Renault Twingo (2014) first official pictures ... - Car Magazine

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 03:01 PM PST

By Damion Smy

First Official Pictures

13 February 2014 23:01

This is the new Renault Twingo thatâ€™s due to arrive in showrooms this September. Renaultâ€™s smallest model bar the quirky Twizy, the third-gen Twingo is the first in the carâ€™s 24-year history to come with five doors. The all-new model has been co-developed with Mercedes, which will use it for its Smart ForTwo and ForFour models.

Havenâ€™t we seen this car before?

The completely new look is clearly a polished, showroom-friendly mix of the Ross Lovegrove-massaged Twinâ€™Z concept, and the rally-centric Twinâ€™Run concepts shown in 2013. Renaultâ€™s head of design, Laurens van den Acker, makes no secret of the fact that both of these concepts, in turn, are influenced by the legendary Renault 5 from the 1980s and that has carried over into the Twingo. If itâ€™s only half as coolâ€¦

With next-to-no front and rear overhang, the new Twingo looks like a potential return to form for Renault, after the luke-warm reception of the Clio and the recent crook corporate nose slapped onto the Megane. The Twingoâ€™s diminutive size also bodes well for supermarket carparks as well as the handling circuit.

There are also touches like the concealed rear door handles, like big-brother Clio, with personalisation high on the agenda, as per the Vauxhall Adam, Fiat 500 and the one theyâ€™re all imitating â€" the Mini. The Twingo can be had with colour coordinated profile graphics to match wing mirrors, grill inserts and cabin trim â€" although Renault havenâ€™t shown any interior images so far.

Whatâ€™s beneath the funky skin?

That biggest single change is that the Twingo has gone from a conventional front-wheel drive, front-engined hatch to become a rear-drive mite sporting a rear-mounted engine, tilted for better packaging, including more interior space.

Following the trend of downsizing and turbocharging, thereâ€™s new powerplants, too: an 898cc three-cylinder turbocharged engine thatâ€™s already on sale in the Captur and Clio. It will make 89bhp, while thereâ€™s also an entry-level 69bhp naturally-aspirated engine too.

Renault says that the new set-up will provide more agility and give the Twingo a more playful character â€" but weâ€™ll wait until we drive it to judge that. It should also easily eclipse the current carâ€™s best of 62.8mpg and 104g/km of CO2 â€" the three-pot turbo already achieves a claimed 65.7mpg in the larger, heavier Clio.

So that makes a great case for a Twingo RS, yeah?

Sure does. Weâ€™d love to see what a Renaultsport-honed rear-drive hatch could do â€" the old Twingo RS was an absolute pearler. Renault ditched the Twingo RS mid-last year, and while it wonâ€™t confirm a new version will appear, it hasnâ€™t ruled out handing one over to most talented tuners in Dieppe. Weâ€™d wager on a new Twingo RS appearing later this year with more power and less weight than the old 133PS (131bhp) versionâ€¦

How much?

The new Twingo will be offered in more trim levels than the current model, which is down to a single mid-spec variant. Renaultâ€™s value-driven Dacia brand has taken up the slack, but for the 2014 Twingo thereâ€™s scope for more trim levels to be offered. The other good news? It should start at less than Â£10k â€" a handy Â£715 less than the Twingoâ€™s current ask.