Europe's car market is crowded, which makes it very competitive, especially when it comes to small cars. This is a good thing if you're a consumer here, as carmakers are frantically leap-frog themselves by packing more and more features in their entry-level model. Renault's Twingo model is no exception.
Granted, I drove the sport model, the Twingo GT, with a 1.51.2-liter, 100-horsepower engine (the Twingo's engine size starts at 1.2-liters). And while it was certainly not in the same league as the Mini or Fiat 500, that is not the point, as this is supposed to be Renault's entry-level model (not counting its made-in-Romania no-frills Logan). The car managed to grip the road fine around the curvy and narrow roads in Brittany, and the acceleration wasn't embarrassing slow, compared to most medium-sized cars. In fact, similar to Renault's Megane model, driving was far from unfun. Co2 emissions range from 113 g/km to not more than 140 g/km, depending on the model.
What was inside, though, wowed me: an audio port for MP3 player cables, as well as USB connections with which you can play songs directly from your memory stick. Once connected, I could scan the media with a steering wheel control. While not exactly an electronics breakthrough, the car's front seat can be folded down completely flat so you have easy access to the backseat to, for example, load your golf clubs or strap in child seat.
I've been living in Europe for several years. My question is: can you buy cars of this caliber in the U.S. for around $10,000 (even when taking in consideration the dollar's increasingly worthless value against the euro)?
More pics are on the jump page:
