Renault's Reborn Twingo Ev Is The Cutest, Chicest City Car Since The Original, And It'll Be Really Cheap Too

Renault

When Renault revealed nan awesome Twingo conception successful 2023, it promised nan coming fourth-generation accumulation model's styling would beryllium very adjacent to nan concept, which itself is simply a wholly retro return connected the beloved original 1992 Twingo. I've been eagerly anticipating it ever since, particularly arsenic the caller Renault 4 and Renault 5 are super-successful retro designs that mislaid almost thing from conception to production. But still — was location a chance Renault could someway messiness it up?

Nope. Here is nan caller Twingo E-Tech, and it looks extraordinarily adjacent to nan concept; honestly, immoderate of nan accumulation car's details are moreover better. This is easy nan chicest metropolis car successful a agelong time. Renault besides held to its committedness that it will commencement astatine nether €20,000 (excluding subsidies!), which is astir $23,000 astatine existent speech rates, and moreover nan top-end ones will person "an charismatic price." 

The A-segment makes up little than 5% of nan European market, and Renault says that isn't because of debased demand, but nan value and magnitude of offerings successful nan segment, particularly arsenic Chinese EVs predominate nan marketplace and much bequest OEMs exit nan segment. Renault says it sees this arsenic a awesome maturation opportunity, describing nan Twingo arsenic a game-changer some internally astatine nan institution and successful nan automotive market. "It meets nan expectations of customers crossed Europe in full, while besides bringing an optimistic vibe to nan city," says Renault. And what's amended than a metropolis pinch an optimistic vibe?

Renault

God. Just look astatine it! How tin you not beryllium grinning from receptor to receptor erstwhile you spot 1 of these? While an evident rehash of the original Twingo's design, this caller 1 feels wholly fresh. Renault says it has "a cheerful, mischievous feel, symbolising its sunny character," and it does instantly look for illustration nan car has a personality, for illustration a tiny small gremlin. There are pill shapes everywhere, for illustration nan achromatic bumperettes, nan little doorway sculpting, and nan slim "grille" betwixt nan headlights. The half-moon ray shapes successful nan headlights and taillights stay connected astatine each times, arsenic nan existent ray elements are successful nan little horizontal sections.

Its wide style and proportions are for illustration nan original's arsenic well; I particularly emotion nan upright greenhouse, pinch nan C-pillar and rear model style creating pronounced rear hips, and location are nary visible model seals. The Twingo has much quirky bits astatine nan rear, for illustration nan achromatic situation for nan model and nan small fins astatine nan tops of nan taillights, some of which assistance successful aerodynamics. Both nan headlights and taillights beryllium prominently disconnected nan bodywork, which helps exaggerate nan car's expression. Another 1 of my favourite specifications is nan caller Twingo logo, which is utilized arsenic a motif wrong (and successful nan supra photo's background, too), and nan style of nan charging larboard connected nan beforehand fender.

Renault

As modular nan Twingo E-Tech comes pinch 16-inch wheels pinch a prime of cool aero covers, but you tin besides get 18s pinch either a three- aliases four-spoke design. In a motion to nan original only 4 colors are disposable — Absolute Red, Absolute Green, Mango Yellow, and Starry Black — but nan first-gen Twingo's 4th colour was blue, not black. I'm judge Renault will beryllium coming retired pinch plentifulness of typical editions successful different colors complete nan years, conscionable arsenic it did pinch nan original car.

The Twingo is 149.1 inches agelong and 58.7 inches tall, making it 3.5 inches shorter successful magnitude but 2.3 inches taller successful tallness than a caller Mini, and its 98.1-inch wheelbase is astir identical to nan Mini. Its overhangs are ace short, particularly astatine nan rear. The original Twingo was conscionable a two-door, but for illustration nan third-gen model, this caller car has four. That's astir apt a smart move. And Renault gave it existent doorway handles, which is besides a smart move.

Renault

Renault retained nan Twingo's tone inside, excessively — there's moreover a "welcome jingle" developed with Jean-Michel Jarre erstwhile you get in, "inviting you into a bubble of optimism." Those pill shapes are everywhere, astir notably successful nan style of nan precocious dashboard and aerial vents, and nan doorway paper designs. A 7-inch integer gauge cluster is standard, arsenic is simply a 10-inch cardinal touchscreen, and some person an infotainment strategy pinch unsocial graphics inspired by nan Twingo's creation and that awesome font. But location are tons of beingness controls, from nan steering instrumentality to nan trio of ambiance knobs nether nan screen. Best of each is nan agleam reddish hazard ray button, a throwback to nan original Twingo, now pinch a transparent casing.

Sadly Renault is only offering the Twingo's upholstery successful achromatic for now, but precocious trims do astatine slightest get a heathered cloth pinch reddish stitching, and location are different pops of colour everywhere. Trim pieces connected nan doors and dash are color-keyed to nan exterior — actually, nan ones successful nan beforehand doors aren't a abstracted trim portion astatine all, but portion of nan bodywork that's painted astatine nan aforesaid time. Renault will connection tons of colorful accessories too, for illustration level mats pinch nan Twingo letters, file shifter covers, cushioned armrests pinch storage, charging cablegram organizers, and different clever 3D-printed retention solutions.

Renault

Renault says nan Twingo has interior dimensions much akin to cars a size supra it, and while you only get 2 seats successful nan back, they are abstracted units that tin descent independently, a characteristic innovated by nan first-gen Twingo. They tin descent by almost 7 inches, and you tin move them from nan backmost spot aliases nan cargo area. The backmost seats besides person 3 different recline settings, and they fold level on pinch nan beforehand rider spot and its armrest truthful you tin fresh items longer than six feet. There's almost 2 cubic feet of underfloor retention pinch a reinforced mat covering it, and nan Twingo has 12.7 cubic feet of cargo abstraction pinch nan seats up, aliases much than 35 pinch them folded. Passengers person astir a full cubic foot's worthy of retention cubbies, arsenic well.

Renault

There's immoderate much easter eggs inside, too. The straps utilized to descent nan seats person nan Twingo's original motto connected them: A vous d'inventer la vie qui va avec, aliases "it's up to you to invent nan assistance to spell pinch it." The wrong of nan tailgate says ouvert d'espirit ("open-minded"), and nan tile lining has nan letters of nan Twingo alphabet printed connected it.

Renault

I've done everything but talk astir nan Twingo's powertrain astatine this point, and that's because it doesn't really matter. It rides connected nan aforesaid AmpR Small level arsenic nan 4 and 5 (with nan aforesaid beforehand axle arsenic those, but a elastic rear axle from nan Captur), and for illustration those two Renaults it has a azygous electrical centrifugal powering nan beforehand wheels. That centrifugal makes conscionable 82 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque. But nan Twingo weighs arsenic small arsenic 2,646 pounds, which is little than 1,000 pounds much nan even-smaller original Twingo. Renault says it'll deed 62 mph successful 12.1 seconds, but much importantly for metropolis driving it tin scope 31 mph successful little than 4 seconds, and it has one-pedal driving pinch adjustable regen. Plus who knows, possibly Alpine will make a sporty one...

Its LFP artillery battalion has only 27.5 kWh of usable capacity, and Renault says nan Twingo has a scope of up to 163 miles. That's great. This is nan benignant of EV nan world needs much of, particularly successful cities. Paris is already heavy embracing EVs, arsenic are galore different European cities. People don't request — aliases want — big, powerful EVs pinch tons of range. They want thing mini and nosy that will make them smile, while offering much than capable scope for regular driving. The Twingo will do that. It comes modular with 6.6-kW AC charging, but 11-kW AC charging and 50-kW DC fast-charging are optional, nan second capable to return nan car from 10% to 80% successful 30 minutes. On nan much powerful AC charger, it'll return conscionable complete 2 and a half hours to spell from 10% to 100%. It'll connection some vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-grid capability, too. 

Renault

In summation to each sorts of apps and tech features brought connected by its Google built-in infotainment system, nan Twingo will connection up to 24 driver-assistance systems, each of which person been considered for municipality use. That database includes adaptive cruise power pinch stop-and-go, 12 parking sensors and automated parking, safe-exit alert, and rear cross-traffic alert pinch pedestrian and cyclist detection. A fastener to nan near of nan steering instrumentality lets drivers prime 5 different ADAS features to quickly activate aliases deactivate together. Only 2 trim levels will beryllium offered, pinch nan nicer 1 adding things for illustration automatic ambiance control, a integer rear-view reflector camera, and a six-speaker Arkamys sound system.

The Twingo E-Tech was developed successful conscionable 2 years, a first successful nan company's history, and it was designed from nan outset pinch debased costs and a debased c footprint successful mind (the second 60% smaller than an ICE metropolis car). It will beryllium built in Slovenia, nan aforesaid works that produced nan aged Smart-based Twingo EV, with Renault saying European accumulation guarantees value and reliability. Renault says nan caller Twingo will scope dealers ion early 2026. I mightiness person to move to Europe conscionable truthful I tin person one.