With city cars, it's all about adding much-needed personality to the metal. Loud colours and friendly front designs are meant to give cars a certain childish appeal, cloaking what are in reality drab and dull mechanics. Judge by the sales figures – both in Ireland and internationally – the public aren't fooled.
Every now and then a car comes along where the reality is close to the marketing spin. Some cars really are as much fun to drive as their looks would suggest.
It is 20 years since the arrival of the first Renault Twingo, a car meant to weather the economic crisis of the early 1990s and which became something of an icon for the brand on the continent even if it never made an impact on this island.
That is now likely to change, for based on first impressions from behind the wheel of this new version, Renault may have a hit on its hands.
The biggest selling point for this city car in the past was the fact that it was so basic – it never pretended to be anything other than a cheap and simple mode of transport. In doing so it captured the simplicity that attracted buyers to models like the old Renault 4s or cars from rival brands, such as Citroen and Volkswagen. People might not have had the money to buy much else, but once they had these cars for a while, many fell for their simple uncomplicated ways.
“The new Twingo was inspired not only by the original Twingo but also by the Renault 5,” said Renault’s design boss, Laurens van den Acker, one of the leading lights in car design over the past decade who was poached from Mazda to give the French brand some panache. For those old enough to remember the fun little French car of the 1970s and 1980s, you can see the sort of hopes the brand has for this car.
Nimble
Much is also being made of its manoeuvrability on narrow city streets and, once behind the wheel, you quickly appreciate its nimbleness. With a turning circle of just 4.3 metres, the new Twingo can nearly U-turn in a laneway. Much of this is down to the fact that the engine is in the rear and linked to the back wheels. That means a shorter nose with the required crumple zones and protection but no need for extra length, so the space savings have been given to the cabin.
A city car with the engine in the rear may sound like a Smart car and that’s largely what this is. The platform and underpinnings are shared with the Daimler-owned brand and form the basis for the new ForTwo and ForFour.
Development took place at Renault’s centre in Paris although the two engineering teams worked closely together. According to Renault engineers the format was only really feasible when a partner like Smart came along to share the cost.
Smarter drive
The good news is that the Twingo is much better to drive than any previous Smart cars. For a start it comes with a nice notchy manual transmission.
As the car is longer than a regular Smart car, it’s more settled on the road and with no torque feeding into the front wheels, the steering is really agile and pure, particularly on the 900cc turbo version.
The format also means the car doesn’t suffer from oversteer either, with 45 per cent of the weight over the front wheels and 55 per cent at the rear, compared to a 70/30 split in most front-wheel drive cars.
In terms of suspension, the ride is surprisingly pliant, if not quite as advanced or sophisticated as the VW Up. Given the weight distribution, the engineers also didn’t have to stiffen the suspension. Under new EU regulations the car comes with electronic stability control as standard but it would probably be even more fun to drive without it.
Of the engines on offer, the smaller 900cc turbo version is definitely the one to opt for. The 1-litre 70bhp is noisier and lacks a lot of the pep and enthusiasm of the smaller but more powerful 90bhp turbo powertrain. It’s hard to believe such a small engine in such a small car could be such great fun to drive.
The combination of the peppy 900cc engine, the well-defined steering feel and the tight-turning circle makes it a natural for twisty roads.
It’s also very refined in terms of noise, largely because the source of most of the racket in small cars is moved from in front of your nose to well behind your ears. It’s only when you get outside the car that you realise it does make a bit of a racket. You just don’t notice it in the front seats.
Inside story
Inside there is a variety of trims on offer, from the basic package where the glovebox is merely a large purse and the tech comprises a link for your smartphone. Other options include a Renault sat-nav app up to the top-end touchscreen system that offers a wide variety of in-car apps, including one that even feeds news headlines onto the screen.
Prices have yet to be confirmed but it’s likely that the best engine – the 900cc turbocharged unit – will be at the upper end of the price range, whereas the basic package could be close to €12,000. That’s still a sizeable outlay for a small car but if you need personal transport, then this model is a relatively affordable and fun new car to buy.
Thanks to its light weight, impressive turning circle, sprightly turbocharged 90bhp engine in the rear and its unadulterated steering, the new version of the Twingo is the best fun you will find in a city car these days. Renault Twingo: The lowdown
Engines: 898cc turbocharged petrol three-cylinder putting out 90bhp and 135Nm of torque with emissions of 99g/km and an average fuel consumption of 4.3 l/100km
999cc petrol engine putting out 70bhp and 91Nm of torque with emissions of 95 g/km and fuel economy averaging 4.2 l/100km
Prices: yet to be confirmed but expected to be in the region of €12,000
Arriving in Ireland: end of this month
