"Boy, where was the time? You were just a kid and now you are already 25! "Something like this will happen to one or the other when he hears that the Renault Twingo is now his 25. Anniversary celebrates. It was 1992 when the little Frenchman made his debut at the Geneva Motor Show and combined the concept of a van with the dimensions of a micro-car. Today we look back on three generations who have agreed on one detail: the Kulleraugen.
There is not much left of the basic concept of the Renault Twingo I: The now third generation of models drives with a rear engine and shares the technical basis with the Smart Fortwo or Forfour. Above all, this should cause a pronounced agility. Nevertheless, the current model is the typical iconic design of the first generation. Let's start our brief review of the three generations of the bestseller.
Renault Twingo I - How it all started
A Renault Twingo of the first generation measures just 3,43 m. But this short external dimension does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the space available in the interior, after all, the Twingo is a mini-format van. Thanks to the one-box design and the clever rear seat bench that can be moved by 17 cm, even four average-sized adults traveled well in the Twingo - no kidding.
Due to its design with the gooseneck headlamps and - in the worst case - teddy bear alloy wheels - the first generation was particularly well received by women. Around two-thirds of all sales were made to female prospects. Inside, the designers did not let themselves be lumped and designed a symmetrical cockpit with a centrally placed instrument cluster, which can be seen equally well from all seats. Before that, they placed a spherical switch for the hazard warning lights, which often animated to funny Buzzer Raterunden. I speak from experience, after all, I drove for eleven years one of the copies of the first generation.
In the motorization much choice on a 1,2 liter four-cylinder with 75 PS, which helped the little Frenchman already to speedy performance. But this unit was late in the life cycle available, which is why the 1,2 liter engine with 55 and later 58 or 60 PS is most often found on the used car market. This also leaves little to be desired: thanks classesunusual extras such as air conditioning or the widespread folding roof should be something for all requirements. Especially since the selection, in sold alone in Germany 517.600 copies, should be large.
Generation two was a bit bland
Once again put on it second generation the Renault Twingo, seemed a bit arbitrary from the outside and not so extraordinary. Nevertheless, the Renault Twingo "N", as the model generation internally called, was a real bestseller. In 48 countries, the French sold around 911.000 copies - considerably.
Responsible for the success were probably also the growth of 16 cm and the again increased interior flexibility. So offered the Renault Twingo, which is based on the Renault Clio of the third generation, two sliding individual seats in the rear. In addition, it could be ordered again with the iconic, large folding roof, which was now electrically operated. The choice was also a large panoramic glass roof. Other highlights were in the engine selection: So you could order the Renault Twingo II not only with a diesel, but even choose between two particularly sporty drives. On the one hand, a turbo-charged 1,2 liter with 102 PS was ready and on the other hand, Renault set up a Twingo RS on its feet. The freely breathing 1,6 liter four-cylinder generated 133 PS and was something of the secret when it came to particularly sporty small car.
Common cause - The Renault Twingo III
With its two predecessor generations, the current Renault Twingo generation does not have much in common. Only the possibility of almost any individualization took over the current of the second generation. And so the new interpretation of the City-Flitzer, which has been available since 2014, now drives through the cities with a rear-engined engine and five doors. The rear engine, along with the extra large steering angle, make the Renault Twingo extremely agile. This effort is also reflected in the 3,59 m reduced overall length, while the wheelbase grew by 13 centimeters to a total of 2,49 m. This allows the transport of bulky items, because you can fold not only the rear seat, but also the passenger seat. Result: Up to 2,31 m long cargo fits in the small car.
Remained and reinterpreted were the big googly eyes in connection with the smiling cooling air intake, which are a direct reminder of the original Twingo. They are complemented by circular LED daytime running lights and a tailgate, which was designed after Renault 5 prototype. This differentiates the Twingo clearly from its platform brother, the Smart Forfour.
The engines have three-cylinder units with 0,9 or 1,0 liter capacity, which generate 69,71 or 90 PS. The Renault Twingo GT even draws 109 PS from the small drive, even makes a discreet sporting impression with its 17-inch alloy wheels and wider fenders. This is also reflected in the performance: 9,6 seconds for the sprint to 100 km / h and 182 km / h maximum speed are very passable values for a microcar. The only question is whether it will bring the current generation to cult status ...