Renault Twingo (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth

First Official Pictures

25 June 2007 03:05

A GTI for the cash-strapped, then?

Exactly. Renault’s new Twingo range arrives in showrooms in September, topped by the feisty GT with plenty of downsizer appeal. It only packs a 100bhp 1.2-litre engine beneath its stubby bonnet but Renault claims the £9999 turbocharged supermini delivers the performance of a much bigger-engined car without any economy or emissions penalties. Perfect for budget buyers wanting a lot of flash for their cash.

So plenty of go and tiny fuel bills?

Relatively speaking, yes. The GT’s all-alloy blown unit develops 100bhp at 5500rpm and 107lb ft of torque at 3000rpm – enough to scoot the 980kg Twingo to 60mph in 9.8 seconds and onto a 117mph top speed, while still returning a combined economy figure of 47.8mpg and a 140g/km CO2 rating. That’s a power-parsimony ratio to put it slightly behind rivals like Fiat’s Panda 100 and the Citroen C2 VTS in outright speed but well ahead at the fuel pumps.

By Ben Whitworth