Renault Twingo III

2015 Renault Twingo

This is the brand new Renault Twingo and it's now on its third generation for Renault's city car that is small enough to do big things even rodents can't do in their spare time. Judging by the looks of it, the new Twingo isn't as good looking as the previous one and what shocked previous Twingo owners looking for an upgrade, the new model is now transformed from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive and the engine is now sitting on its bum rather than on the tummy or in the face. Which means, this compact car is now comes with the same layout as a Porsche 911 because the 911 has a reputation of having its engine placed on the butt.

A hatchback with an engine on the back? Wow, that was a rare sight and I wonder how does it perform well as a tiny car with a big attitude? I'll just talk about that later but for now, let's take a look on the outside first.

It may not be as good looking as the previous generation but the new Twingo is better looking than the first generation, which is the one with the hideous-looking frog eyes that is as creepy as French cars look in the 90's. Renault says that this new boxy look draws inspirations from the two concept cars; namely the Twin'Run Concept and the Twin-Z Concept but whatever you ask, don't think this is more of a spiritual successor to the ancient Renault 5 because both of them are from a totally different league in a totally different time. What's also bizarre is that unlike it's predecessors, the brand new Twingo is now available exclusively as a 5-door judging from the implementation of the secret rear doors that provides access to the rear seats.

2015 Renault Twingo interior

On the inside view, it's not so bad to look at considering that the top-range models will feature a sat-nav for the first time on the Twingo plus Renault's R-Link telematics system. The speedo's now change featuring a very high-tech digital thingy on the middle that tells the driver the fuel consumption, temperature, distance travelled, blah blah blah... And even though it's shorter than the old one, the added wheelbase makes it more roomier for your mates at the back.

Because it's an RR compact and the engine's on the back, you might think that it has room on the front, just like what Porsches and Ferraris do but no. There is little room in the front trunk because of such sizing and because this is rear-wheel drive, the rear boot space really suffers a bit, meaning you don't get to put a certain Ross Kemp on it just like what the previous Twingo did.

The new Twingo isn't like the 5 Turbo or the Clio V6 where the engine occupies the entire back room because for a small car with a 911-ish layout, the engine is located under the boot floor rather than exposing it like what the 5 Turbo and the Clio V6 do. That sounds genius but I had greater fears about putting stuff above the boot floor where the engine is placed under but let's put this fear under consideration for us so in the meantime, the performance.

2015 Renault Twingo

Now you may have wondering how the heck did Renault managed to made a rear-wheel drive city and the main reason why is that possible isn't from Renault but a joint collaboration from Germany's Daimler. Yes, Daimler's collaboration is the main point because thanks to the new Twingo's rear-wheel drive layout, it served as the basis for the next-generation smart car, namely the forfour and the fortwo compacts. These compacts are all developed by Renault and Daimler engineers at Renault's Parisian technical center.

Despite being a rear-wheel drive, the new Twingo feels so mild to drive. You don't get oversteering but it feels so agile, so quiet, so tight, and so nimble in all the right barrels and to explain what I'm on about, kindly refer this to Ridge Racer's Wild Gang. The Wild Gang. It's that little compact with a mild handling but you get the idea while driving the Twingo because...it's like that Wild Gang I mentioned.

For engine choices, there is a 1.0L petrol engine that produces 70PS of power and a smaller and turbocharged 0.9L petrol engine that delivers 20PS more than the bigger one but with lesser emissions as well. For the transmission, it has a 5-speed manual gearbox that does pretty decent in shifting gears, which is nice.

2015 Renault Twingo

So, should you buy it? The new Twingo starts at 10,800 Euros, which is more expensive than the modern city cars of today, especially the Peugeot 108 and the Citroen C1, but let's remember, this is a rear-wheel drive hatchback and you can have fun in the Twingo as much as you like as long as you need to take good care of it, no matter the outcome.

Available Colors: Blanc Cristal, Rouge Flamme, Bleu Pacifique, Noir Etoile, Brun Cappuccino, Bleu Dragee, and Jaune Eclair.

Photo: Renault

Renault to stop making Renaultsport Twingo

2012 Renault Twingo Gordini RS

There's been a sad news in the world of hot hatches because Renault has confirmed that they won't be building a new Twingo RS by the moment the next generation Twingo, which was influenced by the TwinRun concept, comes soon. Some say, this could be the last of the naturally-aspirated Renaultsport models ever made because pretty soon, all Renaultsport models are turbocharged.

If Renault plans to revive it, it would be turbocharged but it's unlikely to fit it with Renault's EDC gearbox because of costs and it's complicated to fit it in a small car.

Story: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/renault-twingo-renaultsport-axed-2013-08-01

Renaultsport Twingo 133 Phase II

2012 Renaultsport Twingo

The much serious version of the recently facelifted version of the Renault Twingo II, the Renaultsport Twingo 133 Phase II, is somewhat bonkers to drive but still not enough to catch up the ferry like what Jeremy Clarkson happened on one episode of Top Gear. Now you may be probably wandering that with this new version, would Jeremy Clarkson's doing the same mistake or misadventure that he done with the old pre-facelifted model? Unfortunately, I can't tell that unless the producers would read my memo and do a "take 2" on the sensible Twingo test, using the facelifted Renaultsport Twingo.

Anyway, for this minor change, the Renaultsport Twingo 133 has a new aggressive face and some new rear lamps to make it more sleek and sporty. If someone say, "Is it green?", just say "No, it's Yellow". Oops, some Top Gear reference on it. Anyway, it comes with a F1-style front splitter, the same way as the Renaultsport Clio (Lutecia) 200. This look recalls Renault's success in Formula 1 and overall, it enhances some aerodynamics.

Under the hood, it comes with a non-turbocharged 1.6L engine that produces 133PS of power and 160Nm of torque. In a normal Sport chassis, it has better road handling but if you went for the Cup chassis, you should know that you've stripped out the airconditioning and audio in favor of lowered ride height and sharper handling. This was made to be more serious and it really has no sense of humor...well almost because it was made to be 99% serious.

Renualt Twingo Gordini RS

2012 Renaultsport Twingo Gordini

2012 Renaultsport Twingo Gordini interior

The new Renaultsport Twingo Gordini adds some style for the sportiest compact car offered for the serious but fun enthusiasts. With the exclusive "Bleu Malte" exterior color, Gordini stripes, 17-inch diamond-effect black wheels, unique interior, and climate control, this variant is all about being unique, being glorious, being Gordini.

My Comment:
With the facelifted Twingo Renaultsport, I should explain that this compact is getting more and more serious but all I want now is the second chapter of Jeremy Clarkson's sensible Twingo test using this new Twingo RenaultSport but the result may end up the same, as in, it won't be catching up through the departing ferry. Of course, most of you said I said that much because this Twingo RS is all about being bonkers. Bonkers to look at, bonkers to feel at, and bonkers to drive at and that is why you should.

Photo: Renault

Welcome Back: 2009 Renault Twingo Renault Sport Cup

This is the aftermath of Clarkson's "Sensible" Twingo Test.
No sign of Ross Kemp in the boot.

Renault's sporty little Twingo RS 133 (if you're Japanese, ルノー・スポール トゥインゴ) has a special place in Top Gear history. This was fueled the "Sensible" Twingo test that ended in an epic failure all thanks to Jeremy Clarkson having a cold. On that episode of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to provide a review on the Renaultsport Twingo 133 in order to address the complaint from someone named Mr. Needham. You may not heard of him, or met him, but gezz, Ain't he's getting furious why Top Gear hadn't made a normal road test just like the OLD TOP GEAR.

However, this Renaultsport Twingo RS 133 review turned into a rollercoaster ride to mayhem. These include getting beaten by a Fiat 500 Abarth in the drag race, getting placed at the top of the H&W crane, driving through the tunnels upside down, Ross Kemp at the boot, went through the ice hockey arena with some angry hockey players on it, reckless driving, and an epic failure when Jeremy Clarkson drowned the Renaultsport Twingo RS while racing against the departing ferry. It might be more thrilling but it's not as thrilling as the "Sensible" Fiesta test.

With the 2009 Renault Twingo Renault Sport Cup has plenty of life on Forza Motorsport 4, players want to do some sensible stuff to their nippy little rascal by any means of modifications, vinyls, tune-ups, whatever floats their Twingo. It may be a 99% serious hot hatch but the nippy little Renaultsport Twingo 133 is all about getting sensible in the world of Forza Motorsport.

TAKE NOTE: Reason why the Renaultsport Twingo 133 not fast enough against the Fiat 500 Abarth is because while the Twingo RS 133 has 131HP of power and 2,313lbs of weight, the Fiat 500 Abarth has 160HP of power and 2,050 lbs of weight. That's why the Fiat 500 Abarth is more powerful and lighter than the Renaultsport Twingo 133.

Renault Twingo II - Phase II

When the second-generation Renault Twingo was released in 2007, this nippy little rascal is proven to be "99% serious" because it was proven to be more serious than being too cute. For the 2012 model year, the second-generation Twingo is getting a "99% serious" facelift make it even more serious than the previous one.

2012 Renault Twingo

For this minor change, the 2012 Twingo received an all-new look, the first to imply Renault's new design language that will imply on all future Renault models carrying that look as seen on concept cars. As a matter of fact, the front and rear design is all new and this new look makes it even more serious than the previous model. What's new for the Twingo's minor change is personalization. For the first time, customers can personalize the 2012 Twingo the way they want with various vinyls, side mirror colors, or even an available "canvas top" option.

2012 Renault Twingo interior

There are some minor tweaks on the interior of the 2012 Renault Twingo thanks to the choice of new audio systems especially the new one that serves as a docking station for your iPhone and permits the use of the GPS navigation system thanks to Renault's iPhone app. This app uses Bluetooth to communicate with the car and analyses the driver's 'eco-driving' behavior in real time. Like the exterior, the interior of the new Twingo can be personalized just the way you want, making it unique for you. Still, this is a 4-seater hatchback and the rear that made me think that it has enough space for Ross Kemp to fit in but forget about the whole Ross Kemp thing because Jeremy Clarkson drowned him in his "Sensible" Twingo Test in one episode of Top Gear.

There are numerous engines available for the New Twingo such as the 1.2 LEV 16V 75, dCi 75, dCi 85, and a 1.2 16V 75 engine. The engine available exclusively for the Twingo Gordini is a TCe 100 engine. That engine produces 100ps of power and it has a top speed of 185kph. To explain more about the 1.2 LEV 16V 75 engine available on the entry-level variant, some say that this engine has a CO2 emission of 105g/km, combined fuel economy of 22.2km/L (4.5L/100km), and 169kph of top speed. Most engines are certified to be Euro5 compliant and they're fitted with a 5-speed manual transmission on most models.

Six colors are available on the new Twingo; Bleu majorelle, Brun Cajou, Fuschia, Gris Platine, Noir Nacré, and Bleu Malte.

My comment:
As the Twingo gets even more serious, there will be even more serious customers shopping for this nippy little French 3-door hatchback that competes against the Peugeot 107 and the Citroen C1. If you own one, just one word; try not to attempt Jeremy Clarkson's ridiculous moments you saw on Top Gear's sensible Twingo test because this could lead in some serious trouble. I had no idea what happened to Ross Kemp...

Photo: Renault

2012MY Renault Twingo and Megane Coupe tuning by Elia

Elia Renault Twingo

Elia Renault Megane RS

The facelifted 2012MY Renault Twingo and the Renault Megane got tuned by German tuning firm, Elia, who specializes on tuning cars straight from the Renault-Nissan Alliance. On the tuned 2012MY Twingo, it comes fitted with a tuned suspension and 17-inch mags. On the tuned Renault Megane, it comes with Scissor-type doors that can be fitted on all kinds, especially the Renaultsport Megane.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/01/elia-presents-new-packages-for-2012.html

Renaultsport Twingo - Forza 3 Owner's View

Citroen DS3 vs. Renault Sport Twingo

"Excuse me, Piccadilly please?"