 5 having a very modern look while retaining that top down shape that seems to extend outwards from the roofline and the 4 having just enough cues from the original, especially towards the rear.
There’s little of the past inside the car, which is very cool and modern.
The all-electric 5 has already taken the European Car of the Year title for this year, which should help it on its way.
There are two battery options—40kWh and 52kWh—each with two different power outputs. The entry-level 40kWh battery has a 120bhp electric motor and Renault is claiming a range of "up to 310 kilometres" but we’ll wait to see how that stacks up in real world conditions rather than ideal ones.
The 52kWh battery works with a 150bhp electric motor and "extends the driving range to 410km".
This option is available in two trims: techno, priced from €30,995, and the flagship iconic, starting at €32,995.
There are three trim levels: the entry-level Evolution, the Techno, and the Iconic, with pricing starting at €25,995 for Evolution, €27,995 for Techno, and €29,995 for the fully-loaded Iconic. Prices include grants.
All versions get a 7-inch digital driver display, a 10.1-inch multimedia screen, rear parking sensors, electric parking brake, automatic climate control, automatic LED lights, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay and 18" inch alloy wheels.
I didn’t get an opportunity to drive the new Renault 4, which reaches back even further into the company’s catalogue - to the 60’s in fact, but it looked quite reminiscent of that much older model, yet appropriately modern at the same time.
There’s even an automatic canvas roof version coming.
It too is all-electric and has a choice of two batteries - a 40 kWh 120 horsepower source and a 52 kWh source, with an output of 150 horsepower. Renault is claiming ranges of 308 and 409 kilometres for the 40 kWh version and the 52 kWh batteries respectively.
It too is smart inside and there’s a decent 420 litre boot, with quite a low sill for ease of loading. A 10" multi-media screen is standard. It will be available from July onwards and you can probably expect a specification level that closely matches that of the new 5.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
