If there is one thing the French are certainly good at it is designing quirky cars and the new Renault Twingo is no exception writes Geraldine Herbert
What is it? This is the third generation Renault Twingo and if you ever wondered where the name “Twingo” comes from its a blend of the words ‘twist’, ‘swing’ and ‘tango!
First impressions of the new Renault Twingo? With the Twingo Renault have put a twist on the city car and moved the engine to the boot and made it rear wheel drive. The idea is simple by putting the engine at the rear, cars can be made shorter so they fit into smaller parking spaces and are more nimble when nipping through traffic. According to Renault the popularity of two door city cars is falling so the Twingo is only available as a five door.
What about the interior? With French flair and panache the Twingo ticks all the right boxes. You sit quite high, so visibility is good, and the dash looks great. Luggage capacity is 188 litres and can be extended to 980-litres by folding the 50:50 split rear seats. There is also some really clever storage spaces throughout the cabin.
And on the road? The car is light and easy drive and has a tiny turning circle, a crucial requirement for city driving and manoeuvring in tight spots.Take it out of the city and push it a little harder and you may feel the engines plead for a breather, but the Twingo has more than enough get-up-and-go for girls about town.
How much? With prices starting from €13,990 the third generation Twingo is well priced and rises to €16,590 for the top of the range Dynamique model.
How safe? There are plenty of features to help keep you safe and the Twingo achieved a 4 star rating when tested, under the new more stringent tests, by the EuroNCAP. There are seat-belt reminders for all four seats, a tyre pressure monitoring system and speed limiter as standard.
What about my options? There are three options to choose from,Expression, Dynamique and Play and two engines a 1.0 litre 70 bhp petrol and a 90bhp turbocharged 1.0 litre petrol and a host of ways to personalise your choice buy.
3 words to describe the Renault Twingo? Cute; Chic;Clever
For more info check out the Renault Ireland website or Facebook page or check out the video below
Geraldine Herbert
4th November, 2014
