Renault Twingo hatchback (2014-2019) - Interior & comfort

The Twingo is bigger inside than the previous model thanks to its rear-engine layout, which means legroom in the back is better and headroom is good, too.

Renault Twingo dashboard

This Twingo's interior seems more solidly built than the old car's and Renault has kept the layout simple so it's easy to use. The interior plastics don’t feel as robust as they do in the Volkswagen up! or the Hyundai i10, however.

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The turbocharged petrol engine in the top-of-the-range model gets fairly loud if you work it hard, but gets quieter at cruising speed. And there’s quite a lot of wind noise from around the windscreen pillars in all models, which can get intrusive.

However, the seats are pretty comfortable and the suspension is soft enough that all but the biggest jolts are dealt with before they reach passengers, yet the Twingo still feels less settled than a Hyundai i10.

Equipment

You can mix and match interior trims to liven up the cabin. For example, the Touch pack lets you choose black, red or blue steering-wheel inserts and centre-console and air-vent surrounds, while Dynamique models get leather on the steering wheel and gearshifter. We think it’s worth opting for Dynamique trim, as this includes modern essentials like alloy wheels and cruise control, and also allows you to specify the more powerful 89bhp engine.

If you want more, however, you can opt for Dynamique S trim. This includes some new paint colours, 16-inch alloy wheels, part-leather upholstery and some smart interior trim.

At the top of the range, the Twingo GT is distinguished by 17-inch wheels and unique styling graphics, and you can also choose a special paint colour, Blaze Orange, that’s unique to the GT. Its extra power is hinted at by twin exhaust pipes and a re-designed side air-intake. You also get climate control, automatic lights, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors and front foglights. All this kit does mean a rather high asking price, well beyond what Skoda charges for a well equipped Citigo, which is almost as much fun. Bear in mind the Volkswagen up! TSI, too: with its 89bhp 1.0-litre TSI engine, it’s only a little slower than the GT.