Renault Twingo GT 1.2 TCE CAR review

A small car from Renault... you mean smaller than the Clio and Modus?

Yes, that'll be the Twingo. Don't let the chunky looks fool you – this is very definitely pitched below the Clio in size and price, with a kick-off price tag below £8500. It'll only ever be a three-door model, and Renault is aiming it squarely at young, style-conscious buyers more concerned about image and car park kudos than space and outright pace. We're not sure if it's ticked all the right boxes for this market. Compared to the radical packaging, striking design and engaging character of 1992's original, Europe-only Twingo, this second generation isn't quite the design statement it could or should be. Nor are things helped by Renault's perplexing product strategy, which denies UK buyers the most desirable model.

Which version is that then?

The dCi turbodiesel, which Renault isn't giving us because it's trying to pitch the Twingo as a funky little sports hatch. So we are lumbered with the a petrol-only line-up – a 1.2 in Dynamique trim with 75bhp at £8375 and a 100bhp turbocharged GT, that costs a fiver under £10k. There's nothing wrong with the petrol engines – it's the palpable difference in ride quality between the diesel and petrol models that's the problem. Both share the same MacPherson strut and trailing arm suspension set-up, but in keeping with its sporty pretensions, the petrol model gets a rock-hard ride, while the diesel's is wonderfully compliant. The top-dog GT crashes over bumps and potholes, and feels brittle at low speed – very uncivilised and completely unexpected given Renault's ability to deliver a smooth and perfectly damped ride with exceptional body control. What was Renault thinking?