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All-New Renault Twingo 3: Full Details and Specifications Revealed

The new Twingo was one of the surprise debuts of 2014, its funky looks and rear-mounted engine drawing people's attention away from some of its equally new rivals. However, Renault refused to reveal some of the most important tech details until the actual launch. Ahead of that and the Paris Motor Show bonanza, our favorite French firm decided it's time to put all cards on the table. We've got both a tech sheet and a long press statement detailing the new smart forfour's sister car.
Twingo 3 1 photo
Photo: Renault
Let's start with the engines, which are going to be what most people think of when you mention the Twingo. As promised, the Twingo gets two different 3-cylinder engines. So, there's a 0.9 turbo and a naturally aspirated version of that, right? Well… yes and no. The 0.9 TCe is there and has the exact same 90 PS and 135 Nm (100 lb-ft) of torque as it does on the larger Clio. However, the non-turbo is a 1-liter unit, not a 0.9. It produces 70 PS at 6,000rpm and 91 Nm (68 lb-ft) of torque from 2,850rpm. We think it could be similar to the engines the company is offering on Brazilian models.

Two slightly different versions of the "SCe 70", as it's called, will be sold, one with start&stop (called S&S) and one without (the base mode). Both deliver the same performance of 0 to 100 km/h in 14.5 seconds with a top speed of 151 km/h (94 km/h).

The turbo version Twingo is much faster, taking 10.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h, which is faster than a Clio 0.9 TCE, and boasting a top speed of 165 mph (103 mph). Ironically, fuel consumption is almost the same as the SCe 70 S&S, marginally better in the city and worse on the highway.

From a practicality standpoint, the Twingo 3 is not brilliant. Its trunk is rated at 188 liters, while cars like the Hyundai i10 and Skoda Citigo offer about 250 liters. It's because of the engine placement (under the boot) and the upside is that engineers were able to make the whole car shorter. And let's be honest, you never buy a car like this expecting a large trunk.

With its new rear-engined layout, the third-generation Twingo is 10 cm shorter than its predecessor at 3.59 m long, but has a 12 cm longer wheelbase (2.49 m) and 33 cm more room in the four-seat cabin. With Tipping the scales from 864 to 943 kilograms, this is the lightest Renault in production.

“The All-New Twingo rounds off the renewal of Renault’s small-car range. As a means to win over new customers, the stakes for the brand are as high as they were for the model’s predecessors. Putting the engine at the back is an ingenious concept, just as the original Twingo was. It is still small on the outside and big on the inside, but it now comes with a choice of two connected systems that ease driving in built-up areas, on top of its peerless maneuverability and agility.”
says Ali  Kassai, Vice President, Small Car Programs.
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 Download: Renault Twingo 3 Specs (PDF)

press release
About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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