We usually don't test drive one particular car twice just because there are too many cool new model coming out all the time. Not so with the Renault Twingo, which we did look at twice – yes, we liked it that much. It almost seems like it was set up by Renaultsport and is way more fun to drive than a Volkswagen Up!.
This new one though should be even better if you can get the electronic nannies to shut up because the engine and the driving wheels are at the back, just like on a Porsche. The only problem is there isn't actually that much engine to speak of.
With the previous generation, you cold order a 1.2-liter turbo that had lots of punch or a 1.5-liter diesel that moved well because it had torque. However, this time around your options are going to be limited to either a 1-liter naturally aspirated unit or a 0.9 turbo like the one you get on the Clio and most of Dacia's cars.
Because the turbo pushes prices way up, most people are going to go for the 1.0-liter, which is claimed to have 70 hp and 91 Nm of torque (67 lb-ft). To make things worse, the power is available way up at 6,000 rpm. That's why this car officially gets from 0 to 100 km/h in 14.5 seconds and has a top speed of only 150 km/h (94 mph).
But those are just orientation numbers, there to give you a rough idea of where the Twingo 1.0 sits in the Renault range. To get these official numbers, you have to use heated tires, an empty car with as little fuel as possible in the tank and you also have to be at the right altitude.
This next video was put together by the Germans at Ausfahrt.tv. It shows the Twingo is painfully slow to reach 100 km/h. Up to about 50 or 60 km/h, it's perfectly fine, but after that, there's not enough power. It even runs out of pushing force right before 100 km/h and needs an extra cog. The publication says the 14.5 seconds Renault claims are actually 15.4 seconds. Maybe they made a spelling mistake and got their numbers reversed.
We're not here to call Renault's bluff, just to tell you that the Twingo is OK for town use but will really struggle to overtake on a highway.
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. Full profile
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