Do you get in a tizzy for the Renault Twizzy?

RoadworkUK

/comment

Comments

Twizy1

So, I’ve seen these things around on plenty of occasions. I’ve seen Oakley-Thermonuclear clad, smart-suited city types and look-at-me-I’ve-just-sold-my-Smart Ugg-boot toting yummy mummies swerving smugly through urban traffic in the bizarre egg-on-wheels with bicycle lights that is the Renault Twizy. And I’ve kind of ignored them.

That is, until tonight, when I found that one had washed up outside my local used car emporium Suddenly the Twizy went from minority-interest novelty item, to just another used car.


Twizy2

The dealership in question always has some interesting stuff in stock, there’s currently a late DB7, there was recently a TWR modified XJS and various blue-blooded esoteric exotica is peddled along with the usual hatchback and four-wheel-drive jumble of faceless grey boxes. The Twizy looks somewhat incongruous in these surroundings.

Twizy3

Of course, the Twizy is no doubt on the forecourt to attract the eye in the hope that gaze wanders . Additionally, their website no doubt receives a fair portion of extra traffic due to the Twiziness of their stock listing; just like the artfully-posed image of Gemma Arterton in her undercrackers I am lobbying to have added to the Hooniverse logo will bring flocks of revenue-boosting pageviews to these electropages.

Twizy4

About thirteen years ago I first saw a Smart on British roads. Back then it was like the thing had landed on the tarmac from another world, so fragile and tiny did it look, so toy-like did it seem, and it was utterly stupefying the first time I was ever overtaken by one. I was livid but in a perplexed way, like being beaten at arm wrestling by my sister.

N.B this has never happened.

Little did I know that Smarts would be everywhere pretty soon, and I’d end up driving them on a near-daily basis. What future of the Twizy? Intelligent urban transport solution? iPod-generation flavour-of-the-week? I’m half tempted to knock on their door and ask for a go.

But I won’t, lest I do something stupid like bring my wallet with me.

About

RoadworkUK

RoadworkUK

RoadworkUK is the online persona of Gianni Hirsch, a tall, awkward gentleman with a home office full of gently decomposing paper and a garage full of worthless scrap metal. He lives in the village of Moistly, which is a safe distance from London and is surrounded by enough water and scenery to be interesting. In another life, he has designed, sold, worked on and written about cars in exchange for small quantities of money.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

11 responses to “Do you get in a tizzy for the Renault Twizzy?”

  1. Vavon Avatar
    Vavon

    I drove one last year, and this was what I had to say about it back then:
    I've driven a Renault Twizy for 30 minutes, in one word: AWSOME!
    I can't remember the last time i got out of a "car" with such a big grin on my face!
    <img src="http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01566/SNA15M04A—620_1566419a.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
    1. Synchromesh Avatar
      Synchromesh

      Try an NA Miata. 😉

      Reply
      1. Vavon Avatar
        Vavon

        I don't need to!
        <img src="http://tuningcrm.free.fr/moi/205/DSC_2280.JPG.jpg&quot; width="670/">
        I gave you a thumbs-up too, I can't see why somebody would give you a thumbs-down for that answer.

        Reply
    2. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      Why?

      Reply
      1. Vavon Avatar
        Vavon

        Because it is pure driving fun. It has an airbag, but no abs, aircon or radio.
        It has swift acceleration (because it has an electric engine) and it steers like a bike.
        You can take corners really fast and you hear everything what happens outside.
        It is very narrow, so you can cut through traffic like nothing else on 4 wheels can.
        I drove it just for laughs, but I had never thought I would like it so much!

        Reply
  2. LEROOOY Avatar
    LEROOOY

    It looks like its from the future, and in a good way. The Smart, not so much…
    But I would drive this, even to the confusion of my fellow Texans.

    Reply
  3. njhoon Avatar
    njhoon

    I'd try one. Might be good for city loaners like the Zip Cars.
    Plus an extra thumbs up for Gemma Arterton

    Reply
  4. CherokeeOwner Avatar
    CherokeeOwner

    Tiny. French. Possibly not really useable for American roads outside cities and suburbs.
    I want it.

    Reply
  5. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    'Busa.
    That is all.

    Reply
  6. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    I saw them in Germany last year. The biggest problem with these vehicles is that the drivers always have that smug face you mention. As a country dweller electric cars bear no relevance to my life. But I can see the point in cities, just not why this can't look like a proper car.

    Reply
  7. bhtooefr Avatar
    bhtooefr

    The styling does absolutely nothing for me.
    Packaging is interesting, although I'd prefer something lower-slung.
    No idea how they drive in reality, although there may be some very low speed hoonage value if it's not too tippy (being electric, it probably isn't tippy at all).

    Reply