You had to weave your way through the sea of Clios and Capturs over on the Renault stand but it was well worth it to get a gawp at the
new Renault Twingo
We don't normally get excited about city cars here at PH, but when the engine's mounted in the rear sending drive to the back axle, its worth a bit more investigation. Think of it this way - if you were 17 again, on the hunt for your first car and wanted something to teach you the dynamics of driving (that and being able to do donuts at night in Tescos car park), we reckon a rear-engined Renault Twingo would be high on your list of possibles.
Since when did we do city cars? Since now!
The Twingo, with its 911-aping layout, will be available with a 1.0-litre triple putting out 90hp, and there'll even be a turbo version - a 70hp 0.9-litre three-pot. Whoever does the first turbo conversion, we want to know.
Moving the engine to the rear frees up packaging space inside and means the turning circle is improved at around one-metre less than its rivals. Mundane stuff maybe, but given the Twingo's short wheelbase and potentially oversteer-friendly layout, lots of steering lock is very much welcome. If you've ever driven a Mk1 Clio V6, you'll know where we're coming from.
We're hoping Renaultsport will get hold of the Twingo in due course, evoking shades of the original R5 and the 90s turbocharged rollerskate that is the Renault 5 GT Turbo.
Apart from the twang of Twingos (that's the collective noun for them, you know) it's business as usual for Renault in Geneva.