Interior
The interior of the 5 combines the sleek styling of the Mégane with a brutalist look inspired by the classic 5 Turbo.
The 10.0-inch instrument and infotainment screens are wrapped in sturdy plastic casings designed to recall the homologation special’s analogue gauges, while the seats feature thick, padded corduroy-style inserts.
The dashboard is also inspired by the rally car and protrudes like a shelf into the interior and is finished in one of several distinctive fabrics, depending on the specification level chosen.
Techno, for example, contains pieces of denim. In all cases, leather is omitted and 18% of the car’s material content is recycled, including 41 kg of polymers.
Design
The ‘retro-futuristic’ shape of the new Renault 5 E-Tech does more than just recall the great days of the original R5, according to the designers.
Group design boss Laurens van den Acker believes this will give the brand an iconic look and shape with the same kind of durability as the BMW Mini or Fiat 500; maybe even the Porsche 911.
The adoption of the new R5 shape was a very pragmatic decision by group CEO Luca de Meo when he first joined the company three and a half years ago. The concept was already complete in the design studio, having been created to specification by designers who realized that the company needed to replace both the Clio and the Twingo, and that they could not afford to do both.
The New 5 was their answer – and as Van den Acker explains – De Meo used it as an emblem for his now famous Renaulution plan.
Van den Acker believes Renault will reap major benefits from using an emotive, retro-modern design, but he acknowledges that problems could arise in replacing companies that have such designs – and nothing else. Renault is not in that position, he says. “We have other B-segment models,” he explains. “Under Luca’s leadership, we believe the 5 can last for twenty years. But the Clio will change with the times.”