How would the Drive team order a new Renault 5? Configurator Challenge

It’s some time away from Australia, but the reborn Renault 5 electric car has gone on sale in Europe. How would the Drive team order one?

Customisation is in vogue at the moment, but too much choice can be confusing. In our configurator challenge, Drive team members scroll through a manufacturer’s website to create their ideal combination for a certain model.

This week, it’s the reborn Renault 5 electric car in the limelight, about 12 months ahead of the soonest it could arrive in Australian showrooms.

We’re allowing our participants to choose between the standard Renault 5, and its Alpine A290 high-performance sibling.

Would you buy a Renault 5 or Alpine A290, and how would you specify it? Tell us in the comments below (build your Renault here, and Alpine here), and what you’d like us to configure next.

James Ward, Director of Content

If you’re going to get about town in an electric French hatch, you might as well enjoy it, so I’ve opted for the Alpine A290 GT Premium.

It has enough poke (130kW) for an urban runner, and enough range (378km) to manage weekly use between charges. I’m not kidding myself that this performs like a hot hatch – I’m old, so it just needs to look like one, and who can go past those X-motif fog lamps!

The GT Premium includes a cool blue stripe along the A-pillar and roofline, so I’ve opted for contrasting white with black roof finish, the 19-inch snowflake wheels, and for fun, the gloss aero covers that give a bit of a Manthey Racing vibe. Hot tip, I’ll be taking the rear ones off so it has bit of a Le Mans feel.

I’ve added the French flag decal on the rear pillar too.

Inside… well there are no choices here, so it is what it is.

I’ve declined the €400 telemetrics system and the €1000 driver assistance tech as this is just a car to be run about town.

Ben Zachariah, Journalist

I love the idea of a base-spec French electric hatchback like the Renault 5, but I’m afraid I simply can’t walk past the hot hatch version: the Alpine A290. It’s a cool-looking thing, and I’d always regret not getting the spicy one…

In this case, I’ve gone for the A290 GT Performance – one up from the base GT variant – because it’s the cheapest model with the better 160kW electric motor, allowing for a respectable 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.4 seconds.

I’ve chosen the Matt Tornado Grey with Deep Black roof, matched with 19-inch wheels – which are apparently gloss black, but appear grey – and sitting on blue painted brake calipers to match the Alpine’s deep blue interior.

Coming in at €40,300 ($AU66,444) it’s neither cheap nor expensive, but I reckon it looks pretty sharp and – knowing Alpine – shout be a hoot to drive.

Jordan Hickey, Journalist

While we’re playing with imaginary money here and I could splurge for a fully-specced Alpine, I’ve opted to stick to the other end of the range with the most affordable Renault 5.

With a €29,490 ($AU48,500) starting price in France, the 5 – which includes a 52kWh battery for a 408-kilometre range on the WLTP test cycle – stacks up well against its rivals.

The French configurator doesn’t go too overboard with options, but there are quite a few colours to choose from.

I’m not the biggest fan of the accent at the top of the windows – as subtle as it might be – which unfortunately ruled out most colours, so I was left with the no-cost green. Ideally, I would’ve chosen green with a two-tone black roof, but it requires adding a yellow accent. Not for me.

I’ve also selected the matte black ‘5’ striped decor on the doors (€600), along with the Harman/Kardon audio system (€600), winter pack (€400), and advanced driver assistance package (€1000), taking the total to €32,490 ($AU53,500).

Alex Misoyannis, Journalist

As much as I’d love the Alpine’s increased performance and sportier looks, it doesn’t excite me as much as the standard Renault 5. Maybe a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N-esque simulated gear shift or engine noise mode would change my mind.

My choice of Renault 5 is, frankly, not a particularly original specification.

Based on the Techno spec in France, it’s finished in the launch colour – Pop Yellow with a black roof and red roof stripe, which costs €1200 – on the 18-inch ‘techno’ wheels, with matte black decals on the front doors (€600).

Most option boxes have been ticked – a Harman Kardon stereo (€600), heated front seats and steering wheel (€400), and the driver-assistance pack (€1000).

The final price comes to €33,290 ($AU55,100) – not cheap for a city car, but given a long-range 77kWh MG 4 is €34,490 ($AU57,100) in France and $50,990 plus on-road costs in Australia, it bodes well for competitive pricing when the Renault arrives locally.

Kez Casey, Production Editor

There’s this great image I remember from years ago of an original Renault 5 Alpine, sitting lakeside somewhere in France and looking, well, pretty darn cool for a tiny hatchback. That car was navy blue with a red stripe package, inspiring my choice here.

I’ve opted for the basic Renault 5 Techno, and not the Alpine A290 in this instance because the much narrower range of paint and trim options means there’s no way to make a new Alpine look like an old Alpine, with no dark blue or red stripes available.

Even the alloy wheels of the Techno mimic an old R5 design, this time from the Gordini, and a little later in the first-generation car’s production run.

Even the interior features a cool throwback, with the interesting seat design mimicking those available in the Fuego… but not quite a match for the audacious H-shaped bolsters found in R5 Turbos from back in the day. The cool grey fabric and padded dash can’t be changed at this trim level, but they look cool enough as-as anyway.

All-up it’s a €29,490 ($AU48,650) package, which feel like a lot for a compact city car, but can you really put a price on timeless style?

The post How would the Drive team order a new Renault 5? Configurator Challenge appeared first on Drive.

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