Hit or miss: Renault 5 Turbo
Hit or miss: Renault 5 Turbo
Is the R5 Turbo an overpriced and overweight marketing gimmick, or the most exciting electric car yet?
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Jack Rix: 'It looks like an R5 that's been dipped in growth hormone'
I tried, I really did, to engage my rational brain lobe and dismiss this as an overpriced, overweight marketing tool, but I kept getting sucked back in.
The performance figures are suitably bonkers – nothing particularly new about that with fast EVs – but what is new is the level of lunacy applied to the design. It looks like a standard Renault 5 that's been dipped in growth hormone. Then there's the exotic in-wheel motors and the commitment to making it as extreme as possible with the roll cage and rally handbrake.
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Yes, the price is pretty wild, but it's basically an entirely new car from the ground up and has there ever been a more exciting electric vehicle? The answer is no. Ollie Marriage: 'We all know more speed doesn't equal more fun'
I'm concerned about this. Yes, it looks cool and I'm sure it'll be fast, but what do we know about cars like this? They're always watered down versions of the concept.
I drove that concept, the Turbo 3E, a couple of years back. They'd given the 375bhp hot hatch a hydraulic handbrake and 50° of steering lock for maximum driftability, but I still came away from it a bit lukewarm. And yes, the production version will be faster still. But we all know that more speed doesn't equal more fun in EV land.
And Renault has already had a run at an electric hot hatch with the Alpine A290 and... it's fine... kinda. And why's this not badged an Alpine? And why's it £120k?
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Auto Express
2 hours ago
- Auto Express
Citroen is plotting a new 2CV – but the risks are huge
Citroen is agonising over whether to bring back the 2CV, the 1940s masterpiece of simplicity that put Europe back on the road after World War II. The recreation of the Renault 5 supermini and Renault 4 hatchback (reinterpreted as an SUV) has got French brand's executives questioning whether to delve into their brand's back catalogue and revive the iconic Citroen 2CV. It's one of the biggest decisions facing new CEO Xavier Chardon – and Auto Express has exclusively spoken to his predecessor Thierry Koskas and head of design Pierre Leclercq to get their views. Reviving the Citroen 2CV – a cheap four-seat car with a long canvas roof, a tiny engine to save fuel and comfortable suspension so it could carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field – is the subject of intense debate inside Citroen's Paris HQ. And we've waded into the debate by having our illustrator dream up two new takes on the 2CV, one retro, one modern. Citroen's discussions centre on whether that concept of 'four wheels and an umbrella' – set out in the late 1930s – is still highly relevant to car buyers pampered by digital touchscreens, aspiring to premium, assailed by electrification and drowning in choice? And how transferable is the original design to a car that would come out 90 years after its progenitor? Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below 'We have a very, very strong heritage, one of the richest in the car industry,' then-Citroen boss Koskas told us. 'We have the 2CV, the Traction Avant, the DS: amazing cars known all over the world. I absolutely agree that one of the big strengths of European brands is their heritage. 'On the product side, we are not taking it as a general direction to do retro design. But I do not exclude that maybe we study and [have] some exploration, we are open to look at that. But at Citroen you will not see all the future cars reminding you of previous models.' Steeped in his brand's history, the Citroen leader for more than two years is well aware of the 2CV's philosophy, arguing 'something super simple that takes you from A to B, with the necessary room – these ideas can feed us in a great way, because it's very much the DNA of the brand.' But will Citroen go beyond philosophy and recreate the 2CV's look? 'You will have people that value a design that is close to a car they used to love in the past. This is the debate,' explains Koskas. 'But there have been successes and failures in [automotive] revivals. Some fail because [companies] don't position the car properly, they seem retro but aren't really, or customers don't really like the car or recognise their love story. So if we were to do it, we would have to be very, very careful and cautious about how we did it.' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The challenge of bringing back the Citroen 2CV poses more problems than Renault faced with the 5. Its chic supermini concept, launched in 1972 and lasting until 1996, remains deeply relevant and its form is still recognisably contemporary – unlike the 2CV's. Up front, those articulated fenders are distinctively pre-World War II, grafted onto a relatively thin, long nose that followed the form of the inline flat-twin engine. It's a form that makes no sense today – especially if the new Citroen 2CV is electric with no engine to package – and would have to meet crash regulations and place round headlamps at the car's extremities. And slavishly following that horseshoe cockpit's silhouette could mean some difficult trade-offs between occupant and boot space: one reason why VW's 1990s Beetle failed was compromised practicality, particularly rear headroom. Big alloy wheels are critical to muscular modern car design so could Citroen return to the 2CV's faired-in rear wheels? We asked the brand's design director Pierre Leclercq, who pointed out historic cars' narrow tracks and inboard wheels ('great car but look at an E-type's!' he urged) are a far cry from contemporary precisely stuffed arches. 'We have them as flush as possible in today's cars and that's much better. It's super important because this gives a stance on the road,' Leclercq told us. 'Let's say we have to do CX or a GS again, we'd have to make a piece of plastic [over the rear wheel] with an offset of maybe 50mm to do [it].' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below And what's head of design Leclercq's take on the retro design trend? '[Customers like it for] reassurance. I'd like to go back to the past for some projects, it's interesting,' he explained. 'They've done a great job with the Renault 5. Do we want to do it – and as much as they do? It's a good question: why not? Why yes? There's nothing planned, really. But we don't forbid ourselves to try.' Given the Citroen 2CV's design is so of its time and would need dragging into a new millennium, do the risks outweigh the rewards? 'It's a very difficult exercise,' concedes Leclercq. 'You could do a 2CV, you could do an H-type, a CX, we could easily bring back cars from the past. But obviously, the first one coming to everyone's mind is the 2CV, asking 'when do you bring it back?' Mmmm. Let's see.' There's no doubt a team as creative as Leclercq and his designers will have sketches and probably scale models of a reborn Citroen 2CV. Renault's future 5 had already been designed and rejected by a previous management team before the current CEO Luca de Meo arrived in 2020 and green-lit the proposal. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below But the critical question is whether a new 2CV is retro or a reimagining? Citroen's product planners will be trying to estimate demand for different approaches: could a concept car be a way to test the water, we asked Koskas? 'It could be this is what we want to do,' replied the then-CEO. 'The C5 Aircross concept was a show car, which means you are very close to the series model: it's a good marketing strategy. But our next concept car will show ideas, clues, intentions, directions that will inspire the future cars, but probably means you'll never see a Citroen car like that on the road. As we did with the Citroen Oli concept in 2022.' There are many more considerations than the design. Does Citroen have the budget, design and engineering capacity, or does it need to shelve other projects to accommodate a 2CV? Where would the production car be built? And which car platform and drivetrains would it use? The original Citroen 2CV measured 3.82-metres long and stood 1.6m tall, thanks to its jacked-up height for tackling rough terrain. The new C3 hatch isn't much longer, measuring 4m and 1.57m. That suggests the C3's front-wheel-drive 'smart car' platform could provide a usable base, especially given its clever engineering would help keep costs low, as per the 2CV philosophy. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The Stellantis Group underpinnings unlock a choice of pure electric or three-cylinder hybrid petrol power, which would be mounted transversely and drive the front wheels, like the original car. The extra cylinder and packaging a modern car's ancillaries and crash structure would make matching the Citroen 2CV's nose impossible. So could Citroen find inspiration in the reborn Renault 4, a hatchback originally launched in 1961 to steal 2CV customers with its extra speed and sophistication? Although it was 'not a very nice-looking car,' according to Renault Group design director Laurens van den Acker, who was tasked with updating it. What his team has done so effectively is take a few design cues – the rearmost trapezoidal glass panel, tail-light motif, low-set boot and the graphic of the second-generation's grille – and turn them into a cute SUV. It's a stretch, literally: the reborn 4 is almost 50cm longer than the sixties hatch. But the original 4's two-box shape lends itself to an SUV. Could Citroen do the same and reinvent the 2CV as an SUV? Maybe. But at that point is it actually a 2CV at all? The naysayers within Citroen will argue it's a moot point anyway. Because a 21st century 2CV already exists – it's the Citroen C3, Auto Express's Car of the Year 2024. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Philosophically it meets the 2CV's brief and remains true to its forebears' values. It's affordable – with the newly announced 34kWh battery, the e-C3 will cost less than £20,000 when it comes on stream in late 2025. It's comfortable: the hydraulic bump stops give it a pillowy ride, although it will struggle to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field. And there's clever simplicity, such as the digital driver's binnacle situated at the top of the dash rather than an expensive head-up display projected onto the windscreen. The decision to proceed with a reborn Citroen 2CV is still to be taken. 'When you develop a car, it takes four years,' says Citroen's boss. 'You start the studies and so on, then in the middle you sign a contract when the car is decided, and this is when you can probably start to communicate about the car. We are not at that stage yet.' 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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Nine cars confirmed for discontinuation in 2025 – including two iconic sports cars & beloved hot hatchback
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Jeep Avenger 4xe review: Dumpy, cute and ready for off-road action
With its rugged off-road demeanour including wheels shod with chunky mud and snow tyres, Jeep 's latest compact 4x4 looks fabulous. Dumpy, cute and ready for action all at the same time. But then you might say the same of the US 4x4 specialist's Renegade, yesterday's baby Jeep, which is still available as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid at higher prices. In these straitened times, Jeep's owner Stellantis – as with all other large car-producing conglomerates – dictates that everything has to use a Group platform, sharing engines, drivetrains and countless other widgets to reduce cost. But why on earth would you want a small Jeep capable of crawling up the side of a mountain when it's likely the most extreme driving you'll ever do is mount a kerb outside Sainsbury's or ford a large puddle? The market seems to think so too, for while these small B-segment SUVs occupy 21 per cent of the entire European new-car market, four-wheel drive examples account for only 15 per cent of that segment. Jeep owners, however, are different and 28 per cent of them specify their small SUVs with all-wheel drive. And why wouldn't you want a cutesy off-roader which can also cut the mustard when snow falls or the road with grass growing in the middle turns into a track? So, while the 2023 Car of the Year-winning Avenger starts at £24,999 with front-wheel drive, a significant number will choose this all-wheel-drive 4xe version, which starts at £30,999. And as well as stereotypical 4x4 looks, the all-wheel-drive versions gain roof bars, suspension raised by 10mm for improved off-roading ground clearance along with more day-to-day niceties such as car park-proof, grey anti-scratch panels around the bumpers, sills and door panels. The oily bits The engine is the Group's 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cyclinder petrol unit providing 134bhp and 169lb ft of torque, driving the front wheels via a six-speed twin-clutch gearbox. The 48-volt hybrid system consists of two 28bhp electric motors, one in the gearbox acting as a motor/generator and another aft driving the rear wheels. With a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery under the passenger seat, the system's peak power is 143bhp, enough to give this 1,455kg off-roader a top speed of 120mph, with 0-62mph in 9.5sec. The quoted fuel consumption is 52.2mpg, but in a mixed route, including some low-speed off-roading, I achieved 44mpg. CO2 emissions are 122g/km, which means the first year VED will be £440. The 4xe has a ground clearance of 210mm and will ford up to 400mm of water. Off-roading aficionados will appreciate the approach/breakover/departure angles of 22/21/35 degrees respectively. The suspension is different to the front-drive models, sharing MacPherson struts at the front but with an independent multi-link set-up in place of the technically inferior twist-beam axle of lesser models. It's 4,090mm long, 1,810mm wide, 1,540mm high and has a 2,560mm wheelbase. The boot is 325 litres with the rear seats up and 1,218mm with them folded which, thanks to the space-hungry suspension and rear electric motor, is 30 litres less than the fully electric Avenger and 45 litres less than the standard hybrid. Inside job The plastic interior panels, with textured surfaces, are easy to clean and well put together, but more military Jeep than sophisticated Audi – far from premium in feel. The seats are comfortable and supportive, featuring a variety of materials depending on which of the three trim levels you choose; at the top of the range, a tie-up with outdoor equipment specialist North Face provides a washable vinyl. The driving position feels high and a little cramped at first and it takes patience to adjust an accommodating seat and steering wheel position. The rear seats are cramped – to get four adults aboard requires everyone to compromise on leg room. The rear seat backs fold onto their bases but the load bed isn't flat. And if the interior design feels a bit dated, with its 10.25-inch screens and slightly slow-to-react software, the design has wit and charm. The fording depth indicator is a little duck etched into the front panel, while The North Face editions have a facia end plate etched with a silhouette of the new Compass C-segment Jeep. On the road The initial pull away can be a bit grinding as the wet clutches of the six-speed DCT gearbox take up the strain, after that, however, the unit is smooth and quiet. An extra clutch deploys the rear electric motor, but it's hard to detect its operation in the 'snow and mud', nor the 'auto', driving modes. For the most part the Jeep is front-wheel drive and none the worse for it. There is a 'sport' mode, which sharpens the responses to the accelerator pedal and the steering, but as you might expect this is not a sporting car. Overtaking requires anticipation verging on astrology. However, you can make swift progress driving gently; jam the accelerator pedal to the floor and there's a lot of gear-changing and variable noise, but not a lot of haste. The ride is good, too, better than the standard Avenger and much better than the electric version. Off the road Anxious to prove the 4xe's mettle, Jeep laid out a tricky off-road course set out on a Florentine hill on greasy track across olive groves. Even with its tyre treads full of sticky mud, the little car clambered up rock beds and down slippery slopes. Electronic hill descent control covers a lot of sins, but the controllability of the electric drivetrain was not only confidence-inspiring but allowed a gentle approach to the long, challenging route. Smoothness beats speed when it comes to such terrain. The Telegraph verdict There really is nothing else like this car on the market. A small SUV with authentic off-road ability, it will scrabble up slippery rocks, ford standing water and negotiate greasy descents. Suzuki used to provide this sort of thing with the Jimny, but everything else, the Dacia Duster, Mini Countryman All4, Kia Niro and others, are more compromised in their off-road capabilities. The big question, of course, is whether you will use any of those capabilities and are also prepared to pay for them. For while the Jeep Avenger 4xe is a pretty good drive, rides well and is reasonably practical, it's quite expensive. The off-road pedigree inherent in the Jeep brand will sway it for many although the 4x4 Dacia Duster, more than £6,000 cheaper, presents an equally compelling case. The facts On test: Jeep Avenger 4xe Body style: five-door B-segment SUV On sale: now How much? from £30,999 How fast? 120mph, 0-62mph in 9.5sec How economical? 52.2mpg (WLTP Combined), 44mpg on test Engine & gearbox: 1.2-litre 134bhp/169lb ft three-cylinder petrol turbo engine with twin 28bhp electric motors, 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery and a 48-volt hybrid 4x4 system, six-speed twin clutch automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive (rear wheels electric only) Maximum power/torque: 144bhp CO2 emissions: 122g/km (WLTP Combined) VED: £440 first year, then £195 Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage The rivals Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid, from £38,500 Based on the popular but rudimentary Fiat 500L, the Renegade was launched in 2014 and has done solid business, but it's tricky to justify the price for a four-wheel-drive supermini. The PHEV was launched in 2020, but will be slowly phased out as the Revenge 4x4 takes its place. Quite fun to drive, but you might be better with the e-Hybrid version at £32,699. Dacia Duster TCe 130 4x4, from £23,550 Manual only, with a mild hybrid-enhanced three-cylinder engine, this combination of older Renault technology under a new body is hard to beat on price, although cheaper versions feel precisely that. Drives respectably, the interior is reasonably spacious and it's pretty good to drive. Some of the touchscreen graphics are a bit amateur, but it all works. Likely to be overshadowed by the new Dacia Bigster in the eyes of family buyers, but for off-road fun and lack of frippery the Duster has few peers.
