The Renault Twingo is coming to Ireland in right hand drive. 14 years on, the second generation of the iconic French town car will go on sale at the end of the summer.
The original Twingo hatchback was built using the remains of the famous Renault 5. The first one-box mini MPV as such was a cheap and cheerful machine that many Irish holiday makers hired.
In fact a few Twingos made it to Ireland, with of course the steering wheel on the wrong side. 2.4 million were sold in 40 countries with France, Germany and Italy taking the lions share.
The new four-seat Twingo is just 3.6m long, but spacious inside. Powered by three 1.2 litre petrol units and the famous 1.5 litre Dci diesel (that Renault and Nissan use already). Ireland will get just two versions, namely the entry level 1.2 (60bhp) and a hot GT model that pushes out 100bhp, which is enough.
The diesel unit is super and will sit at motorway speeds all day while only sipping juice but Renault Ireland feels that there would be little demand for the diesel town car at the price they could land it. The 1.2 is a four-cylinder and it can also sit at healthy speeds without fuss as the cabin is well insulated and a good deal quieter than rivals like the Toyota Aygo/Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 trilogy and Fiat Panda.
Twingo looks good outside but is far less striking than the original in its day. The new car features a bonnet making it look less one-box and more like any other little car. There is good exterior design detail that will keep most owners proud of their purchase. The hot GT has a few OTT touches but is still a funky little thing.
Inside there is plenty of space for four. There is a huge sunroof available, but be warned it robs headroom and the passenger seat does not adjust for height, forcing taller occupants to recline their seat back like a boy racer!
On the road the GT is a hoot. The basic suspension gets the benefit of gas filled shocks up front but you will not find any fancy fully independent suspension here. The nippy GT is up for most driving but is left wanting on twisty roads, even if it is dry.
On smooth Slovenian roads I found the car reluctant to go around bends at times. In greasy wet Irish conditions drivers will need to treat the GT with caution. The standard Twingo in many ways has a better suspension set up, it is softer and better suited to town driving.
The five-speed gearbox and other primary and secondary controls are easy to use and the build quality form the Slovenian plant seems good, but sadly I was disappointed to find that when I closed my test car's door, the interior light fell out!
Town cars are cool and, thanks to Twingo, getting cooler. Shortly Fiat will grab a lot of attention with its new 500. But it will be MINI more so than Twingo that will have to watch its back as the style conscious town driver will have a new fashionable toy to play with.
Twingo, yep it's worth a look.
Michael Sheridan
