Not So Tiny Terror: Renault's 540HP Electric Beast is Coming!
Image Credit: Renault Group.
Days like today don't come along too often. First, I got to write about Longbow bringing back lightweight sports cars, and now Renault has announced it is ready to drop a pocket rocket that'll make your granddad's hot rod look like a golf cart. The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is no longer just a wild concept car that'll gather dust at some fancy auto show – they're actually building this beast! What a day, what a world!
This boxy little electric monster spits out 540 horsepower. Yup - 540 ponies crammed into a car that's barely 13 feet long. We're talking about a 3,196-pound, rear-wheel-drive hooligan that'll hit 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds. And if you've got a death wish, it'll keep going until you hit 168 mph.
Image Credit: Renault Group.
Instead of your typical electric motors, this thing's got 'em tucked right into the rear wheels. Each rear wheel gets its own motor, which means this thing can spin those tires like a top. And with a claimed 3,500 pound-feet of torque at the wheels, you'll be leaving tire marks that'll make a drag racer blush.
Those two electric motors get their electrons from a 70 kWh battery pack, which Renault claims is good for about 250 miles. Not too shabby, and with 350 kW charging, you can juice it up from 15 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes. But since Renault is building this thing for track use, they admit the 250 miles only happens if you drive it as if it was made out of glass - carefully. Very carefully. Use it the way it is meant to be used, and you'll get about 15 to 20 minutes out of it. That's good enough for quite a few laps around any half-decent track. Then a 15-minute break to recharge it, put a new set of tires on - and off we go again. Oh boy, this really sounds like my kind of weekend chariot.
Is 540 horsepower a lot for such a tiny car? Yes, it is. And that's a good thing in my book. To make things even more interesting, Renault has fitted this hoot with a handbrake bigger than your average steering wheel. Perfect for those moments when you want to turn every corner into a drift zone. And if for some wild, unthinkable reason you don't like the way this yellow express looks, don't worry – Renault's offering "unlimited customization." Which, in car speak, means they'll let you throw money at it until it looks nothing like they intended.
Of course, all this madness comes at a price. And by "price," I mean a six-figure sum that will easily climb over the $200,000 mark. Yeah, you could buy a small house for that kind of money. But I guess if you're serious about getting this French baguette express, your home needs are already sorted.
A bit of bad news now: if you live in the good ol' US of A, you're out of luck. Renault is only bringing the Turbo to Europe, the Middle East, Japan, and Australia. Apparently, we Americans don't deserve nice things. And to add insult to injury, they're only building 1,980 of them. So, even if you do have the cash, you'll need some serious connections to snag one, and you need to act fast.
Compared to other electric hot hatches, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is in a league of its own. The Hyundai Ioniq 5N looks like an elephant next to the Renault, the Volvo EX30 is slightly less powerful, and the Mini Cooper SE and Fiat 500e Abarth are basically toys compared to this beast. Renault has thrown down the gauntlet with this one, and I don't think there are many brave souls out there willing to pick it up.
Here's the deal: if you have a taste for the absurd, and you have deep pockets - you better start making friends at your local Renault dealership. And you better be quick. The Turbo will be a collector's item long before it even hits the streets. Don't tell the wife, but I'm already trying to figure out if both of my kids really need college education… I'm definitely doubling up on lottery tickets.
