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Toomey Renault Basildon

Service House,
West Mayne, Basildon,
Essex SS15 6RW

Toomey Renault Southend

Automotive Retail Park, Cherry Orchard Way, Rochford, Southend, Essex SS4 1GP

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Renault Twingo Hatchback 1.2 75 Dynamique

For:
The Twingo is surprisingly mature small car, with a supple ride, fine road manners and plenty of space for four. The Renaultsport versions adds extra zip

Against:
The interior plastics look and feel rather cheap and curtain airbags cost extra.



Performance

The Twingo comes with three 1.2-litre petrol engine options and a 131bhp 1.6. The entry-level version is fitted to the Extreme and has 59bhp. The 74bhp unit has more punch, but GT models have a 'sweet TCE' version, which features a turbocharger to boost power to 99bhp. It's impressively flexible, even at low revs. The Renaultsport 1.6 needs to be revved hard to deliver the goods.

Ride & handling

The Twingo does a good job of mixing the darting, easy-to-drive nature of such a small car with a surprising degree of maturity. It rides particularly well, and even the firmer suspension of GT and Renaultsport models is still supple. You can enjoy driving the Twingo on your favourite country road, but unless you plump for the Renaultsport the Twingo is not as sporty or grippy as some rivals.

Refinement

It's not as quiet as some larger superminis in the same price range, but the Twingo's cabin is fairly hushed compared with those of some city car rivals. Wind and road noise aren't too tiring at speed and, although the engines are vocal when worked hard, they don't become too raucous.

Buying & owning

The Twingo is cheaper than equivalent mainstream superminis, but it's not generously equipped and doesn't undercut Renault's more accomplished Clio by a huge margin. It's an affordable ownership proposition, thanks to its frugal engines and low carbon dioxide emissions, however. It's too early to predict how well it will hold its value in the long term.

Quality & reliability

The Twingo's cabin isn't big on flair and there's a lot of hard grey plastic, but it feels solid throughout. The controls and finish are sturdy and much of the switchgear is shared with more expensive Renaults. Renault's reliability record is poor, but the previous-generation Clio, whose chassis is the basis for the Twingo, had a mid-table placing in our most recent JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Safety & security

Renault's Twingo has most of the safety features that the larger Clio comes with. Front and side airbags are standard, but curtain airbags cost extra on all models. Stability control is standard on Renaultsport cars but isn't available as an option on the rest of the line up, but there are ISOFIX child seat fixings for the rear seats and the front passenger seat. Deadlocks are fitted as standard.

Behind the wheel

Despite height-only steering wheel adjustment and a driver's seat that's high even at its lowest setting, most people should be able to make themselves comfortable in the Twingo, and all-round visibility is good. The dash is easy to use, too, although the central digital display isn't to all tastes and the stereo buttons are annoyingly small.

Space & practicality

The Twingo is small, but cleverly packaged. There's lots of head- and legroom in the front seats and the two rear seats individually slide, fold and recline. With the rear seats in their rearmost position, there's ample legroom even for tall adults, but headroom isn't as generous. In this position, the boot is tiny, but you can push the seats forward to create more luggage space, or fold and tumble the seats forward.

Equipment

The Twingo isn't as well equipped as some rivals. Entry-level Extreme models have anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger airbags, remote central locking, a radio/CD player and front foglights. Dynamique models have alloy wheels, remote stereo controls and electric front windows. GT and Renaultsport models add air-con or electric door mirrors as well as sports suspension, automatic lights and wipers, and cosmetic upgrades such as metallic trim, different alloy wheels and tinted rear windows.

Running Costs

Town mpg

37.6

Out of Town mpg

60.1

Average mpg

49.5

Tank Capacity (gallons)

8.8

CO2 Rating (g/km)

135

Insurance Group

3

Typical Insurance Quote

£304

% Value Retained (3yrs/36,000mls)

N/A

Typical Contract Hire Rate (pcm)

£0

Pence Per Mile

0

Servicing Cost over 3yrs

£0

Servicing Intervals

18k

Manufacturers Warranty

12yr Perforation

Performance & Measurements

Body type

Hatchback

Number of Doors

3

Number of Seats

4

Engine (cc/type)

1149/4

Fuel Type

Unleaded

Max Power (bhp/rpm)

74/5500

Engine Position

F

Driven Wheels

Front

Length (mm)

3600

Width (mm)

1654

Height (mm)

1470

Boot Space (min ltr)

165

Boot Space (max ltr)

959

Turning Circle (m)

10.55

Towing Weight(kg)

0

Kerb Weight (kg)

950

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