Renault 5 GT Turbo Review

Overall Rating

Best small hatch ever, along side the Peugeot 205 1.6 and 1.9, with Perhaps the Golf Mk1 convertible GTi getting a look in.

Unreliable as hell, partly due to old age manufacturing, and more recently because of passing through the hands of cheap owners, or kids who want high power and high performance without the cost of maintenance.

I had two Renault 5 GT Turbo's back in the 90's. As reviewed by Performance Car magazine, in which the car came 3rd best hot hatch of all time, only behind Peugeot 1.9 and Williams, absolutely nothing past or present can touch an original GT Turbo. Age has killed them, as has bad ownership over the years, by clowns who could barely afford to insure the little car much less properly maintain one. That coupled with very bad garages who can't work on them without systematically destroying them, coupled with the high cost of NEW parts, hence most are repaired with seconds or refurbished items. The list goes on...

It is a real shame because they'll never be another like it. Real life hot hatches of today, like the Honda Civic 2l or Golf turbo's, no longer warrant the bracket 'hot hatch' with their preposterous engine sizes and people wagon proportions. Best left well alone now unless you can find a unmolested example and re-build it for concourse. Nothing else makes sense.

Members' Comments onHarmonica's Review

• herb2578 on 11th Dec 2006

  I agree in a way with harmonica. You're never going to see the hot hatches of the 80's and 90's. I can only comment on the test drives I've had, but I prefer the Clio 16v over the Renault 5 GT Turbo in every way.

• farrant4246 on 3rd Mar 2007

  You prefer the Clio 16v, well same here! I got the 16v put into mine and it goes brilliant and more reliable.

• ALF8874 on 20th May 2007

  I agree that the days of the 80's and 90's Hot Hatch have gone for good but to say that the Civic Type R doesn't deserve the title of hot hatch is just plain daft. I own 2002 EP3 Civic Type R and a Renault 5 GT Turbo Raider and although the 5 is loads of fun it will never rival the Civic. You obviously haven't driven one or you drive like a pensioner! My Raider is my weekend toy and will never be sold, it's a little piece of history.

• Harmonica on 27th Jun 2007

  Hello alf thanks for your reply.
  
  I have nothing against your current Civic Type R, I think it's a stunning car. I made my original point on a tea break at work some time ago, and can see why my words might grate. In short my opinion is that your car and modern Golfs etc, are too far removed from the original blueprint of the 'Hot Hatch'
  
  The archetype Hot Hatch stemmed from Escort 1600 RS, Golf GTI early Gordini turbo's etc. Together they blue-printed what makes a Hot Hatch, which included being SMALL, LIGHT, and relatively inexpensive cars that utilised small capacity highly tuned engines, or slightly higher capacity lumps aligned to light weight for maximum effect. All the cars mentioned excel in this manner.
  
  Yes your Civic is a master piece of Honda magic (more so the smaller lighter almost as powerful but much faster 1.6ltr EK9 version) but still your particular Honda fails to warrant the Hot Hatch classification for me.
  
  It way to big, indeed from the side under dim light it could easily be mistaken for a people carrier. It's engine at 2ltr, for me is just about bordering on the over large side for my personal taste, but not nearly as laughable as 3ltr V6 lumps or 2ltr turbo lumps some manufacturers try to pass off as Hot hatch cars. When the Cossies were released in the 80's NOBODY dare called them hot hatch, more like super car slayers.
  
  For me the greatest boon from driving a genuine hot hatch back in the day, came from having big car performance at your whim, while in a small hatch.
  
  The look on the faces of drivers of family saloon cars or sports car like Elans, BMW's, Nova's and the bain of every motorway - sales executives, when they pulled up too within in inch of your rear bumper on the M1 and start flashing their beam, only for you to make eye contact in the rear view mirror before pulling away to leave em chewing on embarrassment, is priceless.
  
  Ask any hot hatch driver from the 60's to date, that's what hot hatch ownership is all about. How can you honest say that of a Type R or mammoth V6 Golf/2ltr Turbo Golfs, Seat Cupras etc? Yes they have a 'hatch' and that's about it. After that you simply have big car looks and go from big capacity engines in BIG cars.
  
  Nothing 'hot' about that. It's totally predictable, heavy, and some what monotonous. These bigger stronger better cars are great in there own right, but they have simply marched in on the little cars market place trying to impress with big stats. ANY heavy weight boxer can walk into the flyweight class and claim to be king but so what?