By John Murdoch

Copyright dailyrecord

In this instalment of John Murdoch’s Drive Time, John features the superb new Renault 5 and sees how Chinese company JAECOO are celebrating the sales success of their plug-in hybrid model. The charming Renault 5 has been showered with awards since it made its debut earlier this year. Fashionable, cool and very desirable, the all-electric city car with its retro nod to the iconic hatch of the seventies may tap into the nostalgia of a different era but this is a very modern product and is going to be a big winner for the French manufacturer. Its design will attract young customers looking to stand out from the crowd and the good news is that it is available from under £23,000. With tidy dimensions it is surprisingly roomy with space for four adults to travel in comfort and it sits on a brand-new electric-vehicle platform called the AmpR Small. Standard equipment across the whole range includes LED headlights, a 10.1 inch touchscreen that is easy to use, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, an energy saving heat pump and all the latest safety equipment. You also get seats that are designed to resemble those from the famous 5 Turbo and they are very comfortable. The interior features high-definition screens and a Google powered infotainment system that is very intuitive and as good as anything else in its class. Few modern cars have generated as much hype as this newcomer and it certainly cuts the French mustard with its many neat features. It is available with two powertrains. The entry level version has a 40kWh battery which delivers 121 bhp and a range of up to 190 miles. I sampled the car with the larger 52kWh battery which gave more performance from its 148bhp motor as well as a longer range of up to 248 miles. The larger battery is also quicker to charge, taking just 30 minutes to go from 15 to 80 per cent on a suitable fast charger or just over five hours when connected to a home wallbox charger. The Renault 5 is ideal for city and urban situations but it is also good out on the open road with more than enough grunt to entertain and it also cruises quietly and without fuss at motorway speeds. The steering is sharp and provides lots of feedback and the suspension deals well with most rough road surfaces. In bright yellow, my car drew many admiring looks and the interior lives up to the challenge with fine materials and good build quality. There is lots of standard kit and the boot can hold 277 litres of kit. My 5 E-Tech model cost £28,995 and £1,200 on top for the striking yellow and black two-tone paint job. It gets you to 60mph in 7.7 seconds with a top speed of 93mph. The 5 is much more than just a striking city car and although its looks will certainly bring it welcome sales it offers lots of technology, equipment and driving fun. Meanwhile, the Jaecoo 7 SHS was the UK’s best-selling plug-in hybrid last month, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Priced at £35,165 the JAECOO 7 SHS pairs self-charging hybrid technology with an efficient ICE powertrain to deliver a claimed 745-mile range. Developed using third-generation hybrid technology from parent company Chery Group, the Jaecoo SHS system has been specifically adapted to meet the needs of the UK. With the Super Hybrid System (SHS), Jaecoo has combined the convenience of fuel with the driving experience of pure electric power in the Jaecoo 7 SHS. It is a vehicle that offers ultra-high thermal efficiency, ultra-long endurance mileage of 745 miles and low carbon emissions of 23g/km. Last month the company confirmed that seven months since its launch, it had officially surpassed 10,000 orders in the UK, with that figure confirmed to have risen to 12,526 as corroborated by recent SMMT figures. The JAECOO 7 starts from £30,115 reaching £35,165 for the JAECOO 7 SHS. *Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .