We Need This Off-Road Renault 5 In Our Lives

The new Renault 5 EV has won the hearts of buyers and the praise of journalists all over Europe, and rightly so – as we’ve found out, it’s a fantastic update of a classic design, and pretty good to drive to boot.

But what, we hear you ask, if I wanted to take it off-road? We’re not sure many people were crying out for this, but now that we’ve seen what it could look like, we’re very much on board.

Off-road Renault 5 – rear

This design – just a digital rendering for now – comes from German off-road equipment specialists Delta 4×4. That name might be familiar from the Ferrari Purosangue the firm is prepping for a trip along the Pan-American Highway, or the mad off-road Ford Mustang it showed off earlier this year as a tribute to a slightly obscure movie car.

The off-road 5, though, might be our favourite creation from the brand so far. The hypothetical build sits on suspension lifted by around 100mm, and gets new 18-inch wheels wrapped in Loder all-terrain tyres. They’re accommodated by a set of beefy arch flares.

Off-road Renault 5 – detail

Elsewhere, Delta has rendered the 5 with a set of PIAA driving lights in a nod to the original car’s rallying heritage, and an expedition-style roof rack, complete with extra LED light bars.

Of course, the car this hypothetical build is based on is front-wheel drive only, which would obviously hamper it as a real off-roader. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this could change, though – the recent Savane concept version of the closely related Renault 4 featured a raised ride height and a second motor on the rear axle, and looks entirely feasible for production.

Off-road Renault 5 with standard car

Regardless, though, this is exactly the sort of thing we’d like to see become reality. Delta does too, but says it needs support to make it happen, and is asking potentially interested parties to get in touch. You know what to do.