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Renault Twingo

Anyone who has holidayed in France or Spain over the last decade or so will be familiar with Twingo.

It was a big-selling bargain basement car much loved for being chic and cheerful, and they were popular as hire cars.

But it never came to the UK, at least not officially. Renault couldn't make enough in left-hand drive, so it was never an option for them to make right-hand drive versions.

Now new Twingo is here, and it's a rather more aspirational model than the old one. It's still affordable but it has a lot more style and pzazz than those old Twingos. And to hammer home the point, Renault have launched a sports version, the GT.

Now, Renault have long been masters of making hot-hatches, and the Twingo continues in that vein. In fact, it's a very cool car with one exception - the name!

Twingo is surely more suited to a chocolate bar than a trendy hatchback, wouldn't you say?

That said, it's a beautifully engineered car and very capable to say it's so small. The cabin is modern and funky without being silly and it rides and handles like a much bigger car.

It's only a two-seater but it does contain four in comfort. The rear seats slide to allow to create a larger boot if you wish. In fact, you can fold the rear seats and you have a fairly useful van-like space.

Two engines are available with the Twingo, but the 1.2-litre TCE turbocharged unit is installed in GT as standard. It emits 100bhp which great for such a light car. The power is across a fairly broad spread rather than high rev punch, but that means little effort is required.

The five-speed gearbox has shorter ratios in the GT for added pep, but motorway cruises are still comfortably affairs.

The GT also gets stiffer sport suspension which does add a degree of firmness to the ride. It's far from uncomfortable, though the standard model would suit those not interested in tearing up B-roads. Its size lends it a healthy dose of agility and although the relatively numb steering means the Twingo is not as much of an entertainer as some rivals, the peppy engine and lack of weight means fun is certainly on the menu. Comfort can often be left off the standard equipment list in a car this size, but longer journeys should hold no fear. Refinement levels are more than adequate, and it is a rare occasion that the Twingo betrays its small car status.

Whether the Twingo is the car for you depends on a couple of factors. The main one is its three-door only status, the other is the Fiat Panda 100HP. Its arch-rival from Italy comes with five doors as standard, looks superb and is a hoot to drive, but it can't match the quality of the Twingo.

l Renault has taken the wraps off its new 4x4, the Koleos, which goes on sale in Britain in July. With the full unveiling at the Geneva, Switzerland, Motor Show next month, Renault's Korean-built crossover, the result of a link-up with Nissan, will come with a 2.0-litre diesel engine with two output choices - 150bhp or 175bhp. A huge sunroof forms part of the kit list, and the Koleos gets the very latest safety and communications technology. Full specification and pricing for all eight Koleos models will be released by Renault nearer the UK on-sale date.

Renault Twingo GT 1.2 TCE 100

PRICE: £9,995. Twingo costs from £8,375

ENGINE: 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit developing 100bhp via a five-speed manual transmission as standard, driving the front wheels

PERFORMANCE: Maximum speed 117mph, 0-62mph 9.8 seconds

COSTS: 47.8mpg

EMISSIONS: 140g/km

6:11pm Friday 29th February 2008

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