Renault has revealed the production version of the new electric Twingo E-Tech and it has kept the same cheeky 1990s throwback styling as the concept car.
You seem very happy about this...
It's hard not to be happy about a new Twingo, especially one that so clearly celebrates the incredibly cute styling of the 1992 original. That version was only ever made in left-hand drive, and never officially sold in Ireland, so fingers crossed that doesn't happen again this time. Officially, Renault Ireland says that the new Twingo is still 'TBC' for us.
How far will it go on a charge?
Underneath, the Twingo shares bits and pieces - but not the entire platform - with the new electric Renault 5 and Renault 4, which helps to keep the costs down. Also keeping the price down is a new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery which is reckoned to be around 20 per cent cheaper to make than a NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery.
The battery capacity is 27.6kWh and that equates to a useable range of 262km, which is about the same as you would have got from the old Volkswagen e-Up. According to Renault, the average Twingo target customer only covers 22km each day anyway.
It's powered by an 82hp electric motor, for which Renault quotes a leisurely 12.1-second 0-100km/h time, but then the Twingo has never been about speed, now has it?
Charging speeds are 11kW on AC power and 50kW on DC, and there's Vehicle-To-Load functionality as well.
There's a one-pedal braking system which uses the electric motor to do most of your braking for you, but cleverly this disengages in reverse so that you can 'creep' slowly into a space for more precise parking.
What's it like inside?
Cheery. There are lots of body-coloured panels splashed around the place, and equally lots of cheap-looking plastics, but then again that's a bit of a Twingo tradition.
At just 3.79 metres long, the Twingo is properly tiny (which helps to keep the weight down to a trim-for-an-EV 1,200kg) but it's roomy inside - although there are only two seats in the back, as is common for this segment.
As with the original Twingo, the rear seats slide back and forth - by up to 17cm - allowing you to juggle load space against passenger space, and the boot can hold a handy 360 litres, with 50 litres of underfloor storage for cables etc.
There's a further 19 litres worth of storage space scattered about the cabin. Unlike the original Twingo (but like the second and third generations) this one has five doors.
Interestingly, there's no 'frunk' and in fact the bonnet is sealed, so to top up your windscreen wash, you actually pop open one of the cute little air vents on the bonnet (a throwback to the original) to pour in screen wash.
As with the R5 and R4, there's a big 10-inch infotainment screen, using Google-based software which automatically plans your journeys and your charging stops through Google Maps.
There are two USB-C charging ports as well, and a seven-inch digital instrument screen for the driver.
Thanks to the Google Play store, there's more than 100 downloadable apps to choose from, including Amazon Music and Prime Video, and HBO Max.
The Twingo should be safe too, thanks to 24 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) but thankfully, as with other Renaults, there's a handy single button to choose which you'd like in operation.
As for music, there's an optional Arkamys sound system with an audio experience designed for the car by no less than Jean-Michel Jarre, with four pre-sets: Natural, Live, Club and Podcast.
Shut up and take my money...
Ah, there's the catch. You can't buy one just yet. The new Twingo won't be on general sale until 2027, and it's still not confirmed for either right-hand drive or for the Irish market.
If it does come here, the plan is that it should cost less than €20,000 in its basic form, becoming a rival to the likes of the Hyundai Inster and the Leapmotor T03.
Renault says that the A-segment, which you might think of as 'city cars' has shrunk dramatically since the original Twingo's heyday, but not because customers don't want such cars - instead, it reckons that car makers have been too busy chasing easier profits with profligate SUVs, but that there's still a pent-up demand for small, affordable, characterful cars such as the Twingo in the EV world.
Let's hope Irish buyers get a chance to join in the fun this time around.