The Twingo GT is a punchy little package, but its price - and some flowery styling - is over the top, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
First things first: offering a GT version of the Renault Twingo is akin to calling your pet chihuahua "Killer" and getting her a studded collar and muzzle.
It's cute in an ironic sort of way, but somehow I don't think irony is a driving force behind multi-million euro investments in new cars. In general, car executives frown on building cars for engineering whimsy.
GT models are normally owned by young males full of sexual angst, who aspire to a proper sports car but love the idea of a "hot hatch" in the interim. For the GT brigade, the car is as much a symbol of virility as a mode of transport.
So what does the Twingo GT say about the avid young motorist who buys one?
And what does it signal when the aforementioned car comes bedecked in flowery decal? Perhaps the owner is confused about more than their motoring needs?
The paintwork, of course, is optional and you can choose to put racy stripes or chequered flag patterns across the car if you so wish.
Someone, however, decided the test car would look pretty as a picture with poppies painted on the doors and green foliage growing up the rear pillars. Maybe they were trying to say something about the journalists, or perhaps it's been pencilled in for a florist once we've finished the test. Either way, our test car was having something of an identity crisis.
Leaving aside the contesting exterior trims, the new Twingo is in all respects a rather large, if slightly boxy, city car. It's surprisingly spacious and so long as you are not too tall, the cabin is roomy and airy.
The Twingo became something of an icon for affordable motoring on the Continent during the 1990s. It could never be described as pretty, but it had a level of practical appeal that won over many young motorists scraping together enough money to get their first car. It wasn't quite the "people's car" for the 1990s, but it filled that vacuum for many European motorists.
The only downside was a silly decision by Renault management at the time not to build the car in right-hand-drive. They opined that British motorists wouldn't want a small city car, so all right-hand markets were ignored (had no one told them about the original Mini?). So, despite being on the road since 1993, this is the first time the car has gone on sale here.
The big news with this Twingo is that it's bigger. For a car designed for town driving, it does a very credible job of taking on the supermini market.
That means while you might think the larger Clio is a more appropriate purchase for your suburban commute, be sure to take a close look at the Twingo before you sign the cheque.
It has all the expected features of a slightly larger car. True, there's an awful lot of plastic stretching out in front of your eyes, but it's not too overbearing. Get the right interior colours and it doesn't look as bad as you would think.
Three specification levels are on offer and prices rise significantly as you move up the ranks. Entry-level is a very competitive €11,750 while the Dynamique version is nearly €2,000 more, with engine output rising to 75bhp. Finally, top of the pile is the 100bhp GT version. And it's price: €16,750. For a Twingo. Now I don't believe you were expecting that.
Certainly I wasn't when I picked it up. Nor were friends who hazarded a guess to the price of the car. Suffice to say that every single soul emitted words of surprise not printable in a morning newspaper.
And we were only testing the car. Try telling your nearest and dearest that you paid €16,000 for a Twingo while proudly leaning against a flower-painted city car and see how many can refrain from profanities or blasphemy. If they are good friends, they'll take your credit cards and cut them up.
In its defence, the GT version does come with some added extras, not least 40bhp more than the entry-level version, larger front brake discs and an upgraded gearbox.
All these changes mean the 0-100km/h time is reduced from a stultifying 15 seconds in the regular version to a more respectable 9.8 seconds here. That can be the difference between getting home on time or being stuck behind a tractor doing 10km/h for 30 minutes.
The simple fact is that the GT is a pretty reputable engineering feat. It's as peppy as you'd hope for in a car that carries those letters and it's surprisingly keen to get going. Renault should also be credited for getting 100bhp from this 1.2-litre engine, while still maintaining a credible fuel consumption of 5.9 L/100km (47.8mpg) and an emissions level of 140g/km. Most of its rivals need a 1.4-litre engine to come close to these sort of figures.
The end result is rather more noisy than its rivals, but it packs enough punch to survive outside the city limits, and that's the key to success for any car this size.
Owners want a small car that's cheap to own and run, relatively practical and nimble in town. However, they don't want to be frightened to death every time they take to the main roads on a trip out of town. The good news is that the Twingo can handle both environments without complaint.
Admittedly it's a small car, and when you're pottering along the M1 surrounded by trucks and the like, you don't really feel the need to keep the Twingo at a steady 120km/h. A little shy of the limit is probably its natural home, particularly in crosswinds.
That's hardly surprising, considering this car weighs just 920kgs. Yet, it can hold its own out there, far from the city limits.
Back to the interior, and the central location of the speedometer and dials is in keeping with the original Twingo, though the same questions applies: do your passengers really need to know that you're only doing 65km/h in an 80km/h zone? If they didn't see your speed, would they feel left out of the exciting adventure of driving from Clonsilla to Clonskeagh?
In terms of safety, the Twingo has a credible offering with ABS and brake assist, though we would have expected more airbags as standard from a company that plays up the safety theme so prominently in its advertising.
One final technical gripe about the specification levels before we end: height adjustment for the front seats is only available on the GT version. That's not a problem for vertically challenged motorists like myself, but anyone over 6ft 2in is going to be rubbing off the roof lining.
And that's a real pity, for in every other direction the Twingo is a spacious car and certainly feels a lot bigger than its rivals in this class.
We wouldn't even consider buying a Twingo GT with a price tag of €16,750; that's simply too much for a city car, even if it has a more peppy performance than the rest.
After all, the 75bhp Dynamique version for €13,550 offers the same 0-100km/h time of 9.8 seconds, comes with virtually every added feature from the GT, except some shiny badging, and ultimately saves you cash. That's a far more appealing proposition. Even the entry-level model is well priced for the Irish market.
The car is a welcome addition to the city-car segment and may well entice several potential supermini owners to review their motoring needs and downsize.
Factfile
ENGINE:1,149cc four-cylinder engine with 16 valves on GT version, which puts out 100bhp from 5,500rpm and 145Nm of torque @ 3,000rpm. Entry-level eight-valve version offers 60bhp, while mid-range 16-valve Dynamique puts out 75bhp.
SPECIFICATION:Dual front airbags; ABS with EBD; brake assist; electric front windows; tinted glass; 14-inch wheels; radio/CD with two speakers; remote central locking; heated rear window.
Dynamique specification adds:side airbags; body-coloured mirrors; 15-inch wheels; two more speakers; rear headrests; Isofix fittings on rear seats; front foglamps.
GT version adds upgraded engine plus:GT satin chrome livery on wing mirrors, front bumper, small rear spoiler; height adjustment on front seats; 15-inch alloys.
L/100km(MPG)
Urban: 7.8 (36.2)
Extra-urban: 4.9 (57.6)
Combined: 5.9 (47.8)
CO2 emissions:140g/km
Annual road tax:€251
Price:€16,750 for GT; €11,750 for entry-level Royale and €13,550 for Dynamique