Renault is making some changes to the bestselling 5 electric supermini in an effort to keep the car fresh.
The changes have been announced in France, with the car already available to order there, but officially being launched at the Paris motor show in October.
Renault UK hasn’t given any indication of when the changes might be introduced in the UK, or whether the pricing will change, but as with previous updates like the regen paddles the upgrades will likely filter to right-hand drive models within a few months.
The interesting news is the arrival of a revised entry version of the car called the ‘Five’ (Renault 5 Five? Only really works in French…) that has a 110hp e-motor and a 36.5kWh LFP battery for 190 miles (305km) of range. We don’t know whether that car will make its way to UK shores just yet, but it seems unlikely
The existing 40kWh and 52kWh versions of the car have been given some technical tweaks that have resulted in a mild range boost though.
New WLTP range figures of 196 miles (315km) and 267 miles (430km) are up 2 miles and 12 miles respectively on the existing version of the car thanks to “technical and aerodynamic optimisations” on the car. The latter includes new spoilers and wing mirrors.
Other changes include a new ‘Flame Red’ body colour and another that translates to 'Shale Grey Metallic’ – the UK marketeers will find another name for that one. Certain alloy wheels are now available in a gold finish and new exterior decals are on offer too.
Inside, the e-call system that contacts emergency services if something goes wrong has been upgraded to 4G before the old 3G system gets switched off, there’s Qi 2 wireless phone charging with magnetic holder and it now comes with ventilation to stop your phone cooking itself.
There's a new blue-flavoured upholstery treatment on offer too, and the drive mode selection button on the steering wheel has been ditched in favour of a ‘Smart’ mode (though you can still use the old drive modes via the touchscreen) that adapts the car’s drive response as you go.
Google Gemini, the AI assistant that works on voice commands, has also been added to the car, which Renault insists you can speak naturally to and that it can handle more complex requests.
