A GROUP of around a dozen members of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers including yours truly got together thanks to those lovely people at Renault who hosted a recent drive it day in North Yorkshire to showcase two new models.
The gathering, at the Coniston Hotel near Skipton, gave members a chance to get behind the wheel of the new Renault 4 and soon to arrive Twingo – both important new models for the French manufacturer.
While Renault 4s are already appearing on our streets we will have to wait until later in the year for the much-anticipated Twingo. The vivid yellow version on display certainly turned heads even outshining an exotic Lotus with curious pedestrians.
First launched in 1992 the Twingo transformed the small car sector with its cheerful little city car personality selling over four million world-wide and this new version looks set to continue that legacy. Expected to cost under £20k the nippy Twingo has a 60kw lightweight motor and range of up to 163 miles.
Getting behind the wheel of the LHD version on offer showed the latest Twingo to be just as much fun as its predecessors with lots of performance from that electric set up and go-kart like handling.
Just a shade under 3.8 metres long and 2.5 wide the striking design of the Twingo certainly stands out bringing miles of smiles everywhere you go, especially in the Mango Yellow of our test car.
Standard equipment is good and some of the more quirky features inside include the Twingo alphabet in the roof lining and a customisable ‘e-pop shifter’ shaped like a lipstick!
Space inside is good considering the dimensions of this city car with plenty of space up front for two adults plus 19 litres of cabin storage and a boot capacity of up to 360 litres, rising to 1,010 litres with rear seats folded plus there is a 50-litre underfloor storage space accessible even with luggage loaded.
Also on offer were two versions of the just released Renault 4 – one with the optional full length sliding canvas roof. Already a hit with UK buyers the 4 is well-priced starting at a shade over £28k and comes with a 148bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels from a 52kWh battery giving an official range of up to 250 miles.
With a brisk 0-60mph time of 8 seconds power delivery is very smooth and for slowing down there is also a regenerative braking system with a one pedal drive mode which can slow the car to a stop.
Well equipped and like the Twingo with lots of French style I am sure we will be seeing many more Renault 4s on our roads soon.
For more info see www.renault.co.uk
By Motoring Editor Steve Howarth