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What a cracking little car this is! During my second visit to The Nurburgring Nordschleife I hired one of these cars, and have been DYING to take this little monster out that has been sat patiently in the showroom at Revitupuk in Sandycroft. It hosts a 1.6 Naturally Aspirated 133hp motor, and on the track it made perfect sense.. Something that can be 'driven' and enjoyed with complete giggle factor on bends!
You can see from the first picture I have only just pulled it out from its hiding place inside the Showroom, and I thought I'd take this chance to get a few pics while the engine idles (warm up). Considering I test so many high performance vehicles you are all probably wondering why I am so interested in this car, but my love for Renault's Naturally Aspirated Engines goes back quite a few years! I used to love driving my '92 Clio 1.8 16v around South London and Essex, in what felt at the time like the fastest car on earth!
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Moving back to the Renault Twingo, and you may ask yourself ''what the hell would I want with one of these things?'' but the answer is quite simple, actually. Driving along the Dual Carriageway trying to impress the general public at 150mph doesn't do it for me. I am interested in the delicious twisties and 'good stuff' that can only be found by visiting some of our lovely B Roads, or better still when venturing to Germany and driving on the 257/258 which lead around the Nurburgring and Nurburgring Nordschleife Circuits that are present in one of the most beautiful parts of Europe.
Driving this car doesn't feel awesome to begin with, but as you let the revs build up it really gets going from 4000rpm. Quite pleasantly too. 
The engine bay is quite neat - looks nearly identical to the Clio 172/182 Engine with the Inlet Manifold and Throttle Body. It probably uses the same Engine Mount to the left but God knows... I'm more interested in how this thing drives.
This car is for sale - I'll point that out for any young owners looking to buy themselves a Sporty Hatchback without the excessive insurance bill, or maybe somebody who works in the City who would like something 'fun' at the weekends to impress their friends with. The handling in this thing is second to none - and bear in mind I have driven this car, an Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition, a Ford Focus RS305 and my Porsche 911 today so I am drawing reference from a few other cars when writing these reviews. I think I'll stop nattering and get on with the review. The Chassis This is a cracking little car to drive. It is nimble, really tight and ready to go straight onto a track from factory. Driving this car around Germany was pretty cool - leaving RSR Nurburg and heading to Adenau for a quick bite to eat before my first lap, it really is a nice environment to be in. I cannot fault this car either, noticing the Pirreli P Zero Tyres matching all round. The size is 205/40 ZR17 for any interested parties, and they aren't too costly to replace even with a Leading Tyre Brand. Driving around Cheshire in this car makes perfect sense. As much as I have the odd play in the 911, it is so much easier to enjoy this chassis without the arse squeaking on me. I've got to give the Clio's younger sibling 10/10 for Handling. The Body So.. while it may not be the greatest 'looker' to most enthusiasts, I quite fancy the shape of this thing. Its like a Citroen C2 with panache. I like the chunky arches and front headlights. The side skirts work well - not sure what the standard model Twingo's look like but this is a charmer. It works very well together, including the Rear Spoiler, and Wing Mirrors that match the front Foglights in White. Sporty Hatchbacks don't get much more 'in ya face' than this! The Throttle This isn't bad for a standard car. Ideally if I owned it I would adjust the software not for all out power (although 20hp+ is achievable) but for the torque increase lower down. It isn't that strong below 4000rpm and I would definitely have a fettle with the ECU to give it a little more low down, and some extra hp up top. I recently remapped an identical Twingo RS for one of my Remapping Garages (mobile dealer) and his customer was over the moon once I had finished working my magic on the ECU. As mentioned you can gain up to 22hp and a staggering 30NM when tuning these engines. That demonstrates how much manufacturers sometimes restrict their engines to keep it fair between the more expensive models they produce. I reckon a well tuned Twingo RS would hold its own behind a Clio 172 on track.. ;-) The Exhaust Not too loud, and not too quiet. I said the same thing in the Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition that I drove earlier. The K Tec exhaust system sounds good at idle, and start up. I can hear the exhaust but it doesn't drone or cause upset to old people as I cruise past on the way to Tesco for some 99 Momentum. I didn't get a chance to exercise full throttle in this car because of traffic, but I doubt the exhaust will make too much of a racket at full chat. This car gets 10/10 from me. I love it. Yes I hear some of you cry ''it only has 133hp'' but when you know how to drive you can make 100hp fun! If somebody bought this for me I'd clap and skip with joy! It is a corker, and I will probably be the only person sad to see it go. There are more images below - keep scrolling down! Please contact Mark at Revitupuk for sales info -> revitupuk1@hotmail.co.uk <- or pop into the Showroom for a closer look. Revitupuk Rectors Lane Sandycroft Cheshire CH5 D2H Full Sales Description here -> http://revitupuk.com/cars/201010-renault-twingo-r33-gordini-blue-32k-miles-fsh-ktech-exhaust/ Nicholas Lawrence //ON CARS email -> nick@on-cars.com |
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