2017 Renault Twingo GT UK first drive

When we drove the Renault Twingo GT on its international launch, we found it to be a city car that didn't quite live up to its promise on paper. The thought of a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Renault Sport-fettled pocket rocket had expectations soaring, but the reality wasn't quite so dramatic.

But let's be clear: the Twingo GT is not technically a fully-fledged Renault Sport model. This is no successor to the riotous Renaultsport Twingo 133 but rather a top-spec variant of the Twingo city car. Don’t dismiss it as a limp new trim level though, because the revisions to it are significant.

Although it has the same turbocharged 898cc three-cylinder unit as the standard model, it’s had a power hike taking it from 89bhp to 109bhp, thanks to a remap and an air vent above the left rear wheel arch, from where it supplies more cold air into the engine's intake.

The suspension has been worked on, too. Renault Sport has made it 40% stiffer, made the front anti-roll bar thicker and lowered the ride height by 20mm. It could cope with the smooth French asphalt we tested it on, but we're driving the car in the UK to see how these suspension revisions cope with our roads.

Those adjustments definitely make it feel quicker and there’s no doubt that this is the most entertaining version of the Twingo you can buy. In a straight line it will just about see off a Volkswagen Up 1.0 TSI, making it one of the quicker new city cars on sale, and around town its pace is very useable.

It’s not particularly gutsy but is fairly keen off the line, with a throaty three-cylinder engine and a slick, precise five-speed manual gearbox with shorter ratios than those of the standard Twingo. Its natural habitat is the city, and that is where it excels (especially with its ludicrously tight turning circle), but it’s certainly well powered enough to manage long motorway schleps.

There are some drawbacks, though. While it is quite sprightly, the engine's delivery suffers from turbo lag, so there's an awkward surge of power that appears at around 2000rpm. Even higher up the rev band there's a noticeable delay before the power kicks in. The car's pedal weights are very light, too.

While it has some useable city car pace you’re unlikely to notice the engine is in the back that and it's a rear-wheel-drive layout, because the meddlesome ESP cuts in quite abruptly, which is a shame. It’s been made less intrusive compared with the standard model, but you still can’t turn it off.