Renault TWINGO road tests and consumer car reviews

Renault Twingo I-Music 1.2 75bhp 2008

Stylish, compact and fun, the name Twingo trips off otherwise resolutely Anglo - Saxon tongues as the latest little Renault redefines the small inexpensive supermini as a thing of joy on twisty roads that duck and dive - yet it makes you equally happy slotting into a parking bay in Lilliput. French rationalism made metal, it is certainly modern, functional and thoroughly alluring with lines that are soft and simple yet distinctive and attractive enough to turn heads in the morning crawl. From most angles this little car looks splendid - and with glossy red paint, the test car was nothing less than arresting or intriguing - or maybe both. It’s a comfortable and well-equipped package too. In line with the Renault credo, which seems to say that driving should always be a pleasure, the Twingo is good for short hop and long haul alike. Wide opening doors give easy access to an interior that is simple, tasteful and brilliantly executed. It’s a terrifically habitable and attractive cabin and there’s room for four in comfort - but, of course, having only two doors, access to the rear seats is not particularly easy for some. Shut the doors, run your hands over the quality seat fabric and try out the controls: everything is fresh and funky and inspires confidence. There’s a sense of integrity and solidity that is detectable as soon as you drive away, too. The Twingo feels like a mature small car you can trust and the ’I-Music’ 1.2 16V 75bhp’ tested, which costs £8,695, has enough gee whizz technology to make it competitive in its sector. I was pleased by its specification, which includes ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) and brake assist. It offers all the best qualities that one wishes for in a small car. A singular pleasure is the way this car drives compared to rivals. As different from an inscrutably utilitarian Japanese Microbe as nuclear fusion is from your garden composter, this is a car with zest that can put a demonic smile on your face. Even though there are not many horses under the bonnet it feels a lot faster than it really is. You can tootle about at a sedate pace if so disposed, but use the whip in the upper reaches of the rev range and you can zip about as if your underpants are on fire - all the way to 105mph.. Motorways, of course, are quite simply boring in a Twingo because the 1200cc motor doesn’t pack much of a punch low down and is not for hauling up long slopes leading to an ever receding horizon. From a purists point of view it is a rewarding car to drive quickly all the way to its top speed. Meanwhile, official consumption figures say you’ll get over 55mpg overall. Should you decide to bimble about with a smile on your face and a long queue on your tail, I’m told that some members of the Evergreen Party have achieved near 70mpg. on their way to save the world. By and large though, the endearing thing about a Twingo is the handling. What it has that some rivals don’t is the comfortingly vicelesss way you can tackle bends wholesale rather than one at a time. Thanks to the steering’s acuity it turns in keenly and feeds back plenty of road surface information: it always feels secure and grippy. Stop dead anchors, of course, inspire further confidence. The Twingo simply feels good to drive and it is an absolutely easy, reassuring and relaxed car with which to live. Add bags of brio, nimbleness, practicality and refinement and you get a winning coalition. It won’t, of course, seduce the City banker or the reader of Atom Bomb Cars magazine. It’s hardly a pocket rocket, nor will its ownership confer plutocrat status. But trust me: it’s certainly appealing and proves the point that there’s still some pleasure to be had from motoring.