Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £9,085 to £10,935
Good handling, versatile cabin, fine ride.
Unenthusiastic engine, vague steering, only seats four.
Cheerful, but not very cheap, Twingo is let down by a lacklustre engine and hefty price tag.
You do feel like you are sitting on perch when you are in the driver's seat of the Twingo. It's sited unusually high and even with it wound down to its lowest position, the driving position makes you feel like you are in an MPV. The benefit is fine visibility. Unfortunately, in front of you is an ugly, dated and plasticky steering wheel to grapple with.
On the move it's no surprise the Twingo is light and easy to drive around town, but there's a weak link.
The 74bhp 1.2-litre engine disappoints with its lacklustre appetite for revs. It also needs to be worked to keep up with faster traffic - the result of the petrol engine's maximum torque peak delivered at 4,250rpm.
Trade an urban crawl for a country dash and again it's the engine that you'll curse for its lack of free-revving eagerness. It feels like you are thrashing itto death most of the time.
At least the chassis is a joy. Like the TCE, the 1.2 16v comes equipped with the larger 15" alloys that offer plenty of grip and confidence when pushing on. You do get some body roll if you are too enthusiastic going into bends, but it's reasonably composed even if you need to lift off the power. The steering is somewhat vague, however.
On the motorway, the Twingo's a noisy place to be, with plenty of road rumble intruding into the cabin.
