New Renault Twingo revealed

Published 04 March 2014

The Renault Twingo is another small car that's gone a long way towards dominating the Geneva Motor Show and proving the event isn't all about supercars and concepts. The innovative rear-engined Twingo made quite a splash, but it won't be until this autumn that British buyers will be able to get their hands on the third-generation model.

It has been designed alongside the forthcoming Smart ForFour and shares the same unconventional rear-engined and rear-wheel drive design. The idea is that by putting the engine under the boot, this frees up interior space and also means the Twingo will have a very small turning circle and agile handling.

Despite the engine layout, the boot capacity is 219 litres - and it even has a flat load area because the small engine fits neatly between the arches and under the floor. The rear seats (there are only two) split fold, and Renault claims you can carry adults in the back row.

Despite its small size the Twingo is a five-door with hidden rear door handles incorporated into the window design. Inspired by the Renault 5, it's a much more characterful design than the outgoing Twingo. Like the Volkswagen Up and the Peugeot 108, it features a glass tailgate as well as LED daytime running lights.

As with most of the competition, the Twingo comes with plenty of personalisation options with customisable trim features like door mirrors, side mouldings and decals. There are big improvements in quality over the current Twingo inside, with a far more stylish design along with new technology. The competition in the small car market is very strong and Renault will no doubt be hoping that this one catches on in the UK.

The new Twingo is powered by its range of clean and green three-cylinder engines - with the turbocharged 0.9-litre TCe with 90PS that's fitted in the Clio delivering strong economy and low emissions and a larger, but less powerful 1.0-litre three-cylinder with 70PS. Prices are expected to start at around £9000.

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