In a ceremony at the start of the Brussels motor show the Renault 5 has been named European Car of the Year. Along with its twin brother on steroids the Alpine A290.
The new Renault 5 is at the heart of the brand’s attempts to make Renault a more desirable. They hope the Renault 5 will have the same effect for them that the Fiat 500 had for FIAT.
The current Renault 5 maintains the spirit of Michel Boué’s original 1972 model. The angular Renault 5 shape is complimented with some subtle curves in the current R5. It’s a fantastic example bringing something up to modern standards.
The European Car of The Year judges praised the car’s interior. Reviews of the Renault 5 have stated that the back seats are a bit cramped but I guess the judges didn’t sit in the back. They like the way it was to drive and the styling to accompany it.
At £23,000 it’s pretty well priced for an all electric vehicle. While this essentially replaces the Renault Zoe in the company’s lineup as the company’s electric super-mini. You get a nice interior and 18inch alloys as standard. Engine options are a standard 118hp number or a more pokey 148hp. These offer about 250 miles of range. The designers of the R5 took a look at the Mini Cooper E and set about beating it in every serious category from price, to boot space, to range.
The Alpine Version the A290 comes with highly modified design. The modifications give the A290 that Alpine look that was firmly established with the A110. The A290 offers some performance improvements over the Standard R5. It’s lighter, comes with improved power options and is wider than its Renault sister. Prices for this are expected north of £30,000. To go along with this the A290 also has an uprated interior and 19in Alloy wheels.
Power options on the A290 will be a 178hp number or a feisty 217hp. That’s significant because the Alpine tips the scales at under a metric ton and a half. If this were an ICE car, people might be tempted to talk about Hot Hatch territory!
The award for the new R5 means Renault have achieved the rare feat of winning Car of the Year in consecutive years. Along with Last year’s winner the Scenic , these two have achieved something only done once before. That was 1995 and 1996 when the Fiat’s Punto and Bravo won the honours.
