Wednesday 11th September 2013

K-Tec Renault Twingo 163: Driven

Can K-Tec's tweaks to the baby Renaultsport turn it into a Clio beater?

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It was with hope rather than expectation that we concluded our K-Tec Twingo 163 news story with: 'Still ... if a 163 is available, we would really, really like to try one!'

K-Tec car (white) based on pre-facelift Twingo

But, one very kind invitation later, we found ourselves at K-Tec's Dorset HQ with its 163 development car plus a standard 133 for comparison. Fun was guaranteed.

As a quick refresher, K-Tec's package comprises a new exhaust and manifold, a Cat Cams Stage 1 cam plus an ECU remap. It takes the Twingo from 133hp to 165hp (163bhp) and torque from 118lb ft to 142lb ft.

Starting out in the regular 133 reveals an eager, effervescent little car with an engine that's quite literally screaming for some extra power. Power comes in late and not particularly hard, but you can't help but smile thrashing a 133.

Old-school tuning
Hopping straight across to K-Tec's car, the change is marked. The most striking aspect initially is the noise; the 2.5-inch exhaust exits with a 3.5-inch tailpipe that lets out a right din, even with little throttle. But it's the right sort of noise; mean and purposeful, with a little bit of lumpiness at idle added by the new cam.

B-roads and a Renaultsport is a great combo

It goads you into pushing the 163 from the off, which is still required to enjoy the Twingo. Below about 3,500rpm it feels marginally stronger, giving some additional confidence in higher gears around town. Above that threshold the 163 delivers a much more pronounced kick, with that extra torque noticeable when it peaks at 4,250rpm.

Moreover, with maximum power now at 'just over 7,000rpm' rather than 6,750, there's every incentive to rev the Twingo for all it's worth. With that booming soundtrack, it's a right hoot and subjectively feels a decent chunk faster than standard.

Gapping it
But it was comparing the two Twingos back-to-back that proved truly revealing. With one of K-Tec's guys in the 163, trying to keep up in the standard Twingo was, erm, challenging. There's a noticeable if not huge gap along the straights but it's when exiting corners that the 133 really loses out. The tweaked car just pulls through the gears from lower revs with so much more conviction.

This won't be happening in the real world...

Put simply, the K-Tec upgrades fully exploit the latent thrills contained in the 133. However, even having driven it, there remain one or two caveats...

The first is the cost. Tweaking normally aspirated engines isn't cheap, as reflected in the £2,625.60 K-Tec asks for the full 163 package. The exhaust and manifold would be great at £1,186.80 fitted, but the of course the extra power of the cam is omitted. Just five Twingo 133s are available on the PH classifieds right now; taking the cheapest of these (£4,800) then adding the 163 package gives an overall cost of £7,425.60. It would undoubtedly be great fun for the money, but then there's another fast Renault available for a similar amount...

When Clio 200s such as this one are available for £7,400, the case for the K-Tec Twingo is harder to make. But K-Tec's tweaks make a riotous little hatch even more fun and, if you don't want to follow the crowd, it's a fantastic alternative. There's a turbocharged version coming also to really frighten Clios also...

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K-TEC RENAULTSPORT TWINGO 163
Engine: 1,598cc four-cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power (hp): 165hp@'over 7,000rpm' (133@6,750rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 142lb ft@4,250rpm (118@4,400rpm)
0-62mph: 7.7 sec (8.7 sec)
Top speed: 'Over 125mph' (125mph)
Weight: 1,050kg
MPG: N/A (43.5)
CO2: N/A (150g/km)
Price: See text (£13,955)

(Figures in brackets for standard Twingo 133 for comparison)

Photos: PrimeExposures

[dukebox9reg]

I cant help but think the performance offered by the TTS rotrex supercharger conversion on the swift sport looks a lot more value for money though a little more outlay.

http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/#!suzuki-swift/c1...

Wonder if a charger can be bolted to the twingo.

Edited by dukebox9reg on Wednesday 11th September 14:34

[MikeG88]

Id rather burn my money than throw it at Ktec.

[aarondbs]

dukebox9reg said:

I cant help but think the performance offered by the TTS rotrex supercharger conversion on the swift sport looks a lot more value for money though a little more outlay.

http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/#!suzuki-swift/c1...

Wonder if a charger can be bolted to the twingo.

Edited by dukebox9reg on Wednesday 11th September 14:34

I wonder if the wife would notice....

[framerateuk]

dukebox9reg said:

I cant help but think the performance offered by the TTS rotrex supercharger conversion on the swift sport looks a lot more value for money though a little more outlay.

http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/#!suzuki-swift/c1...

Wonder if a charger can be bolted to the twingo.

Edited by dukebox9reg on Wednesday 11th September 14:34

That would surprise a few people on a trackday....

Still, you'd need some better brakes and suspension to make the most of it. It's an expensive business upgrading "warm" hatchbacks!

[chris182]

Or one could just get a Clio 182 for the price of the upgrade alone. 180bhp and basically the same weight out of the box and a nicer car all round in my extremely biased opinion.

[ALY77]

chris182 said:

Or one could just get a Clio 182 for the price of the upgrade alone. 180bhp and basically the same weight out of the box and a nicer car all round in my extremely biased opinion.

^What he said.

The issue I have with the Twingo (which is the size of a Mk2 Clio) is the same I had when the C2 replaced the Saxo many moons ago now - The newer cars are less pretty, slower, less dynamic drives than their predecessors.
Factor in residuals of french cars and the new ones make even less sense against buying something older instead and replacing that when it breaks with another, which will still involve spending less money in the long term, especially if you are shopping for upgrades at K-tec.

[szd]

MikeG88 said:

Id rather burn my money than throw it at Ktec.

Spot on!

[David87]

Forget the tuning, that facelift really was ghastly. Time has made it no better.

[Technomatt]

Has Renault ever sold a Twingo?

I’ve heard they are on the endangered species list.

Someone apparently sighted one last year, but it’s only a rumour.

[GroundEffect]

chris182 said:

Or one could just get a Clio 182 for the price of the upgrade alone. 180bhp and basically the same weight out of the box and a nicer car all round in my extremely biased opinion.

Except it WILL fall apart.

[Henry Fiddleton]

Forget the upgrades...

That facelift is one of the WORST fronts I have every seen!

My eyes...and the poor Twingos eyes after the first lift.

[Shenanigans]

Was very close to getting the older shaped twingo, but looking closer I just don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as the swift sport which I have now! Made it my own with simple exhaust and and induction mods, may not be as fast as the K-Tec twingo but sure is hell more reliable.

Spend little over £3k and you can get a rotrex supercharger which will push it up to 220hp!

[chris182]

GroundEffect said:

chris182 said:

Or one could just get a Clio 182 for the price of the upgrade alone. 180bhp and basically the same weight out of the box and a nicer car all round in my extremely biased opinion.

Except it WILL fall apart.

That is complete bks. Mine is 9 years old, drives like a brand new car and almost nothing has ever gone wrong with it.

The twingo facelift is indeed hideous. The original was IMO a nice looking little car but the new one, .

[Amirhussain]

szd said:

MikeG88 said:

Id rather burn my money than throw it at Ktec.

Spot on!

How come?

[Friggerpants]

Amirhussain said:

How come?

"Cowboys" spring to mind.

Ask them how their SMF kit's are, and whether they flag up MIL lights still.

[yes i'm mad]

The pre-facelift looked so much better. They've absolutely ruined it!

[LuS1fer]

Those foglights keep eliciting an image of a Multipla for some reason.

I agree, too much money for a gain you can buy elsewhere without having the excess of a modified car premium to contend with and a dubious resale value.

[Noesph]

Technomatt said:

Has Renault ever sold a Twingo?

I’ve heard they are on the endangered species list.

Someone apparently sighted one last year, but it’s only a rumour.

I've spotted one,on my drive.....

And I do agree, renault ruined the twingo with its new face.

[Bruniep]

GroundEffect said:

Except it WILL fall apart.

Beg to differ, mine is an '06 182 Cup with no issues. Paint still smooth and glassy (thank you Meguiars), engine pulling strong and coming up 100,000km.

Looked at selling recently but couldn't find anything "modern" that did the job as well let alone better without coughing up truckloads of cash out here in Australia.

So did the only sensible thing an bought an MX5 NB as well!

[Andy ap]

I cant comment on the K-Tec hate. but i'd love a renaultsport twingo. Like my old lupo GTi but probably better. Its got some kinda cheeky charm and character that's missing from the vast majority of cars these days. As long as the parts fitted were VFM reliable and safe i would think ignorance is bliss and overlook their reputation (K-tec's that is). Although that is expensive but for those of us that can only afford or have the space for one car, if you wern't happy with the performance of the twingo in the first place then why did you buy it. It seems that this tuning option is a bit pointless.

like i found out with my Lupo if its inadequate sell it and buy something else its a waste of time and money spending that much money tuning such a car. It was great tuning the car but when i bought something faster i realised i had wasted all my money.