2023 Renault Twizy, or: Calimero the amusing commuter egg
Discussion
Gary C said:
I always thought one of these would be a real hoot with a fireblade engine 
The thought has crossed my mind a few times. You would lose the rear seat and I think it would need wider track suspension but with the battery removed you would be at lower weight with the engine. Getting it taxed and motd would be a problem though.Caddyshack said:
Gary C said:
I always thought one of these would be a real hoot with a fireblade engine
The thought has crossed my mind a few times. You would lose the rear seat and I think it would need wider track suspension but with the battery removed you would be at lower weight with the engine. Getting it taxed and motd would be a problem though.
RC1807 said:
I think it's pretty incredible that you're using and loving this so much!
There's a 2012 Twizy for sale locally on FB Marketplace at the moment for EUR 5,500. Says it's done 11,150km in 11 years, so 20/week on average.
What's there to service on these? Tyres, axle oil?
Not sure how the battery rental system works w/Renault.
Always fancied one for the many local trips that occur, and also for my daughters to whizz around in. (Only need to be 16 here, but they're already full B licence holders and 20+.)
ANOTHER Twizy's come up for sale on FB Marketplace! Also 2012, reduced to EUR 3k. 35k km.There's a 2012 Twizy for sale locally on FB Marketplace at the moment for EUR 5,500. Says it's done 11,150km in 11 years, so 20/week on average.
What's there to service on these? Tyres, axle oil?
Not sure how the battery rental system works w/Renault.
Always fancied one for the many local trips that occur, and also for my daughters to whizz around in. (Only need to be 16 here, but they're already full B licence holders and 20+.)
Timing's off for me as my new car's being delivered next week.
Caddyshack said:
Gary C said:
I always thought one of these would be a real hoot with a fireblade engine
The thought has crossed my mind a few times. You would lose the rear seat and I think it would need wider track suspension but with the battery removed you would be at lower weight with the engine. Getting it taxed and motd would be a problem though.They built one to go as fast as they could get. I think there was a video of Vettel trying it out.
From memory it was wonderfully stupid.
ntiz said:
Caddyshack said:
Gary C said:
I always thought one of these would be a real hoot with a fireblade engine
The thought has crossed my mind a few times. You would lose the rear seat and I think it would need wider track suspension but with the battery removed you would be at lower weight with the engine. Getting it taxed and motd would be a problem though.They built one to go as fast as they could get. I think there was a video of Vettel trying it out.
From memory it was wonderfully stupid.
But a Twizzy with a fireblade engine and no outward changes...
ntiz said:
Caddyshack said:
Gary C said:
I always thought one of these would be a real hoot with a fireblade engine
The thought has crossed my mind a few times. You would lose the rear seat and I think it would need wider track suspension but with the battery removed you would be at lower weight with the engine. Getting it taxed and motd would be a problem though.They built one to go as fast as they could get. I think there was a video of Vettel trying it out.
From memory it was wonderfully stupid.
Today, after three months, the Twizy windows have arrived...
The local Renault Garage got them on, and they are quite a clever design:
The windows are pressed tight to the chassis and under the roof when the doors are closed:
Ah, I can already hear you saying: "but there is a large triangle shaped gap at the rear!" - Yes, but that has to be there because of regulations. Fully enclosed and the Twizy wouldn't be a quad anymore, but a car. And that would mean game over in therms of safety demands. Also the Twizy cannot be airtight or the inside would fog up, as there is no heating. - Btw, that strap you see in the middle of the door was wrongly placed by the garage, it should hang into the inside, not the outside. (I changed this later on).
Anyway, just a few minutes after the assembly, the ordered test rain came rolling in:
Here you see the deliberate gap at the front, allowing air to flow along the inside of the window, but without any of it reaching the driver. To open the door you push against the upper part of the spring steel window frame (where the sticker is) and at the same time you grab the door handle with your other hand. With that the door can lift upwards past the roof:
Btw, the whole window can be mounted/demounted in seconds by just two thumbscrews.
All in all, good stuff!
The local Renault Garage got them on, and they are quite a clever design:
The windows are pressed tight to the chassis and under the roof when the doors are closed:
Ah, I can already hear you saying: "but there is a large triangle shaped gap at the rear!" - Yes, but that has to be there because of regulations. Fully enclosed and the Twizy wouldn't be a quad anymore, but a car. And that would mean game over in therms of safety demands. Also the Twizy cannot be airtight or the inside would fog up, as there is no heating. - Btw, that strap you see in the middle of the door was wrongly placed by the garage, it should hang into the inside, not the outside. (I changed this later on).
Anyway, just a few minutes after the assembly, the ordered test rain came rolling in:
Here you see the deliberate gap at the front, allowing air to flow along the inside of the window, but without any of it reaching the driver. To open the door you push against the upper part of the spring steel window frame (where the sticker is) and at the same time you grab the door handle with your other hand. With that the door can lift upwards past the roof:
Btw, the whole window can be mounted/demounted in seconds by just two thumbscrews.
All in all, good stuff!
And here is the everyday setup, with the windows placed in the right door (which I never use), ready to be deployed. - Mounting them takes a stop of just 20 seconds. I measured it. 
The fixed velcro strap that was initially designed to hold the rolled-down windows when the are zippered open, workes fine too for holding the windows in place. Btw, the transparent parts of the windows don't touch themselfs or anything else, so they don't get scratched.
Granted, 95% of the time (atleast until fall) I will drive the Twizy open, but it's good to have a cozy thunderstorm-solution at the ready.
Btw, we are at 7000km (4530mi) on the clock!
The fixed velcro strap that was initially designed to hold the rolled-down windows when the are zippered open, workes fine too for holding the windows in place. Btw, the transparent parts of the windows don't touch themselfs or anything else, so they don't get scratched.
Granted, 95% of the time (atleast until fall) I will drive the Twizy open, but it's good to have a cozy thunderstorm-solution at the ready.
Btw, we are at 7000km (4530mi) on the clock!
Saw a Estrima Biro today, one of the few Micro-EVs that's actually smaller than the Renault Twizy. And granted it's somewhat cute too by being basicly a cube of plexiglass. On the other hand because of that it looks even more like a old-people runabout, which stands in stark contrast to the young urban time-porn hipsters that are driving these sort of cars in all of the manufacturers avdert clips.
By the yellow plates this was the 45km/h (28mph) version, but there is actually a 60km/h (37.2mph) version on sale. Still not enough, and no match for the Twizy, but atleast one step better than the rest of the 45km/h rolling-roadblock cucumbers.
Btw, we are at 8'000km (4'970mi) with the Twizy, done in just 3 and 1/2 months! - In contrast my estimate when I bought it was just 5000km (3'100mi) per year. - But hey back then I had no idea of how much fun this thing really is!
By the yellow plates this was the 45km/h (28mph) version, but there is actually a 60km/h (37.2mph) version on sale. Still not enough, and no match for the Twizy, but atleast one step better than the rest of the 45km/h rolling-roadblock cucumbers.
Btw, we are at 8'000km (4'970mi) with the Twizy, done in just 3 and 1/2 months! - In contrast my estimate when I bought it was just 5000km (3'100mi) per year. - But hey back then I had no idea of how much fun this thing really is!
Edited by lipadier on Monday 14th August 23:41
andburg said:
I'd love one of these with but I just couldn't get close to justifying dropping £8000 on a used battery owned one.
There is a place doing 13kwh battery upgrades using cells from the ipace, that and a powerbox would be ace.
Only problem (other than the price) is that the battery is put together in Norway and he won’t ship so if you buy one in the uk you have that cost and the reseller margin.There is a place doing 13kwh battery upgrades using cells from the ipace, that and a powerbox would be ace.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Do you ever take a passenger in it? What's it like in the back, in the rain?
Even in the rain it's all well at the front as you're protected from wind and water, but you do get some draft and the occasional ricochet sprinkle in the back. Totally fine for short trips, but longer than say 15mins in the backseat and you have to be more the outdoorsy type who loves life no matter what.And yeah, the GF is usually ok with being a passenger, especially when we go to our favourite sunning spot at the lakefront during the weekends - And like myself she enjoys the positive road-puppy attention the Twizy gets, especially when we park at the free motorbike space right infront of the pool entrance, where a gaggle of amused spectators is always garanteed. - Granted me pulling the slim but unsporty lady out of the Twizy like a cork out of a bottle isn' so graceful, but bystanders are usually amazed by the fact that two people and their beach accessoires (including two parasols) can fit into the cute little thing with ease.
And while I'm totally and utterly smitten with my Twizy bucket since day one, the GF isn't too keen on driving it herself. And as soon as it rains, she usually insits that we use her car, even for short trips regardless that the Twizy has windows now, and regardless that it bores the pants off me to drive that utterly generic and bland and lifeless and bloody Corsa.
And yes, now and then I take friends for fun rides, and coworkers on the commute, no complains there, enjoyment all around. - Sure the Twizy is a bit of a shaker with its short suspension travel (but that's also the reason why it's so competent in corners), but in Switzerland the general road upkeep is very high and it's not such a neverending pothole party as in the UK.
Btw, now that the sun comes lower and earlier, sunshade was needed: Very light and does the job, just 5 Euros on Temu:
Edited by lipadier on Monday 28th August 22:19
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