How much car do you need? Looking for answers with a 954 kg, 65 hp city car. Test.
As simple as this Twingo may be: The answer to the question of whether it is sufficient is not that simple. If the requirement is to get from A to B with up to three passengers and light luggage, then the Twingo is sufficient. Because with a length of 3.62 meters it always finds a parking space and because of the short length you don't actually have to invest 250 euros for sensors at the rear.
On the road, you can be entertained in a contemporary way via Apple Carplay or Android Auto, zaps through the wide range of digital radios, set the cruise control on the long country road, turn down the temperature of the automatic air conditioning a little or fine-tune the exterior mirrors with the mini joystick in the driver's door.
Uphill it gets tough
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So the micro car can do short trips, who would have thought it. Whereby the one-liter three-cylinder in stop-and-go traffic often hiccups, runs restlessly, weakens when starting off. Incidentally, you can safely ignore the shift indicator, otherwise the four-valve engine turns so slowly and sluggishly that the speedometer needle only moves in slow motion. At the latest on uphill stretches or when leaving town, however, the little machine forces you to reach for the gear knob and move it through the four gears of the five-speed gearbox, always looking for as much of the 95 Nm of torque as possible.
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You also have to drive by ear a bit, because the small instrument behind the slippery plastic steering wheel, which can only be adjusted in height, does not serve up speeds. And before you know it, the power is already ebbing away in the limiter, whereby the four-valve engine at the rear not only restrains itself with power, but also with noise. It's hard to believe that the rear wheels are driven, because even on a wet track, the rear end doesn't cause any problems due to the lack of power and the rigorous use of ESP.
Off to the Autobahn
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And then the city dweller turns onto the autobahn, where you can dare to switch to the left lane with intensive manual work - as long as it doesn't go uphill. Always correcting the direction in action: the steering refuses to respond because wind and ruts bring dynamics to the structure.
Yes, under certain circumstances the Twingo is sufficient, even has transport qualities, doesn't look cheaply screwed together, but the only petrol variant still available costs a very self-confident 15,800 euros. A lot of money for a small car that was around 5500 euros cheaper three years ago (slightly more economical).
Conclusion
If you approach the topic of automobiles pragmatically and without emotion, the Renault Twingo is also a good choice as the SCe 65. But not at this price!
