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This is the new Twingo from Renault, previewed ahead of its official launch at this year's Geneva motorshow. And zut alors, we want to tune the living Shih Tzu out of it.
Not just because its predecessor was one of the best hatches we've driven, and had enough room for Ross Kemp in the boot. Or because it looks relatively faithful to the incredible TwinRun concept we saw last year. Or that it smashed our Nan Prix. But because this one's rear-engined and rear-wheel drive. So it could - could - do some big drifty skids.
Unfortunately, our sideways aspirations will be a tad hampered by the base engines. Renault's been pretty cagey with specifics, but it's hinted that they'll be more green than grunt, so expect 1.0-litre three-cylinders to feature heavily.
So, why rear-engined? It's been developed with Daimler and it'll appear with different bodywork but pretty much identical underpinnings as the upcoming Smart ForFour and ForTwo. Which explains the conspicuously radical bum-engined layout for Renault (not counting its past form with the Clio V6 and 5 Turbo).
Renault also notes that the layout improves the turning circle and, combined with the use of a smaller block and positioning the wheels at the car's extremities, frees up extra cabin space.
The Twingo also follows in the infuriating wake of pretty much every small non-Dacia on sale at the moment, with Renault offering the full gamut of salary-munching personalisation options. It includes a colour chart like regurgitated dolly mixture, many meaningless decals, and with it the opportunity to obliterate its resale value before it's turned a wheel. But still no tuning parts.
Still, looks good though, doesn't it? And if you want an RS version, may we humbly point you to the comments section below...
Written By:- Matthew Jones
More of this article on the Top gear website
