2023 Renault Twizy, or: Calimero the amusing commuter egg
Discussion
2023 Renault Twizy, 6.1kw, 20hp, 57nm, 2 Seats, 3 Belts, 1 plug, no windows
Tadaaaa!!
Man, only 1 day old and it already got a nickname, because first thing my GF said today was that I look like this in it:
Anyway, that's not important. Important ist that it makes me happy. Yeah ok, Calimero looks happy too in that pic, but that's not the point!
Eh, I start again: Yes I bought my a Twizy, and yes it 's overpriced, and yes it's silly. - But I love it. - I wasn't even so exited and bemused when I bought the S6. - Because this is different. Because from now on this is my daily driver.
Pro:
More pics:
It's so tiny, today on the ferry I got woven in by the boat staff, and ended up like this:
^ I feared I was touching the bumber of the Volvo infront of me by the looks of it! - Nope, there was still plenty of space:
This integrated Audio/Blootooth system I didn't actually order as an optional extra, but as it was in this zero-miles showroom model they got for me inside two weeks instead of me waiting for a few months for my exact example, I paid happily for it, regardless that I haven't really any use for it:
It is so fun to drive that I drove so long today until the battery indicator beeped at my to remind me that even the best fun has to end some time. I did 80km today, with another 6km to spare:
And another anecdote near end of this posting: In Switzerland the Twizy is authorized as a heavy motorbike hence I only need rear plates, but as it also looks a bit like a car: Today on the Lake Constanze ferry on the way to Germany one crew member declaired me as a less-than-4-meter-car, but on the way back to Switzerland I got declaired as a bike by another person. - Make up your mind. - And give me my 7 Euros back.
Btw, my commute is 4x 3km (1.85mi) per day, 4 days per week. The Twizy replaces a bicycle I used by any weather. Problem was recently I got a bit fed up with the daily bicycle commute during rush hour (no shortcuts, I have to use the main roads) and I kept the Audi more and more for it. Which is stupid, as the big 5.2L V10 doesn't even get warm inside 5 mins. - Hence the Twizy. I'm also able to charge it at home and at work.
And boy is it fun!
Tadaaaa!!
Man, only 1 day old and it already got a nickname, because first thing my GF said today was that I look like this in it:
Anyway, that's not important. Important ist that it makes me happy. Yeah ok, Calimero looks happy too in that pic, but that's not the point!
Eh, I start again: Yes I bought my a Twizy, and yes it 's overpriced, and yes it's silly. - But I love it. - I wasn't even so exited and bemused when I bought the S6. - Because this is different. Because from now on this is my daily driver.
Pro:
- Better, faster, cooler, cuter, ...than a bicyle. LOL
- Cheap to run. One charge is 1.50 SFR/EUR, and that gets me over 80km, which is almost 2 weeks of commuting in my case. That's about 4-6 SFR/EUR per month. Hardly worthy to put as a position into the budget, he! Also, road tax is 1/7th of what I pay for the Audi S6 V10.
- Total icebraker. I smile, you smile, everybody smiles. - It's that sort of cute. - The best moments today were the crosswalk stops with cheering and waving schoolkids, and the bemused faces of bystanders when I opened the scissor door after parking.
- It really is total fun to drive. You can easily keep up with traffic and every roundabout is a hoot because you simply don't lift off, instead you aim for the inside kerb and go for it. You also want to race everybody else because you feel you're going so much faster than you actually are.
- Stiff suspension. The springs you see next to the wheels are simply decoration.
- Fix moulded driver seat. Only thing it can do is to slide it back and forth. Mind you the seating position isn't bad and it's padded, but the backrest is a tinsy tic too upright.
- Trucks are suddenly as big as houses and really intimidating. If you sit on a red light and one comes up behind you, its badge alone filling up your side mirrors, and a massive loud wall of diesel rattling away right behind your ears, you feel like a 4 year old who can't find his mom.
More pics:
It's so tiny, today on the ferry I got woven in by the boat staff, and ended up like this:
^ I feared I was touching the bumber of the Volvo infront of me by the looks of it! - Nope, there was still plenty of space:
This integrated Audio/Blootooth system I didn't actually order as an optional extra, but as it was in this zero-miles showroom model they got for me inside two weeks instead of me waiting for a few months for my exact example, I paid happily for it, regardless that I haven't really any use for it:
It is so fun to drive that I drove so long today until the battery indicator beeped at my to remind me that even the best fun has to end some time. I did 80km today, with another 6km to spare:
And another anecdote near end of this posting: In Switzerland the Twizy is authorized as a heavy motorbike hence I only need rear plates, but as it also looks a bit like a car: Today on the Lake Constanze ferry on the way to Germany one crew member declaired me as a less-than-4-meter-car, but on the way back to Switzerland I got declaired as a bike by another person. - Make up your mind. - And give me my 7 Euros back.
Btw, my commute is 4x 3km (1.85mi) per day, 4 days per week. The Twizy replaces a bicycle I used by any weather. Problem was recently I got a bit fed up with the daily bicycle commute during rush hour (no shortcuts, I have to use the main roads) and I kept the Audi more and more for it. Which is stupid, as the big 5.2L V10 doesn't even get warm inside 5 mins. - Hence the Twizy. I'm also able to charge it at home and at work.
And boy is it fun!
^ I odererd the original windows together with the car, but those will take a bit longer until I get them. - Waiting time for the car is 3-6 months after ordering, I just got lucky that Renault Switzerland had a same-spec zero-mile one in a showroom, and that they very kindly released it for me. - I had it inside 10 days after I placed my order.
Edited by lipadier on Friday 21st April 23:57
unpc said:
How well do the doors seal on these as I no longer enjoy being cold and wet?
You're well protected from the airstream itself, but you're still outside, which means you have to dress according to like you would if you took a walk the same way on a windstill day. - The main differences to walking however are that your bum is cosy because you're sitting on a piece of insulating foam, you always have a umbrella over your head, and that you will reach your destination in minutes, and with a big smile on your face. 
Btw, in regards to smiles, what suprised me most so far during the last week is the tacky awesomeness of the scissor doors. It's hard to describe but they just feel so modern and cool. People will stare at you anyway in positive amusement, but it's a joy to see how their faces light up even more when you open the door. - I can't deny it, the positive attention this thing gets is very pleasing to my inner 10yo self.
Edited by lipadier on Friday 28th April 17:18
DaveTheRave87 said:
I remember there was the issue of 'battery rental' when these 1st came out.
Is this still a thing?
Gladly the battery rental nonsense is no more. Since 2021 Renault does sell the Twizy as a whole package. - I actually had no knowledge about this only three weeks ago, but learning about it at random I immediately placed my order. Is this still a thing?
Granted you pay for the battery anyway, but the (atleast to me) unpleasant "careful-it's-not-yours" feeling isn't present. Maybe a bit silly of me but hey I'm that sort of a guy.
unpc said:
Do the doors do a good job of keeping the rain out too? If I had one it would have to live outside for now due to projects.
The inside of the open Twizy is designed to get wet, and it will do at some point when parked up and the rain comes in sideways. There are actually numerous draining holes in the floor for that case, one even in the drivers seat.The doors are really more there to protect you from spray water (including from your own front wheels) and because the doors have to scissor past the roof they will get wet on the inside too as naturally they have to stick out more to the sides than the roof itself. But the middle part of the Twizy including yourself will stay dry, even in heavy rain, which is quite amazing, I already went on a few "how-wet-will-I-get" drives to test this and I didn't get wet at all:
- Btw 1, my Twizy will always be outside, summer or winter. As soon as I have the side windows delivered I will report back in this thread how they work.
- Btw 2, some of my coworkers were quite baffled why the heck I would buy a old people mobility scooter by the looks of it! I even heard the word "Bügeleisen" (engl: electric iron)
...but after they had a go in it, these words were mostly taken back. Ha!And as mentioned before, for sure the novelty will wear off at some day, but currently (since one week infact) I just can't stop driving it, it's so damn addictive!
Edited by lipadier on Friday 28th April 17:26
^ I was amazed myself that you can still buy them here in Switzerland. It's been what, 11 or 12 years since the launch?! But here they only sell the 80 version and either in black or white. And that's it. And while the black one may look cooler, I prefer a white example because I think it can be seen better by other motorists. - I may even put a antenna on it with a small orange triangle flag on top, so that it looks like a RC car.
When ordering it I got informed that there was a waiting time of up to 6 months! - But I got lucky because they found a white showroom model in a big Renault dealership in Zürich, it had arrived there from Korea in February this year, and they released it for me. - With that it just took 10 days over easter from me placing my order until I drove away with it from my local dealership. - As mentioned it has a built-in Bluetooth/Audio system that I didn't order (the speakers are above your ears) and like every extra in a car it was way overpriced (400 SFR = 361 GPB!) but for once I paid happily for it (but haven't even touched it so far), and in relation it was a small price to pay for happily having a Twizy already over summer instead of waiting for it until September.
Btw, I did a out-of-town high speed run yesterday evening, meaning I went full tilt (pedal to themetal plastic LOL) all the time and always a tic over (= 65 in a 60km/h zone, 75 in a 70, and 85 in a 80) to see how the range will be affected when driving it like I just stole it and was on the run from the rozzers. Result: I will do about 60km (38mi) this way instead of 80km (50mi). - But boy was it fun!! I think I will drive it like this every time from now on!
There was light rain and some wind and it was all very dramatic:
When ordering it I got informed that there was a waiting time of up to 6 months! - But I got lucky because they found a white showroom model in a big Renault dealership in Zürich, it had arrived there from Korea in February this year, and they released it for me. - With that it just took 10 days over easter from me placing my order until I drove away with it from my local dealership. - As mentioned it has a built-in Bluetooth/Audio system that I didn't order (the speakers are above your ears) and like every extra in a car it was way overpriced (400 SFR = 361 GPB!) but for once I paid happily for it (but haven't even touched it so far), and in relation it was a small price to pay for happily having a Twizy already over summer instead of waiting for it until September.
Btw, I did a out-of-town high speed run yesterday evening, meaning I went full tilt (pedal to the
There was light rain and some wind and it was all very dramatic:
Edited by lipadier on Saturday 29th April 09:45
Took my dashcam (DJI Action 2) out of the Audi and plonked it into the Twizy. Btw, I haven't moved the S6 since 1 1/2 weeks, might as well sell it.
Here we go from a 50kmh (31mph) to a 60km/h (37mph) and then a bit after the roundabout into a 80kmh (50mph) zone. No problem to keep up, in the contrary as the car infront never went faster than 75km/h (46mph) at all. But that's not important, important is the freaking jet engine sound the Twizy makes (especially from 0:45 onwards when the chill pill infront finally wakes up). - That spooling-up noise is a hoot!
Btw, if you're in the UK, just watch this through a mirror...
Yeah, I'm still totally addicted, honeymoon phase and all that: Go for a drive, come home, charge, and off we go again! Inbetween I go to work a tad and be a gentlemen to the GF for a few minutes. Of course there are some showers and a bit of eating and sleeping too, but other than that, it's always TWIZY!-time.
Meanwhile I've already developed a eagle-eye for any outdoor socket. This one here wasn't even on the Chargemap-app, I've simply spotted it whilst driving by. - "Wohehey, hello, you look unused and free!" - I plugged the Twizy in for 20mins there while I munched a sandwich I've bought earlier and mocked about a bit on social media as you do nowadays, which brought the battery from 38% back up to 49%, plenty to loop about some more instead of heading home as the crow flies. Wanted it to get it to 50%, but the sandwich was gone at 49%, so 49% it was.
And for legal reasons, yes I freely admit that during those 20mins I stole that closed-for-sunday bike shop energy for 0.05 CHF (0.04 GBP)... sue me!
And yes, I'm aware of that phone-holder tank-tape hackjob, but who the heck has the time to thinker about in aestethic details when you can drive instead!?
Here we go from a 50kmh (31mph) to a 60km/h (37mph) and then a bit after the roundabout into a 80kmh (50mph) zone. No problem to keep up, in the contrary as the car infront never went faster than 75km/h (46mph) at all. But that's not important, important is the freaking jet engine sound the Twizy makes (especially from 0:45 onwards when the chill pill infront finally wakes up). - That spooling-up noise is a hoot!
Btw, if you're in the UK, just watch this through a mirror...
Yeah, I'm still totally addicted, honeymoon phase and all that: Go for a drive, come home, charge, and off we go again! Inbetween I go to work a tad and be a gentlemen to the GF for a few minutes. Of course there are some showers and a bit of eating and sleeping too, but other than that, it's always TWIZY!-time.
Meanwhile I've already developed a eagle-eye for any outdoor socket. This one here wasn't even on the Chargemap-app, I've simply spotted it whilst driving by. - "Wohehey, hello, you look unused and free!" - I plugged the Twizy in for 20mins there while I munched a sandwich I've bought earlier and mocked about a bit on social media as you do nowadays, which brought the battery from 38% back up to 49%, plenty to loop about some more instead of heading home as the crow flies. Wanted it to get it to 50%, but the sandwich was gone at 49%, so 49% it was.
And for legal reasons, yes I freely admit that during those 20mins I stole that closed-for-sunday bike shop energy for 0.05 CHF (0.04 GBP)... sue me!
And yes, I'm aware of that phone-holder tank-tape hackjob, but who the heck has the time to thinker about in aestethic details when you can drive instead!?
Edited by lipadier on Sunday 30th April 17:25
Allright, a 1700km (1056mi) owners review:
Pro:
Con:
And remember kids, there is always a smaller fish:
Pro:
- It's total fun to drive, and very very addictive. - There hasn't been a day so far when I drove straight home in the evening after work, instead I always go for a big loop. - I've never had a motorbike but I assume it's the same feel.
- There is actually more storage space than you would think: You have the two glove boxes (the lockable one is very deep), and a bit of trunk space behind and below the passenger seat (also lockable).
- Since the rear mudguards are very short, in heavy rain your are trailing two quite impressive roostertails, which is amusing to see in the mirrors.
- It's even smaller than you think it is. And since it has a absolute tiny front overhang it's very easy to drive out of sidestreets even with high walls or hedges on both sides.
- You can overtake tractors or similiar slow vehicles in right hand corners (or left ones from a UK perspective) because you can wave around in your lane and hence check both sides beforehand.
- You will get sick behind the wheel before you can bring this thing into a dangerous cornering situation: It's amazingly stable and the ultra-tight steering radius makes it incredibly zippy, here is me going downhill on a very curvy road:
- And suddenly some former expensive parking is now free:
Con:
- On a very steep uphill 80km/h main road you will fall back to 70km/h, it's the only situation where you can't keep up with traffic.
- Overtaking is doable but risky because of the 85km/h limiter. If you're behind somebody that does 70km/h in a flat 80 zone and you're going for it, and then the other one suddenly decides to speed up, you're screwed.
- In heavy rain going on full tilt on a older road with puddles, you can feel it starting to aquaplane.
- The rear "trunk" space is nice to have but the lid (which doubles as the passengers backrest) is quite fussy to lock back into place. - I keep a 5 meter extension cord and some additional clothing in there.
- Because the windscreen wiper area is quite small it's not easy to place a dashcam without it being conspicuous:
And remember kids, there is always a smaller fish:
Found a nice downhill stretch that's still inside a 1-charge loop radius from my home. - You may notice that the cornering looks jerky, but that's because the Twizy simply can go-cart corner a lot sharper than I have the courage for, I still brake way too early.
Also near the end at 4:25 you can hear my audible amusement.
I bought this as a simple from-and-to work commuter, it does that too, but turns out it's even better as a after-work fun valve.
Also near the end at 4:25 you can hear my audible amusement.
I bought this as a simple from-and-to work commuter, it does that too, but turns out it's even better as a after-work fun valve.
Edited by lipadier on Friday 19th May 03:37
^ Even better:
These roads are still inside my 1-charge loop radius. While it does 90km/h downhill, granted the Twizy falls back to 60km/h uphill on really steep roads, but the fact that one can keep the foot down even in curves because of the planted gocart nature of it helps a lot.
All in all, awesome fun!
These roads are still inside my 1-charge loop radius. While it does 90km/h downhill, granted the Twizy falls back to 60km/h uphill on really steep roads, but the fact that one can keep the foot down even in curves because of the planted gocart nature of it helps a lot.
All in all, awesome fun!
Edited by lipadier on Sunday 21st May 07:05
dodgydd said:
I followed you here from the 'does your car get you attention' thread!
I have the windows, but don't use them. Mine is an import from Korea with 30km total on it, also has DRL on it (front centre) which is quite unusual.
Same colour as yours! Wish mine had the sunroof, that really changes the feel of them. But definitely the most fun car I can think of just now.
Ref toll roads/tunnels/ferries. Similar issue here depending on who processes you, I emailed Mersey Tunnels for clarification and they said as it has 4 wheels I have to pay the toll. I questioned that as 4 wheel motorcycles (ATVs) don't pay it. They came back a while letter and correctly categorised it as a heavy quadricycle, which means I have to pay the tool. A shame as I have to use the tunnel often to go see my elderly dad in a care home.
I have the public charging adaptor so I can stop at Tesco on the way back from seeing Dad and charge it up while I do my weekly shop, 45minutes gets me about 15miles extra.
Have fun!
I had a look through this thread again and realised I've newer reacted to your post, especially regarding the glass roof: While I was configurating mine on the Renault website for sure first I clicked the glass roof option. - But after some thinking I clicked it away again, and I'm very glad I did, because now during the summer with the sun burning straight down the resulting shadow is priceless. I have the windows, but don't use them. Mine is an import from Korea with 30km total on it, also has DRL on it (front centre) which is quite unusual.
Same colour as yours! Wish mine had the sunroof, that really changes the feel of them. But definitely the most fun car I can think of just now.
Ref toll roads/tunnels/ferries. Similar issue here depending on who processes you, I emailed Mersey Tunnels for clarification and they said as it has 4 wheels I have to pay the toll. I questioned that as 4 wheel motorcycles (ATVs) don't pay it. They came back a while letter and correctly categorised it as a heavy quadricycle, which means I have to pay the tool. A shame as I have to use the tunnel often to go see my elderly dad in a care home.
I have the public charging adaptor so I can stop at Tesco on the way back from seeing Dad and charge it up while I do my weekly shop, 45minutes gets me about 15miles extra.
Have fun!
Btw, after not even two months of ownership I'm already at 4'500km (2'800mi), altough my daily commute is only a total of 16km (10mi) and I only work 4 days per week. Hence all those other km's are just from fun drives at evenings and weekends. Sometimes I come home, plug it in, and as soon as I can't hear the charger fan anymore (= battery is full), I'm off again for another giggle loop.
It has to be said that by now I drive the Twizy solely digital, because only this way it makes maximum fun. = Hypermiling is a hobby for other people.
On the negative side so far I had two occasions where motorists underestimated my speed and while clearly noticing me by eye contact simply drove infront of me regardless, while I had the right of way. On one of these occasion I had to slam on the brakes full tilt. The resulting noisy old-school non-ABS tire screetching made me suck air through my teeth. LOL
Also so far only once my plug got taken out while I was charging in the field. Gladly at already 84%, but still, made me a bit mad. Who does this? Around a school you would expect it, but this was at a community hall, and I had the ok to fill up.
But hey the positives are 99%, because this thing is total fun. And very addictive! - So yeah, the only way to get me give away the Twizy is to pry it out of my cold dead hands (and only after I've rolled it down embankment or under a truck)
Btw, i've sold the Audi S6. = My ICE swan song was a V10.
By now it's officially not new anymore.
Firstly because that "km" number in the display keeps climbing fast...
And secondly because I got me my first beauty spot:
How to do it: Easy, you park up for a short pause to take a seat on that red bench. And after that done you happily step into your Twizy and then you elegantly back up straight into that road sign that has been in your field of vision during the last 10mins, but went out of your mind the moment you pressed "R" on the dashboard. "Kaboom!"
Eh, it's only pride and plastic, and anyway, i'm sure it's just the first of many scratches to come, judging by my careless co-cart driving style.
Best car ever! And I mean it!
Firstly because that "km" number in the display keeps climbing fast...
And secondly because I got me my first beauty spot:
How to do it: Easy, you park up for a short pause to take a seat on that red bench. And after that done you happily step into your Twizy and then you elegantly back up straight into that road sign that has been in your field of vision during the last 10mins, but went out of your mind the moment you pressed "R" on the dashboard. "Kaboom!"
Eh, it's only pride and plastic, and anyway, i'm sure it's just the first of many scratches to come, judging by my careless co-cart driving style.
Best car ever! And I mean it!
Suralan said:
That looks like so much fun! Can it be driven in bad weather, or are the lack of windows a serious issue for anything other than warm, dry conditions?
Just today I drove the through a summer storm, that classic one with rain No problem in the Twizy, as mentioned in a post before the insides of the doors get wet, but the centre with you and the seat stays completely dry.
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+.)
I'm amazed myself about how much I'm addicted, knowing myself I thought the new-toy fancy would die away quickly. - But maybe it's because I've never had a motorbike and zipping around with all the roads suddenly being more than twice as wide as with any other car before is one reason. Or maybe it is because you can basicly go full tilt anytime and everytime while still being perfectly legal, I dunno. - Fact is it's a daily joy, more than I had anticipated, and judging by what other owners are writing in Twizy forums it will be so for years to come.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+.)
Service is yearly, a pretty simple affair, with the main focus on the brakes, but even they don't have a hard life as they only have to stop about half a ton from a max speed of 85km/h, and the energy recuperation does help to elongate their lifes. - Tires are also no worry, after almost 5000km (3100mi) of brisk go-carting they still look like new.
Since 2021 gladly the battery rental idiocy has stopped, since then new Twizys like mine are solely sold together with the battery, and owners of older examples can buy themself out of their rental contracts at a relatively easy price.
Edited by lipadier on Friday 30th June 22:06
Caddyshack said:
I saw one the other day with a small diesel burning heater in it. We have one in our horse lorry and it is mega efficient. I may look at adding one to my Twizy.
That's a very good idea, as I think every heating solution that is independent from the Twizys electrics is a smart option. Heating from the main battery will gnaw on your range, and torturing the little 12V bike brick isn't a good option also, as that one can only manage a very limited power output in terms of voltage and time.But as my daily commute is only 5mins from and to work and just 3mins to the local shops I'm probably going to be fine with just the regular casual winter gear, even here in northern Switzerland with its local wet Lake Constanze microclimate.
For longer winter journeys (I know they will happen) I'm simply going to buy me a electric heating jacket. These thing are very good and can heat your upper body for hours. Because to me it just makes more sense in efficiency to directly heat your skin under some insulation than trying to heat up the cold drafty air around you in the Twizy egg.
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