Renault · 1984–present

Renault 5 II

The Renault Super 5 (also known as the Renault 5, Supercinque or Supercinco) is a supermini (B-segment) car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1984 and 1996. Its design was inspired by the profile of the Renault 5, although it is slightly longer and lower, as it was conceived to replace it in the French brand's range. For this reason, it is also known as the Renault 5; in fact, this is the name that always appeared on the rear of the model. The car has a length of 3,590 mm (141.3 in) (3,750 mm (147.6 in) with 5 doors), a width of 1,590 mm (62.6 in), a height of 1,390 mm (54.7 in) and a wheelbase of 2,407 mm (94.8 in) (2,467 mm (97.1 in) with 5 doors). The weight, depending on the version, ranges from 760 to 860 kg (1,676 to 1,896 lb). Over twelve years, Renault produced more than three million units at its plants in Billancourt, Dieppe and Flins-sur-Seine (France); Brussels and Vilvoorde (Belgium); Palencia (Spain); Setúbal (Portugal); Mariara (Venezuela) and, from 1989, Novo Mesto (Slovenia). Approximately 500,000 vehicles were assembled annually, a figure that gradually decreased from 1990, so that by the time production ended in 1996, a total of 3,436,650 units had been manufactured. In terms of sales, 1988 was the best year, with 518,910 vehicles sold across Europe. There were twenty-two versions, as well as more than thirty-five limited editions. Its commercial rivals included models such as the Citroën AX, the Ford Fiesta, the Opel Corsa, the Peugeot 205, the SEAT Ibiza and the Volkswagen Polo, among others. The development of the Renault Super 5 began in 1978 and was codenamed Project 140. The plan lasted for more than six years, as the proposals presented lacked the necessary consensus to be carried out. This situation remained unchanged until the designer Marcello Gandini, who authored many Italian sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, joined the project. His proposal was simple: to adapt the R5 to the new needs of the automotive market. To do this, he applied the technique that luxury brands had been using for decades: creating a vehicle whose appearance reminded one of its predecessor, which already had public favour. The Super 5 is based on the chassis of the Renault 9/11, so it has greater interior space than its predecessor. It is front-wheel drive and its petrol engine is in a transverse front-engine layout; the range includes from the 1.1-litre displacement, two valves per cylinder and 48 bhp maximum power of the C version to the 1.4-litre displacement, two valves per cylinder and 120 bhp maximum power of the GT Turbo versions. The top speed of the Super 5 was achieved by the GT Turbo2 model, with 204 km/h (127 mph) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8 seconds. Between 1986 and 1991, the 5 GT version participated in the World Rally Championship, until it was replaced by the Renault Clio Williams. Notable drivers who competed with it include Gustavo Trelles, Jean Ragnotti and Alain Oreille; the latter was twice champion of the World Rally Championship for Production Cars (1989 and 1990) at the wheel of a Super 5 GT Turbo, in addition to obtaining victory with it in the 1989 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. It has also competed in continental, national and regional championships. Over the years, for some it has become an icon of the 1980s. Numerous associations attest to this and many people still drive one of these French utility cars daily. However, various factors, such as the time that elapsed between its launch and the arrival of the Clio, the variety in the sector at the time as well as the similarity of its design to the R5, meant that it did not become as memorable a vehicle as its predecessor. Even so, it is present in multiple collections of scale model cars and has appeared in songs, in cinema, on television and in some video games.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Renault 5 (first generation) · Successor: Renault Clio

All Renault 5 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Design and development

The design of the Super 5 began in 1978 with the intention of creating a vehicle to replace the Renault 5. At that time it was the best-selling car in France and enjoyed great popularity. The design and development process for the new vehicle was called Project 140. It was a slow process, lasting more than six years. The shape of the bodywork was designed based on the Renault 9/11, while preserving the main lines of the R5 so that the public would associate it with its predecessor. For the same reason, the characteristic plastic bumpers and side mouldings of the Renault 5 were retained, although some modifications were made to prevent them from damaging the paintwork. Initially, the design team used various prototypes from Renault's smaller segments as a base for the project. Dozens of designs were presented, but none achieved good results when tested. Among these, mention can be made of the Renault Gabbiano; it was a prototype inspired by Italian car designs, hence the name. It was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1983, the same year Peugeot, Renault's main competitor in the French market, unveiled its 205. The Gabbiano had futuristic lines and was reminiscent of the Renault Fuego as well as the DMC DeLorean. It ultimately remained a simple prototype, but some of its elements would later be incorporated into the Super 5. After several years of work on the design, this was the French firm's most expensive project ever, and none of the proposals pleased the testers. But everything changed when Bernard Hanon, head of Project 140, brought Marcello Gandini onto the design team. The Italian suggested a simple plan: adapt the original model to meet the new demands of the car market. To do this, he used the technique that luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz or Jaguar had bee

Commercial life

=== Launch === Following the success of Gandini's project, in September 1984 the Super 5 was ready to replace its predecessor in dealerships. The first official presentation took place on the 14th of that same month at the Élysée Palace. It was attended by the then French president, François Mitterrand (1981–1995), who also tested it. Ten days later a second showing for the press was held and in October it was shown to the public at the Paris Motor Show. Next to the vehicle was a large inflatable model of it as an advertising gimmick. Advertising campaigns influenced the commercial results of the Super 5. The name itself, is a draw, alluding to the fact that it is an improved Renault 5. In this sense, the term "Super 5" was an advertising concept, since "Renault 5" always appeared on the rear of the vehicle. In the first television commercials it was presented as "Supercar". There are two stages to these commercials; a first in which an animated Super 5 travels roads and shows its equipment, as was already done with the R5, and a second in which it is Superman's car. Among the commercials aired, notable ones include the 1984 ad, in which a personified R5 said goodbye to the public and was replaced by the Super 5, or the 1989 ad, famous for the rap song that accompanied it. Subsequent vehicle sales figures reflected that the public accepted the successor to the R5 satisfactorily. During its first year on the market, it reached second place, only surpassed by the Peugeot 205, but from 1986 until 1990, the year the Peugeot 205 regained first place and the Renault Clio replaced the Super 5, it was the best-selling car in France. The year with the highest sales in that country was 1988 (241,849 units sold). In other countries it did not lead the sales charts, but remained a

Technical specifications

The 5 is a three or five-door hatchback with a monocoque unibody construction. It consists of two compartments, one occupied by the engine and the other intended for transporting passengers and luggage. The side doors have roll-down windows while the rear tailgate of the boot has a fixed window. The boot is much larger than that of the R5, with a capacity of 233 dm3 with the rear seats upright and 657 dm3 when folded flat. The vehicle has a length of 3,590 mm (141.3 in), a width of 1,590 mm (62.6 in), a height of 1,390 mm (54.7 in) and a wheelbase of 2,407 mm (94.8 in). The weight, depending on the version, ranges from 760 to 860 kg (1,676 to 1,896 lb). Interior. Although the car was designed as a compact vehicle, the interior was intended to be spacious: habitability is highly valued by users, so Renault significantly increased the interior capacity of the car compared to its predecessor. This was achieved by increasing the width of the seats at elbow level and by changing the engine layout from longitudinal to transverse. The boot was also made larger (233 dm3), by moving the fuel tank and spare wheel under the vehicle. On the other hand, in the three-door versions, space is lost in the rear seats due to reduced mobility of the front seats. The interior also stands out for the comfort and convenience of its seats, compared to other similar models such as the Peugeot 205 or the Citroën AX. Regarding sound systems, there were up to six different types of radio that could be fitted. All had cassette player and reception of stations on FM and AM. The firms that produced sound systems for Renault were Philips, Grundig, Pioneer and Blaupunkt. The controls and dashboard of the Super 5 are based on those of the Renault 11. Exterior. The bodywork of the vehicle is made of pres

Critical reception

In general, the vehicle received positive reviews, although some critics said it was too similar to the R5 or that the engine was too noisy at high speeds due to its age. In contrast, some media praised aspects such as the habitability, the comfort or the performance during driving as well as the steering or the braking system. Paul Scott, of the British magazine Car Magazine, commented: It may be that the new R5 does not set the trend like its predecessor, but it is good enough to become the best in its class. The publication Autopista carried out a comparative test between the Super 5 and two of its competitors, the Citroën AX and the Peugeot 205. The tester criticized the noise level of the "Sierra" engine at high revs, the high fuel consumption of the larger displacement versions – compared to the simpler versions, which stood out for their low fuel consumption – as well as its acceleration after gear changes, which he described as "could be better". On the other hand, he approved the braking system and the gear change, "smooth and precise" he stated. He highlighted the Super 5's comfort and interior habitability compared to the other two models in the comparison and added that: If we want good comfort, but also the possibility of reaching high cruising speeds, the Renault 5 GTX is a wise choice. The French edition of the magazine Auto Hebdo published on 27 September 1984 a report, entitled "Les aventures de Supercinq!", where the critic Michel Gegan narrated the experience of travelling 2,134 kilometres across France with the new Renault model. He started from Montlhéry, a town near Paris, and passed through the cities of Orléans, Saintes, Bordeaux, Carcassonne, Arles, Avignon, Lyon or Fontainebleau among other smaller towns before ending his journey in the Fren

Versions

Between 1984 and 1996, Renault marketed twenty-two different versions of the Super 5, twelve years in which new models and improvements to previous models alternated. The differences from one version to another were generally mechanical, such as power, displacement, engine characteristics, weight, braking system and sometimes interior features. Between the first and last versions, some aesthetic differences can be seen, both interior and exterior. The most notable is the position of the logo; while in models produced between 1984 and 1988 the Renault symbol was located in the central part of the grille, from 1988 it was placed on the right side. The following table shows the specific characteristics of each version of the Renault Super 5:

Derivatives

=== Renault Express === The Renault Express, called Renault Rapid in Germany and Austria and Renault Extra in the United Kingdom and Ireland, is a van produced by Renault between 1985 and 2002, built on the basis of the Super 5. It replaced the Renault 4 F6, a commercial vehicle based on the Renault 4. The available versions of the Express were three: van, estate and pick-up, although the latter was the least common. The technical characteristics were the same as those of the Super 5, as the only difference was the structural design. Aesthetically, it underwent two facelifts to make it more similar to the contemporary range, the first in 1991 and the second in 1994. From 1997 its production decreased, when it was replaced by Renault's new van, the Kangoo. In 2000, production in Europe ended after 1,730,000 units had been produced. It continued to be manufactured until 2002 in Uruguay by the company Nordex S.A. This company had been producing it since 1996 for sale in the Mercosur member states. EBS Cabriolet. Just as Peugeot did with the 205 following the agreement with Pininfarina, Renault wanted to create a convertible version of the Super 5. In 1984, the French brand agreed with Ernst Berg, president of the Belgian coachbuilding firm EBS, on the design of a cabrio version. The model devised by Berg was exhibited at the Amsterdam Motor Show; it eliminated the side windows and any part of the standard version mounted above the doors. These parts were manufactured in Portugal and by eliminating them, costs were greatly reduced, since their import was no longer necessary. EBS anticipated that the Cabriolet would be produced at the Vilvoorde factory, at a rate of twenty-five units per day. But the idea that a special model, such as the EBS Cabriolet, would have a price l

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Specifications

name: Renault Super 5
Manufacturer: Renault
Production: 1984–1996
aka: Renault 5, Supercinq, Supercinque, Superfive
Assembly: France: Billancourt, Flins-sur-Seine, Dieppe, Belgium: Haren, Vilvoorde, Spain: Palencia, Portugal: Setúbal, Venezuela: Mariara, Slovenia: Novo Mesto
Predecessor: Renault 5
Successor: Renault Clio
Class: Supermini (B)
Body style: 3/5-door hatchback
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Length: 3590 mm (3-door), 3650 mm (5-door)
Width: 1590 mm
Height: 1390 mm
Wheelbase: 2407 mm (3-door), 2467 mm (5-door)
Kerb weight: 760 -
Related: Renault Express
Designer: Marcello Gandini

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

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Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1131842CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Super_5CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1366203862 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1985_Renault_5_TL_(9664756189).jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: Niels de Wit from Lunteren, The Netherlands · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.