A mouthwatering hot-hatch for £13,000? OK, that sounds ambitiously low when even budget performance cars nudge towards £20,000, but there is one final bastion of cut-price thrills.

Renault, the company which brought you the chic and cheerful Twingo, now offers a rather interesting powerful version: Twingo Renaultsport 133.

OK, so the name is silly, but it was devised to promote Renault’s sporting wing Renaultsport and the 133 denotes the bhp. Name aside, this car is hard to fault. It is an exciting hot-hatch with exuberant looks, firm ride and performance which just about warrants the ‘hot’ description.

A top speed of 125mph and 0 to 60mph in 8.7 seconds might be comparatively tame, but it feels lively and sounds fantastic. More to the point, it has an insurance group of 21 which means boy (and girl) racers can just about afford it.

Now Twingo is a funny car. The original became familiar to Brits abroad who wondered just what this slightly frog-eyed city car was. It was sold only in left-hand drive and such was the demand in mainland Europe that Renault didn’t bother with a right-hand drive until recently. Twingo came to the UK as a down-market Matiz rival but it has since moved upmarket. It now costs more than £10,000 and is a very stylish offering. And the arrival of the performance version tested here, which costs just over £13,000, has taken the model into a whole new territory. Twingo Renaultsport 133 is a mouthful for a small car, but this is not a normal city runabout.

It’s a premium runabout with quirky styling inside and out, a surprisingly spacious interior, and the ability to customise your purchase all adds up to something interesting. Tuned by the experts at Renaultsport – the people who fettled the acclaimed Clio 197 and Megane R26 – this Twingo is much more than cosmetic update.

It boasts a purposeful bodykit, big wheels and a roof spoiler. The Twingo 133 also looks pretty mean when parked up. The car’s lower than standard ride height and increased track convinces you of its potential.

And there’s more because there’s not one but two Twingo 133 models – the standard car and one fitted with a Cup chassis in the same vein as other Renaultsport cars. Essentially you get a car with suspension that’s been further stiffened – plus an even lower ride height – along with 17-inch wheels replacing the standard 16in items. Factor in an ESP system that can be completely switched off, supportive sports seats, a chunky sports steering wheel and a naughty exhaust note and you’ve got a feisty toddler to the Clio 197’s fun-loving adolescent character. The component that makes the Twingo 133 whole is its engine, a tuned 1.6-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol motor. Its 133 horsepower is complemented by a healthy portion of torque.

The 0 to 62mph time of 8.7 seconds means you have to work the gears to move quickly. Frankly it’s never a chore, especially when the exhaust note rises from burble to menacing whine, just like a grown-up sports car.

Thanks to its modest size, the Twingo can be hustled along at a remarkable pace. Supportive seats hold you in place when darting from corner to corner and, with the Twingo’s willing engine urging you on, the ability to cover ground is not in question.

What’s really impressive is that the Cup version of the Twingo is doubly enjoyable. Keen drivers will love the car’s willingness to entertain, while the absence of any obvious compromise makes it one of those rare beasts: an affordable car you take on a track without feeling you have to compromise on performance.

I doubt that pound for pound you can get more fun from a sporty car.

 

Twingo Renaultsport 133 three-door

PRICE: £13,770. Twingo starts at £10,550
ENGINE: A 1,598cc, four-cylinder unit generating 133bhp via front wheel drive
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 125mph, 0 to 60mph in 8.7 secs
COSTS: town 32.5mpg; country 52.3mpg; combined 43.5mpg
EMISSIONS: 150g/km
INSURANCE: Group 21
WARRANTY: Four years, 100,000 miles