Blogs out of Boredom #1: Renault Twingo

Introduction

Well…I have started a new blog series called Blogs out of Boredom. Its a short blog series I write whenever I’m bored about cars that do not really appeal to the majority of Car Throttle, because I have no other things to write a blog about and cause why the heck not. The first blog I am writing in this series is the Renault Twingo, the most appraised and applauded car in the Car Throttle WhatsApp Chat. When I was on my EuroTrip, every time I spot a Twingo, which is very, very common (Especially in Paris and The Netherlands) and post a picture of a photo of a Twingo I took, the chat would freak out every time. So, I’m writing a blog about this slightly boring econobox.

Development and First Generation

The Renault Twingo’s development and design were lead by Renault’s chief designer Patrick Le Quément. It was inspired by previous projects, concepts and designs when Gaston Juchet was Renault’s chief designer before Quément joined Renault in 1987. The Twingo project was made to replace the aging Renault 4. Quément chose an old design by Jean-Pierre Ploué to design the car itself. He added a grille resembling a smile and headlights with turn signals on the bottom quarter to resemble happy eyes. That is where the car gets its happy look despite some calling it ironically, the ‘saddest car ever designed’

It got its name from a combination of two words, Dance and Tango, hence the name Twingo. The center console and the speedometer were placed in the middle to save space and so the driver could have a bigger view of what goes on through the windshield. It had a speedometer, fuel gauge, clock, odometer and trip recorder controlled via a stalk-located button. A strip of warning lights was located behind the steering wheel. The rear seat featured a sliding mechanism to enable either increased boot space or rear seat legroom.

The Twingo came with a 60HP engine, before a 75HP engine was introduced on later models. The Twingo was manufactured in France, Colombia and Uruguay.

Renault Twingo V8

I knew this car from P1eased0nteatme through the Car Throttle WhatsApp Chat and a blog written by Tony Borroz, a Range Rover V8 swapped Renault Twingo Trophy. Some mad man at French custom bike and car Lazareth decided to swap the back seats of the Twingo with powerful V8. Longitudinally mounted, it had a body kit that had cooling vents to prevent the car from catching on fire easily. It was also paired to a 5-speed gearbox, had new suspension and brakes, and featured 18-inch wheels paired with Yokohama tyres.

It featured a matte gray paintwork, and its interior was completely stripped, with only Momo bucket seats and digital gauges. The cost of all this? 70,000 Euros. Unless you’re rich, mad-minded and want to stand out from all subcompact cars, it’s not a car for you.

Credits for this part of the blog: Tony Boroz and CarScoops.

Second Generation

In 2006, Renault introduced a concept car, one that would preview what the next generation Renault Twingo would look like. One year later, they debuted the second generation Renault Twingo at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, cause you know, screw all the other super cars released at that time. It had a better body to resist driver injuries in a crash, featuring the same floorpan of the second generation Renault Clio. In January 2008, Renault debuted the Twingo Renault Sport 133 (Or RS 133 for short) with a new 133HP engine, at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. In August 2013, production of the 133 ended.

In 2011, Renault gave it a little facelift, which implemented more of its design language in the car. It also won best city car of that year. It was also featured on the classic Top Gear! On series 14 episode 4 of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson road tested the Twingo 133 in Belfast and barrel-rolled upside down through a sewage tunnel. After numerous accidents, he raced to catch a departing ferry, instead landing in the ocean.

Third Generation

The third generation Twingo was a collaboration between Renault-Nissan Alliance and the Daimler Group. It was also developed with the Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour. It was called “Project Edison”, a collaboration aimed at conceiving a shared platform for small city cars from both companies. The first cars to come out of that new Edison platform were the Twingo and both the Smarts. It was released in the Geneva Motor Show in 2014, and closely resembled the Twin-Z and Twin-Run concepts that debuted before it. The car was originally launched with four colour options as with the original Twingo.

The Twingo is now rear-engined, which featured a better center of gravity for better handling. It also increased cabin space, but it was not as practical as the last two Twingos, as boot space was reduce to make way for the engine. All trims feature three-cylinder engines making 70 HP. The 3rd generation Renault Twingo got many awards worldwide. In the UK, the new Twingo won several major awards including “City Car of the Year” in the 2014 TopGear Magazine Awards, “City Car of the Year” in the UK Car of the Year Awards and “Best City Car” in the Daily Express 2014 Motoring Oscars, “Best City Car” at the 2015 British GQ Car Awards, for example.

It has also received slightly positive reviews in the UK. Top Gear magazine gave the car a score of seven out of 10, calling it: “a genuinely different approach to design and engineering that has brought real dividends, not just in being different for its own sake. Most important, it’s much more fun than a base-model supermini for the same cash.”Auto Express and CarBuyer scored it four out of five stars, praising its handling, design, and rear passenger space but criticizing its wind noise and high price compared to its rivals. What Car? gave the car three out of five stars, saying: “The Renault Twingo mixes cheeky retro styling with genuine practicality. It’s neither as refined nor as comfortable as the best city cars, though.

But the CT WhatsApp chat still prefers the first generation Twingo despite all those awards because of its happy styling.