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Renault Twingo road tests and consumer car reviews

Renault Twingo

3.5 stars - average customer rating
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The Renault Twingo is a fun city car with an active personality. The "Twingo" name is a derived from the words "Twist", "Swing" and "Tango".

Renault Twingo consumer reviews by year of make:   2002  2006  2007  2008 

Road tests

Renault Twingo

133 - The standard Twingo hasn’t been as successful as Renault had first hoped – flimsy build quality and a soft drive don’t do it any favours. But hot hatches have always been what the French do best, and Renault has come up trumps with the Twingo 133. Usable performance, a firm and communicative chassis [...]

Road Test Reports Says 4 star rating Full Report
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  • Lediola Hoxhaj 's question has been answered: "'My 1995 Twingo has turned 215000km on the odometer and it still runs strong. I guess the -96 will do the same, it’s just a matter of maintenanc..." (30/01/2012 08:57:07)
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  • Michaela's question has been answered: "'The problem is the immobiliser built in to your key, I believe. Change the battery or try the spare - John Simons from England '" (20/01/2012 09:57:25)
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Renault Twingo consumer car reviews

Syd Taylor, Staffordshire

Renault Twingo I-Music 1.2 75bhp 2008

4 star review

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.

Submitted: 15/08/2010 17:18:18 | ID: 5923

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Evelyn Ward, Roxburghshire

Renault Twingo 2002

2 star review

My husband hired a small car for our holiday in Crete, in 2002. This turned out to be a Renault Twingo, a car which I had not previously heard of. My opinion of it was, that it was a horrible little car. All right, it was brand new, had a hatchback, air-conditioning (necessary in Crete) and a "trendy" silly-colour (ours was mustardy yellow), and it was cheap to run. It ran up the narrow, steep and winding mountain roads well enough. But, with two men in the front seats, I was sitting as the only passenger in the back seat, and even I, as a small woman felt cramped. It was horribly uncomfortable getting in and out of the back seat. The two front doors were small (it’s a small car), and they, the low roof and the front seats, even when tipped fully forward, didn’t give you much room to squeeze out. I had to twist my body uncomfortably and awkwardly just to slide out slowly, sideways. Awful! I’d no control over window ventilation in the back seat, and I felt as if I were travelling in a tightly-closed bubble. I would never buy one or any other like it. I don’t know who this car was designed for, but it certainly isn’t a passenger’s car. Maybe it’s mainly for solitary urban drivers, who might sometimes have a passenger on a short journey, or might occasionally have very mini-children (or a dog) in the back; but it’s certainly not a family car. Far too many car reviews are written only from the driver’s point-of-view. They never seem to review from the passenger’s position. If they did, 2/3 doors arrangements on small cars with rear passenger seats, would have died a well-deserved death a long time ago.

Submitted: 03/01/2010 14:23:30 | ID: 4234

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Geoffrey Turner, Staffordshire

Renault Twingo Extreme 2008

5 star review

Fantastic car, very economical & lots of character. Bought it for my wife but cant resist taking it for a spin at every opportunity. LOVE IT !

Submitted: 02/05/2008 08:16:40 | ID: 1401

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Freya Malten, Essex

Renault Twingo 1.2 75 Dynamique 2007

4 star review

This is a great little car, well thought out in design and performs really well. Very cheap to run and low CO2 emissions mean it’s an affordable option. The engie performs well but can get a bit noisy on the motorway but still copes well enough for what I need it to do.

Submitted: 24/04/2008 10:35:14 | ID: 1339

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Ewan Kay, Scotland

Renault Twingo 1.2 2006

3 star review

For a 1.2 litre engine the Twingo is remarkably speedy and copes just as well on motorways as in cities. The fuel economy is excellent and with the low CO2 emissions running costs are kept low. The Twingo, in my opinion, is a perfect city car that can also cope outside of the city environment.

Submitted: 30/10/2007 11:04:13 | ID: 441

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Melisa Verne, Staffordshire

Renault Twingo 1.2 75 Dynamique 3dr

4 star review

This is a great car, really pleased with it. Very sporty looking and extremely nippy. Would have given it 5 stars but for the stupid name (who thinks these things up)?!

Submitted: 29/09/2007 09:22:18 | ID: 239

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