RE: Renault Twingo: UK Review

[squirejo]

Butter Face said:

squirejo said:

Re turning circle. Also excellent on the Zoe given the lack of front engine. Making it the better choice as a London city car- no cong charge, no road tax, no parking costs, no electricity costs, more net riot space, more toys, same price. The end.

Whilst the ZOE does have all of that going for it, you have to factor in battery rental and mileage restrictions, which the Twingo has neither of.

They're not meant to compete anyway really.

No I don't.

Battery rental less than the monthly fuel bill, and I do 3k commuting miles a year.

[AmitG]

As others have said, the Twingo is very similar to the new Smart ForFour. Same rear-engine, rear-drive layout. Both were developed in a joint venture between Renault and Mercedes-Benz.

I've tried both. I preferred the Smart because it's a lot quieter and the interior is a lot better. But it doesn't look as cute as the Twingo

I love the packaging. The lack of a front boot is a bit of a wasted opportunity, and I think they could have done something more intelligent with the gear lever and handbrake. For example, an umbrella-handle style handbrake would free up the centre tunnel. But the rest of it is great. I'm 5 foot 7 and I can sit behind myself easily and comfortably. In terms of cargo space, the front passenger seat folds flat, the rear doors open to 90 degrees and the rear seat squabs sink into the floor; the result of all that is a really rather surprising amount of space for such a titchy car.

Perhaps this car is the true successor to the original Mini.

[dugsud]

What's under the front.....more luggage space?

[Butter Face]

dugsud said:

What's under the front.....more luggage space?

No, just access for screenwash, brake fluid and coolant.

[SturdyHSV]

dugsud said:

What's under the front.....more luggage space?

Nope, just disappointment.

I guess the only real question left is whether it'll do a burnout... I suspect the TC won't let you

Could be fun in the snow though? Oh no, wait, the TC will render it immobile.

[zerovira]

I think that a gt version with around 130bhp and a sporty set up could be a real winner. In fact this and the new miata are the only new cars I could be tempted in right now.

Are they going to make it or not? Just a sporty version centered on fun. If ford can extract 140hp from a 1.0 they should be able to make 130 out of this 0.9...

[Debaser]

Small and RWD. Sounds good to me!

[jackpe]

Quickmoose said:

Glasses. You need'em

Yep, you're right, no similarity whatsoever.



Renault have been quite open about wanting a piece of the Cinquecento pie, something they failed miserably with the last twingo. In this one they copied the proportions very obviously, especially the cutesy three quarters and roof line. Dont get me wrong, I think they have done a brilliant job that actually looks better than the current Cinquecento but it is very definitely heavily influenced if not an outright copy.

[Quickmoose]

jackpe said:

Quickmoose said:

Glasses. You need'em

Yep, you're right, no similarity whatsoever.



Renault have been quite open about wanting a piece of the Cinquecento pie, something they failed miserably with the last twingo. In this one they copied the proportions very obviously, especially the cutesy three quarters and roof line. Dont get me wrong, I think they have done a brilliant job that actually looks better than the current Cinquecento but it is very definitely heavily influenced if not an outright copy.

Similarity does not equal 'all but copy'. Wanting a slice of Fiat pie does not equal copy. cutesy-2015 city car with a wheel at each corner, one aping a rear engine'd city car one is actually a rear engine'd city car. Add similar colour, well blow me they look similar.
Over and above that, it's like the dull RCZ vs TT argument.
In this case one is a 5 door and the other a 3.
Proportions are a given in the sector. So 'similarity' is sure to follow to some extent. All but copy or outright copy...no.

[Best Laid Plans]

Richair said:

There really has to be a market for a hotted up version and it would potentially make a great Class 1a (sub 1400cc) Speed event roadgoing racer;

What is the turbo multiplier for motorsport events, will a 900cc turbo fit into the sub 1400cc class?

[Dan Friel]

Best Laid Plans said:

Richair said:

There really has to be a market for a hotted up version and it would potentially make a great Class 1a (sub 1400cc) Speed event roadgoing racer;

What is the turbo multiplier for motorsport events, will a 900cc turbo fit into the sub 1400cc class?

It works out as 900cc x 1.4 (that's the MSA factor) = 1260cc. So would fit well into the class structure, but only if it's tuneable. Twingo could be a good option if they produce a sport version.

I used a Panda 100HP in the past. Was great fun but not really competitive, you couldn't do anything with the engine and was seriously outgunned. Now have a Fiesta Red Edition with a turbo 999c engine. Still in standard form, but the engine has huge potential so is definitely a class 1a contender in the future.

[xxxscimitarxxx]

Why wait for the hot version.....out the engine and trans.....drop in turbo Huyabusa and speed shift package

[Best Laid Plans]

xxxscimitarxxx said:

Why wait for the hot version.....out the engine and trans.....drop in turbo Huyabusa and speed shift package

Sounds good but not legal for a lot of motorsports, and for the class that it would but you in probably not light enough as a package.

[LasseV]

I have to say that i love this small car. Brilliant move from renault.

Cool car

[ajprice]

R.I.P. Twingo (in the UK). There's a facelift coming, the UK won't get it and the model is being discontinued here. Not enough sold to keep it going, apparently. In a rough poll of cars I see on the road, I see more Smarts than Twingos.

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/features/opinion/kei...

[Noesph]

An old thread, but I haven't seen the MK4 twingo mentioned on PH yet. They showed it a week ago.

https://youtu.be/M00seiYhiGg?si=YwKYnqa_wuB3og_n

Looks like a cross between the MK1 and the MK2 to me. (Half moon door handles are back too). EV only though.

Edited by Noesph on Tuesday 21st November 21:16

[swisstoni]

I like that; strong echos of the original.

[plfrench]

That will fly off the shelf if they can price sub £25k. Any mention of power and battery size anywhere?

[df76]

plfrench said:

That will fly off the shelf if they can price sub £25k. Any mention of power and battery size anywhere?

No real stats, but they are expecting a significant jump in efficiency. Also aiming at costing less than £100 a month to own. That would change the game.

[The Rotrex Kid]

df76 said:

plfrench said:

That will fly off the shelf if they can price sub £25k. Any mention of power and battery size anywhere?

No real stats, but they are expecting a significant jump in efficiency. Also aiming at costing less than £100 a month to own. That would change the game.

I’ve said it on the Dacia Spring thread about that, won’t happen , in the UK at least. RUK won’t be able to get this under £25k into the UK, I’d take a bet on that.

They definitely won’t be able to get it under £100pm, not unless you put in a £10k deposit with a £13k balloon

Time will tell, but if I’m proven wrong I’ll be very, very shocked.