Test Drive: Renault Twingo TCe 90

The first car that I ever owned was a Renault. A mid-blue, three-door Renault 5 with (then) trademark ‘springy’ suspension, suspicious stains on the back seats, and an unbeatable thirst for oil. This is the car I first drove back-and-forth from Flushing to Falmouth, having passed my test in the unfamiliar city of Truro.

I regularly used to race the car against my buddy’s Alpha Romeo 33 Cloverleaf along the country roads between the sleepy Cornish fishing village where we lived and the larger holiday destination, which, although visible across the water, was only accessible via these back roads or by jumping on the ferry – which ran from early morning through until around 6pm (from memory). This is the car that I remember the most from my first years as a driver, and they are fond memories indeed.

So, when the new Twingo arrived at SBT Towers, I just could not wait to take it for a spin.

Of course, a lot has changed, technologically speaking, in the (ahem) few years since then. The performance that you can get from a small engine is genuinely thrilling and constantly impressive. The Twingo is no exception and, with the promise of a GT version on the horizon, there is good reason for us all to get excited.

I am not disappointed either. The Twingo’s secret is the small turbocharger that lurks beneath the compact boot space and within the 900cc engine. It is amazingly responsive and as much fun to drive as I ever could have imagined. It is small, yes, of course it is small – that is fine. It looks so much like the Fiat 500 – you could be forgiven for getting them mixed up – but, unlike the Fiat, this car is much less ‘girly’. Its sporty aesthetic is clear, with racing lines and graphics (particularly on the model that we had) suggesting an imminent visit to the track.

Inside, it is also a lot of fun. I stepped in with my dusty CD and quickly realised that there is no CD player. Of course not; this car is not for 40+ drivers and what person in their 20s has any relationship with that old format? There are USB connections everywhere, though, and clever little pouches and stows hidden all over the noisy cockpit.

I have really enjoyed my time with the Renault Twingo. If the Jaguar XF is for the MD, then the Twingo is the perfect company car for the cock-sure junior sales team manager.

It is brilliant and I cannot wait to drive the GT. At least that will do in the absence of a real Renault sport model.

• Price: £11,695
• Transmission: Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
• Engine: 0.9-litre 3cyl turbo
• Power: 89bhp
• 0-62mph: 10.8 seconds
• Top speed: 103mph
• Economy/CO2: 65.7mpg/99g/km