28 Sep 06 11:53
Renault Twingo
It's been a long time coming, but Renault has finally produced its new Twingo city car - and it looks well worth the wait and the trips back to the drawing board. The company describes this car as a concept, but it looks pretty close to the real deal, fitted out with Renault's new turbocharged 1.2-litre 16v engine (100bhp) and finished in full hot-hatch trim.
Set to take on the Citroen C2/Peugeot 107, the Twingo is aimed directly at younger buyers, and this concept is kitted out with iPod and Smartphone inputs, a USB port, graphic equaliser-style dash decoration, internet connection, web cam and monitor screen, individual jack sockets for all four seats to enable everyone to listen to different music, Bluetooth connections and ambient lighting - blue when in 'multimedia' mode at standstill, yellow when the engine's on. We can see this going down a storm on the Saturday night cruise.
The Twingo's interior is upholstered in dark blue, with a contrasting white for the bucket seats' structural elements. Neat touches include the flat-bottomed steering wheel, a refrigerated compartment in the boot, outward-facing speakers in the boot for those tailgate parties, and of course, there's an ignition button rather than an old-fashioned key-start.
The blue paint job is complemented by dark chrome/yellow 17-inch wheels, chequered-flag graphics, chromed twin exhaust pipes, extended side sills and wings, and front fog lights between air intakes. But for all its sporty styling, this Twingo could prove to be relatively economical to run; that engine gives out less than 140g/km carbon dioxide, apparently, and this should correspond with good fuel economy. Young drivers on a budget, however, will probably have to wait for the less powerful mainstream models which will also be on offer.
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