Sustainable production starts at the factory

One of the key principles that Renault adopted in order to decarbonize the new Renault 5 is the local production of a wide number of parts. Thus, the whole powertrain system and the traction battery will be manufactured in France, just like the vehicle's overall assembly, starting in the summer of this year. Through these measures, company officials say that the vehicle's footprint will be 35% lower than that of the ZOE, the city-focused model Renault previously produced until not too long ago.

In fact, the production of the Renault 5 is very well optimized, so that all of the suppliers involved in the manufacturing of this car are within 300 kilometers of the main production hub, so there are fewer emissions associated with the supply.

And this effort developed by Renault is more than just a measure to optimize the production and to reduce emissions, but it is rather a plan to build a hub dedicated to the production of future electric vehicles in Europe, through which the environment, but also the local job market, are winning.

Despite being a newly-released model that has many years ahead of it, in theory at least, Renault 5 was designed according to the principles of circular economy, so that when it will leave the streets, each R5 E-Tech will be 85% recyclable. Currently, every unit incorporates 19.4% recycled materials and 26.6% of the materials are coming from the circular economy, including 41 kg of recycled polymers.

At the same time, for the Techno and Iconic Cinq (the one we had for testing) models, the textile material for the seats is made from completely recycled materials. Those that care most about sustainability must know that the Iconic Cinq model is also the one that uses bio-sourced materials for the steering wheel and the interior insulation.

Renault 5 is a city-focused EV that you'll want to drive on winding roads

Being a vehicle that's under 4 meters long, the Renault 5 E-Tech is clearly a city-oriented electric vehicle, which is also where the car will be the most efficient as far as the energy consumption goes.

What's interesting is that the Renault 5 E-Tech is not the first electrified version of this iconic model, but rather its 1974 version, but that car only had a range of 110 kilometers and there was no fast charging to speak of. The new Renault 5 comes in two battery versions, either a 40kWh or a 52kWh unit. The 40kWh model should offer, according to Renault officials, 300 kilometers of WLTP range, while the larger cell should ensure around 410 kilometers on a charge. As I expected, these numbers are fairly close to reality and you won't run the battery down quick unless you drive a bit sportier, but even then, the numbers are reasonable.

Compared to the MINI Aceman, which is another city-oriented electric model that we tested and we liked overall, the R5 clearly offers better range, although the battery itself is also much larger, at least on the model that we tested.

At the end of my driving period with the R5, the car had 61% battery left and an estimated 210 kilometers, with an energy consumption of 17.3 kWh/100 kilometers, but as I said in the past, I like to drive a little sportier in order to detect any potential range issues.

In the city, the Renault 5 stands out when it comes to the ease of driving around, as the car is short and fairly narrow compared to other models. As far as maneuverability in tight spaces is concerned, such as when parking or turning, there is little to no difficulty.

The car can park itself parallel to the road or at 90 degrees, just like the MINI Aceman and does a good job of it. Still, I don't think you'll need this feature very often, because it's very easy to park this car, even when there's not a lot of space available.

The steering is very soft, but not as soft as on the Dacia Spring, but that's good, because it offers you more feedback and is still easy to maneuver around. At higher speeds, it is getting progressively stiffer and helps if you want to drive a bit faster around corners, which I think you'll do, because the R5 is a very dynamic car on secondary roads.

This car reminded me a lot about the MINI Aceman when I drove it this way, even though the MINI felt more stable, but that's because it's also heavier, and the cars accelerate in slightly different ways. On the Renault 5 you have three engine options, 90 HP, 120 HP and the one we had, which is 150 HP, with the power being delivered linearly, but you feel that it pulls well even after 120 km/h, even though not as strong as the British adversary.

The soundproofing is all but gone at over 120 km/h, just like on other city-focused cars that we tested, such as the MINI Aceman or the Jeep Avenger, so you will need to raise your voice a bit to talk to passengers.

What I was surprised to see is how comfortable the Renault 5 E-Tech is on bumpy roads and when going over speed bumpers, at least in the front. The car doesn't bounce around from the back, either, and I think this is due to the independent suspension, but what's certain is that it is both comfortable and dynamic.

One thing I wish we had here was the adaptive recuperative braking. It is available here, as well, but only through the B mode, such as it is the case for hybrid and electric cars from Dacia, so the recuperation is being done at a standard 20 kWh and the simulated engine braking is not very strong. I am used to driving all cars with the maximum recuperation turned on and on the Scenic or the Symbioz, the recuperation is stronger.

It's true that the R5 is a smaller and lighter car and that it recuperates energy very well, but I kind of wish it was available in a stronger recuperation mode, as well.

Renault 5 E-Tech offers reasonable space and comfort for the class

Being a small city-oriented car, you can't expect to relax much in this car, but the good news is that the space available in this car is reasonable, if we take into account other such models that we tested.

Compared to the Dacia Spring, the differences are stark and undeniable, and if I was to compare the R5 to the Jeep Avenger or the MINI Aceman, models that are also around 4 meters in length, the French car sits pretty well. As far as the boot space is concerned, the Renault 5 is a bit more spacious than the Aceman, but not as roomy as the Jeep, while in the back, passengers will sit decently, if they're not too tall, but in the MINI, there's more headroom.

Towards the front, the Renault 5 offers plenty of space even if you're taller, but if you slide your seat towards the rear, you will make the ride not very pleasant for the passenger behind you. The climate system works on a single zone in the front and there's no ventilation passageway towards the back, but the car is equipped with a heat pump and an air purifier, which is a must in today's busy and polluted cities.

The armrest isn't very large, but plenty comfortable and there's enough storage spaces. I like that Renault implemented soft materials on the lower side of the dashboard and there's even textile materials on the doors, which comes in the colorway of the seats. This makes the car feel a bit more premium and on the right side of the dashboard, the illuminated Renault 5 inscription is a nice design addition.

You will find one more 12V port and two USB-C ports in the front, while there's nothing in the back, and on superior trims there's also a wireless charger for the phone.

Occasionally, you will find the car perhaps a bit cheap feeling, because there's more hard plastic than on other models and the back doors in particular are simple looking on the inside. Renault didn't even bother to cover the speakers with some fancier grills, even though the car comes with a nice Harman/Kardon system, but some sacrifices had to be made to keep costs down, I guess.

The boot doesn't feature automatic opening and when you want to close it, you will have to push with a bit of force, because the pistons are fairly stiff.

I liked to see plenty of easter-eggs on the car in the form of design elements that reference the country of origin, such as France's flags on the headlights or the Gallic rooster on the windshield and on the pillars in the boot.

Technology in the Renault 5

Renault 5 E-Tech makes no sacrifice in the technology department and I really like this. Renault put on this car pretty much everything it's got on its other models. Sure, the optional equipment is linked to the higher trims, but if you get it fully specked, you have hands-free automatic parking, full LED automatic headlights and safety systems such as lane assist or adaptive cruise control and the emergency braking.

At the same time, you have on the Renault 5 a Harman/Kardon speaker system with 9 units and 410 watts of power, identical to the one you'll find on the Symbioz or the Scenic, for example, and that's very good. It's very well balanced and I am happy to see that engineers didn't cut on the number of speakers just because the car is more compact.

The car is also equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is very intuitive and easy to use, but sometimes, I noticed quite a bit of lag when you navigate through this specific menu in the central screen. When you switch between the applications found in the shortcut menu, it responds well, so maybe all it needs is a few optimizations, but I am overall pleased with it. The screens have good brightness and the one in the middle is oriented ever so slightly towards the driver, which I noticed on other Renault cars and I appreciate the fact that French designers care about the functionality aspect.

The car comes equipped with front and rear cameras and sensors which cover all sides of the vehicle and on certain versions, you even have an illuminated logo on the hood, which looks very chic.

Otherwise, the system is very familiar for those that had contact with other Renault models from recent years. In short, Google Maps are the integrated navigation system and are very useful and user-friendly, if you don't want to use an alternative such as Waze. Also, you can also install applications from the Google Play store and the settings menu is similar to that found on Android phones.

Conclusions Renault 5 E-Tech

Renault 5 E-Tech is one of the most attractive options for drivers who want an electric car for the city with range extending up to 410 kilometers and which makes little to no compromise when it comes to technology or the pleasure of driving. Comfort is satisfactory for the class as far as the space is concerned and on longer trips, the car is pretty comfortable.

The base version available currently for the Renault 5 is evolution, which packs a 40kWh battery and the 120 HP engine, which starts at a little under 27.000 euros, but in the future, there will be another even more affordable, with the 90 HP engine, more than enough for city rides.

Those who desire more can opt for the Iconic Cinq version, which starts at 32.750 euros with the 150 HP electric motor and if you want a limited-edition model, you can go for the Roland Garros R5, which comes with specific design elements and starts at 34.250 euros.

For a brief comparison, the Dacia Spring reaches almost 20.000 euros in its top configuration, but as far as I am concerned, it's only an option for those who want a city car and nothing more.

Citroen eC3 is another option, starting at around 17.200 euros in the current offer (probably with the RABLA ticket included), but it also seems like a city-oriented model that wouldn't feel very good outside. MINI Aceman is the more suitable rival for the Renault 5, which beats the French contender in certain categories, such as build quality and dynamics, but which comes with a price tag of a little over 33.000 euros.