THE CLASS OF 2020
From a fast charge to a quick lap, the Renault range has all bases covered. Meet the Top Gear magazine Manufacturer of the Year.
IT’S THE FULL SPECTRUM OF MOTORING – at one end of the Renault showroom there’s an all-electric city car capable of travelling up to 245 miles on a single charge; at the other is a record-breaking hot hatch capable of lapping the Nürburgring faster than any other front-wheel-drive production car in history. In between: a timeless supermini and a plug-in hybrid with F1-style tech.
This versatility, as well as the pursuit of perfection, is why Groupe Renault is the Top Gear magazine Manufacturer of the Year. But what does it take to make a range of cars so diverse?
Let’s start with the all-new Renault CLIO. Building on 30 years of success, and now in its fifth generation, it’s the best-selling French car ever and an enduring favourite on British roads.
More spacious inside yet more compact outside, it’s also lighter, stronger and safer than its predecessor. And for the first time ever in a Renault, there’s a hybrid powertrain available. The CLIO E-TECH is an absolute blast to drive and allows you to complete up to 80 per cent of your daily driving in pure electric mode.
Next up is the all-new Renault CAPTUR, the completely refreshed, second generation of the compact SUV, now with full LED headlights as standard and with a wider range of customisable options to make yours stand out.
From this summer the all-new CAPTUR will also be available with an E-TECH plug-in hybrid powertrain combining a petrol engine, two electric motors and a totally innovative gearbox. Using technology that draws on Renault’s expertise in electric vehicles and Formula 1®, it has an all-electric range of 30 miles and a top speed in EV mode of 85mph.
Talking of EVs, who could forget the new Renault ZOE, the all-electric pioneer and current
TopGear magazine City Car of the Year? Now with a fresh look, including a restyled exterior, it also boasts increased power and improved driving range thanks to a new 52kWh battery.
With the option of 50kW DC capability the ZOE now benefits from faster charging on the go, while Renault provides a free, fully-installed 7kW home wallbox for all eligible customers.
Finally, and for electrifying performance of a different kind, how about a record-breaking hot hatch with 296bhp and race-bred engineering? The Megane R.S. Trophy-R is fine-tuned for the track thanks to a dramatic weight-saving regime that makes it up to 130kg lighter than a standard Megane R.S. Trophy.
The suspension is totally re-engineered with lighter parts, accompanied by aero improvements including a carbon rear diffuser. The result? The Trophy-R is the fastest front-wheel-drive production car ever to lap the Nürburgring, with a time of 7mins 40.1 seconds.
It even sounds fast, thanks to a lightweight titanium Akrapovič exhaust exclusive to the Trophy-R. And as the reigning Top Gear magazine Performance Car of the Year, it’s already living up to its winning name.