Think a Renault 5 Nurburgring record attempt is madness? It's on!
With 533bhp and 4,800Nm of torque from two electric motors and 0-62mph in less than 3.5-seconds, the Turbo 3E has the firepower to set a competitive lap time.
The fastest production electric car on the 20,832m-long Nordschleife circuit (12.944 miles) is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra saloon, which posted a time of 7:04.957 in April 2025 and has gone even faster in uprated, prototype form. Advertisement - Article continues below
The Rimac Nevera and Porsche Taycan Turbo GT aren't much slower but it'll be the Tesla Model S Plaid (7:35.579) and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N's 7:45.59 time that Renault has its eye on.
One record is odds-on – the fastest rear-wheel drive EV around the 'Ring – because strictly all-wheel drive cars posted the existing benchmarks.
The 5 Turbo 3E packs two advanced in-wheel motors spinning its rear end and an aluminium and carbonfibre construction that should keep weight below 1,450kg. Much of this technology will be shared with the upcoming Alpine A110 Electric.
'The 5 Turbo 3E has the potential to do two Nordschleife laps at full throttle,' Fabrice Cambolive, the Renault brand CEO, told Auto Express. Can it post a respectable lap in the 7-minute zone? 'We will communicate it at the right time,' winks the boss. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
'With its in-wheel motors and really low centre of gravity, it's like piloting a video game,' claims the CEO, slumping down in his chair and making darty hand movements with an imaginary steering wheel.
Renault Group test driver Laurent Hurgon, who also races a Lamborghini Super Trofeo, is tipped for the record run. He posted the Megane RS Trophy-R's front-wheel drive lap record in 2019, a 7:40.100 time (on a slightly shorter loop) subsequently bettered only by the FL5 Honda Civic Type R. Advertisement - Article continues below
The Nordschleife is a huge challenge for any electric car, with repeated maximum accelerations and decelerations taking a massive toll on the battery, motors and brakes, and thermal management of the power cells critical to prevent a drop-off in performance.
Hyundai's European R&D boss Tyrone Johnson told Auto Express that computer simulation was critical to prime the Ioniq 5 N for its arduous 'Ring run. 'With the Ioniq 5 N, we were the first [EV] to be tested on the Nurburgring with an official lap time by Sport Auto, a German magazine. Before Porsche,' he said. 'We did two laps and simulated that for a couple of months beforehand, to get the battery temperature and the [brake] rating just right, just to be able to make the two laps.' Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
Turbo 3E prototypes should be out testing in public soon, with the record run expected before the weather becomes too unsettled.
The pumped-up little hatch takes its inspiration from the original mid-engined versions of the Renault 5, which first appeared in 1980. That number is the production ceiling for the Turbo 3E, with Renault claiming to have more than 1,000 prospects lined up for the £135,000 superhatch.
'We want to demonstrate that a pure BEV car can also be a sporty car,' says Cambolive. 'The sportiness of the Renault 5 is already quite good, now we can replicate what we did in the past when the Turbo arrived.'
The 5 has given Renault real electric car momentum, says UK managing director Adam Wood. The charismatic supermini was Britain's top-selling EV in April and May, with 70 per cent of buyers retail rather than the fleet customers lured by low company car tax.
And its formula – mixing a retro form and nameplate with modern details and zero emissions tech – is being expanded into the small electric SUV segment with the Renault 4. Order books have just opened, after a UK introduction at this month's Goodwood Festival of Speed.
In early 2024, with Renault reliant on just the Megane E-Tech, EVs contributed about 5 per cent of the French brand's sales. The introduction of the Scenic E-Tech grew this to 15 per cent by the year's end, and with Renault 5 deliveries now on song, one-in-four new Renaults are currently electric-powered. This is critical to meet the UK's Zero Emission Vehicle sales target which is pegged at 28 per cent of passenger car sales in 2025.
The boss is confident this share can be maintained with another EV – the Twingo city car – confirmed for right-hand drive and arriving in 2026.
Configure your perfect Renault 5 through our Find A Car service now. Alternatively, check out the best deals out there on a new Renault 5 from stock or top prices on used Renault 5 models...
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BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
England or Spain? Brown-Finnis' Euro 2025 final prediction
There is just one more game to go, but will Euro 2025 end with the holders retaining the title - or a first for the world champions?BBC Sport football expert Rachel Brown-Finnis maintained her 100% record in the knockout stages by correctly backing England and Spain to reach Sunday's final at St Jakob-Park in is predicting the outcome of all 31 games in Switzerland against BBC readers, and been right about 22 out of 30 so far (73%).You were also right about both semi-finals, meaning your overall total is 20/30 (67%).Out of a combined total of 100,000 predictions by BBC readers for both games, 87% thought England would beat Italy and 80% expected Spain to get past will you be backing in the final? You can make your own predictions Brown-Finnis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan. Final 27 July, 17:00 BSTSt Jakob-Park, BaselWorld ranking: 5th v 2ndBest previous Euros finish: England - winners 2022. Spain - semi-finals live on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website; live commentary on Radio 5 Live and BBC will know they can play much better than they did in their quarter-final and semi-final wins over Sweden and Italy, and success on Sunday is a matter of them bringing their best game from the first second to the a team as good as Spain, they cannot afford any defensive mistakes - they have to be absolutely watertight at the defended superbly against Spain in their semi-final and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger had a brilliant tournament. But she made one mistake at the very end and that was all it took for them to go have so many world-class players and arguably the best in Aitana Bonmati, that they can take advantage of any won't be afraid of them, though. There is no chance of the outside, beating the world champions might seem like a daunting task. Spain were the better side when they beat the Lionesses in the 2023 World Cup final and they have won 10 games in a row - a run that includes victory over England the last time they met, in Spain's last defeat, in February, came against the Lionesses at Wembley. Having a recent result like that to lean on for reassurance is huge ahead of an occasion like this.I look back at that game and think England can do it this time too - and the players will 100% believe it as well. Germany showed England the way? Rewatching Germany's semi-final against Spain would be the perfect preparation for England, certainly in terms of seeing a system that will allow them to get at their were well organised at the back but also created a number of chances too. England need to do exactly the same to squeeze Spain, but then be more clinical when they get their own opportunities, which they quite easy to see where Spain's vulnerability could be - they play a high line at the back so you can hurt them with quick attacks and pace in you are looking at the pace of Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp being key for the Lionesses, with Alessia Russo making fast forward runs as Hannah Hampton can play a part too, if you remember the goal England scored against the Netherlands in the group stage, where she played a long ball to Russo who set up Lauren James for a stunning strike from the edge of the area. We have seen already how goalkeepers have often been the players who have decided the tightest of matches, whether in penalty shootouts or open play, so Hampton's overall performance is likely to be crucial if England are going to has been solid so far at these Euros - brilliant with her feet and very good with her hands. Hampton has commanded her area too and seems to be gaining confidence with every it comes down to a battle between her and Spain's Cata Coll, I would back Hampton all the way.I want to see Coll tested, because I don't think that has happened much so far in Switzerland - Spain have not come under too much pressure in any of their way of doing that would be with our set-piece deliveries. Spain have looked a little rusty when they have faced them and I would not be surprised if a free-kick or corner leads to an England goal on Sunday. The verdict? I have said England will win Euro 2025 from the start and I am not changing my mind now.I've not just been backing them blindly as they have gone through the tournament either. They've essentially been playing knockout football since losing their opening group game to France, but have had the mentality to solve every problem they have progress has not exactly been straightforward but Sarina Wiegman keeps coming up with a way of winning, and I believe she will do the same against is going to be extremely close, of course, because there is so little between the two teams, but I think the Lionesses will win by one needing penalties in the quarter-finals and extra-time in the semi-finals, this time I can see them getting the job done in 90 prediction: 2-1
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
England must tap into the old lump-it-long, bulldog spirit to slay Spain in the Euro 2025 final, writes IAN HERBERT
There was a brief moment of confusion on the eve of the Lionesses' Euros semi-final against Italy when Sarina Wiegman was asked if she had 'fallen in love' with England and, not entirely understanding why she was being asked, did not come straight out with the most fulsome answer. 'Yes…' she replied, rather falteringly and without elaboration. Wiegman later said it had been a comprehension problem. It can be this way with her. English language and colloquialisms — 'console your team' and 'let the cat out of the bag' — have flummoxed her over the past few years. The question was extremely relevant given the way 'Englishness', in an old-fashioned 1980s football sense, has been the team's watchword here, and referenced by a2 number of the players of how England survived a bumpy road to reach Sunday's final against Spain. Chloe Kelly arrived to speak on Tuesday as the semi-final's player of the match and declared: 'I'm proud to be English.' The theme resurfaced when Keira Walsh was asked about the never-say-die resilience which rescued the team against Sweden in the last eight, then Italy, 30 seconds from time. 'It's a part of being English,' she said. 'What we speak about as a team is that English resilience and we pride ourselves on it.' The FA have gone to great lengths to create a different definition of Englishness in the past 10 years. There is the fabled 'England DNA', dreamt up at St George's Park, about progressive, technical football through all the age groups and, under Gareth Southgate, a more broad-minded, less narrow view of nationhood. But the Lionesses in these past three weeks have reverted to what men's football would call the bulldog spirit: a fighting, never-say-die mentality. 'Do or die' has been the only way, as seen in the dramatic last-eight and semi-final comebacks Some of this fighting spirit has been a necessary product of England's failure to get anywhere near the technical levels they found in the 2022 tournament. Finalists they might be, but they have not played well in progressing the ball up the pitch. 'Do or die' has been the only way. To watch back the two goals England scored in their comeback win against Spain in the 2022 quarter-final is to be reminded of how diminished in technical brio and confidence they seem to have become. But there has also been a profitable reversion to the old England. When her team was being torn apart by France in the opening game, Wiegman told Walsh, the midfield technician, to play longer balls. Against the Dutch, who England rightly expected would press them, Walsh went vertical again in what was the team's best display here. 'It helped us playing longer,' Walsh said. 'It plays to our forwards' strengths. If the way to win is playing one straight pass that's what we're going to do.' Against the weaker Welsh, England played through the midfield. The numbers bear out this reversion to what was once an admired and feared brand of English football. The percentage of England passes sent long has increased from 10.6 per cent at the 2023 World Cup, where they were beaten by Spain in the final, to 13.2 here, Stats Perform data shows. Their number of successful passes which are long is 201 (9.1 per cent) compared with 5.8 per cent at the World Cup and 7.5 per cent at the 2022 Euros. Heading into a final against the best passing team in the world, the principles of scrapping and lumping it seem a good way to win and find sweet recompense for the one-sided 2023 World Cup final. Become engaged in a midfield battle with Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas and it could be a long night. Beautiful though their tiki-taka aesthetic was in the semi-final against Germany, Spain struggled to create scoring chances. A long ball attack on Spain down England's left would put Lauren Hemp up against right back Ona Batlle. Hemp has had the better of that battle during Manchester derbies, when Batlle played for United and Hemp, now at Barcelona, was with City. The key is getting Hemp in behind Batlle to find crosses which can target the 34-year-old Spanish captain Irene Paredes, whose lack of pace can be exploited. England's equaliser against Spain three years ago demonstrated the value of going aerial in this way. A gorgeous left-footed cross by Hemp saw Alessia Russo beat Parades in the air, leaving her flat on the ground as Ella Toone pounced on the dropping ball to score. England won 2-1. There were similarities between that Toone goal and the equaliser against Italy: a cross from even deeper on the right and the ball dropping to Michelle Agyemang to score. England get lots of bodies in the box and have some of the best headers of the ball in this tournament. The potential for this plan to deliver the early goal screams out for 19-year-old Agyemang, the prodigy, to start, though she almost certainly will not. Wiegman bristled when asked on Tuesday if Agyemang, who appeared from the bench in both knock-out games here and changed the course of them, was forcing her to consider her as a starter. 'She's not forcing me,' Wiegman said. 'She's grateful for minutes and been ready for it.' A vital contributor to a more direct approach will be Lucy Bronze — a huge presence in the past month. She got forward down the right for the back-post header against the Swedes. Her decisive penalty in that game confirmed her as the fearless epitome of this resilient England. 'I don't think we've ever negated tactics or anything else that comes with the game with the term 'proper England', Bronze said. 'But we don't want to ever forget we are England — proper England — and if push comes to shove, we can win in any means possible.' Georgia Stanway, another of the pillars of the team, feels the same. 'We've spoken about wanting to be proper England,' she said. 'We want to go back to what we're good at, a traditional style of football in terms of tough tackles, getting back down to our roots.' It has been a rollercoaster ride for this team. Perhaps the most improbable journey to a final. But the chaos of these past weeks has armed them with a psychological edge: a knowledge they are never beaten.
The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
History-making Lioness Ella Toone star for biggest stage now she's ready to deliver for England again in Euro 2025 final
ELLA TOONE has become the woman for the grandest of stages — and is ready to deliver for England again. The Lionesses star has scored at every World Cup or Euros she has taken part in. Her goal in the 2023 World Cup last-four clash against Australia saw her become the first English player — male or female — to net in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of major tournaments. One of those goals came in the Spain last-eight tie at the Euros three years ago — and she wants to repeat that trick in Sunday's final. Toone, 25, also netted in the Finalissima against Brazil — where the European and South American champions face off — and scored an FA Cup final stunner for her club Manchester United last year. She has bagged in this Euros as well, in the 6-1 win over Wales in the group stage. Asked about her big-stage pedigree, Toone said: 'It's not bad that, is it? 'I feel like I prepare properly for every game and I've had chances in the finals to put the ball in the back of the net and that's what I've done. 'I try not to think too much about that or put any pressure on it. 'I just go out there and do what I can for the team and give my everything, and if a chance falls to me then hopefully I can put it in the back of the net. 5 'It's just about doing my job, on and off the ball, making things happen, creating chances for other people and hopefully there's a chance, like I have in previous finals.' Three years ago, as the Lionesses stormed to home Euros success, Toone was one of those making an incredible impact from the bench. Now, Arsenal star Michelle Agyemang is England's super sub. The striker, 19, saved her side in the quarter-final with Sweden and the last-four win over Italy. Having hardly played or netted in club football last season, she has become a phenomenon on the international stage and will return home to a new level of fame. That is something Toone, now an established starter, went through in 2022 and the Northern lass had some left-field advice for Agyemang. Toone said: 'She might get papped eating a pasty like I did! I'll have to warn her about that. 'Michelle is mad, I would think that she's about 30 years old, she's so mature, she's so humble and she's come into this tournament with freedom and not a worry, not a care. 5 'She's just gone out there and done what's been asked of her and she's been amazing for us. She's turned up in big moments when we've needed her and she's got a lot of talent and she can do a lot of things that not many players can do. 'Even when she has scored and kept us in games, she's been the same Michelle. I'm absolutely buzzing for her.' The Lionesses have shown their mettle to come back from the brink in Switzerland. While the players have discussed their 'proper England' performances, Toone revealed there have been some incredibly motivational moments from manager Sarina Wiegman. The Dutchwoman guided a team to a final for a fifth straight tournament after winning the 2017 Euros with her native Holland and reaching the 2019 World Cup showpiece. Toone added: 'She's done a few good speeches this camp, I'll give it to her. We had a good one before the Italy game the night before, one that definitely stood out. 'Even though sometimes we have gone a goal down, you still remember the words that she said before the game and it makes you want to go out and put on a performance for the second half as well. 'No matter what Sarina says, you listen because she's reached five major tournament finals so she definitely knows what she's doing.' Wiegman has created a family bond in the Lionesses camp, though there are plenty of parents, siblings and friends here in Switzerland. 5 That group enjoyed a pub crawl through Zurich on Friday afternoon, away from the squad, before everyone headed off to Basel for the final. One picture of the families wildly celebrating Agyemang's goal against Italy was shared among the players. It is a scene they are intent on recreating. Toone added: 'It was a nice picture to see, we've sent them on a rollercoaster this tournament and it's nice to see things like that. 'Hopefully we can kick on in this last game and make it a tournament they can remember, too.' 5
