Renault Twizy 2014 Review

Renault Australia is facing an uphill battle to have the Twizy approved for road use in this country. Unlike Europe, where legislation does distinguish between quadricycles and cars, there's no such category in Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification. As a four-wheeled vehicle then, the Twizy fails to comply with local design rules for cars.

Ask Renault Australia, however, and they'll tell you that the Twizy shouldn't be judged on its comparative lack of safety, since motorbikes and scooters – which are more dangerous still than the Twizy can be registered and operated on local roads.

That's the background. Renault was able to provide local journalists a taste of how the Twizy would fare on local roads, courtesy of the closed environment at Melbourne's METEC driver training facility. Roads there emulated typical suburban and country roads, but on private property.

On the move, the Twizy feels raw, but as a colleague pointed out, it's practically luxurious for anyone who has commuted on a bike or scooter. Nevertheless, that same colleague also did feel the bumps while seated on the vestigial rear-seat – the Twizy's occupants are seated in tandem, with the driver in front.

The ride in the Twizy, tuned by RenaultSport, is firm indeed, but cannot be set much softer, we're told, with the Chapman strut-style suspension at the rear required to do the lion's share of the work supporting the weight of the drivetrain and the rest of the car – including occupants.

Braking is by a four-wheel disc set-up and the pedal is very firm, but lifeless and not at all progressive. It's quite different in feel to what we're used to from driving hybrid vehicles with the same sort of energy-recovery systems.

Performance from the electric motor, driving through a single reduction gear to the rear wheels, is not exactly electrifying, but nor is it snooze-inducing. Pedal to the metal, the Twizy will keep up with even the more determined traffic in the urban jungle, but its maximum speed is pegged at 80km/h.

Around the METEC track – and with a passenger on board as well – the Twizy felt spritely enough, like it could get out of its own way, at speeds of 60km/h and higher. For most users the Twizy will deliver more than adequate performance.

Cornering was adroit, the steering direct and the Twizy had the requisite grip to match the performance – and thus the expectations of target 'buyers'. The steering provided some feeback, but it felt contrived and was slow to ease off the assistance after the driver had straightened the wheel.

Packaging was a mixed bag. The scissor doors open high and wide, but a driver of average height will still need to duck the head climbing into the cabin. For a passenger to enter the Twizy the driver's seat has to be moved forward first. And it's advisable to board from the left, given there's a shoulder strap for the driver located on the right. The driver belts up by pulling that over the right shoulder, and a standard three-point belt from the left.

There are two small gloveboxes flanking the instrument binnacle. One – on the right of the dash – is lockable. Other than those, however, there's not a lot of storage space in the Twizy. If you're commuting to work in your three-piece pinstripe, you'll either travel alone in the Twizy, or leave the briefcase at home. For those who do 'Twizy' solo, the rear seat can be inverted to provide additional storage.

Driving the Twizy doesn't get much easier. Turn the key to the 'start' position and hold it there until a chime alerts you that the Twizy is ready to roll. Push the button marked 'D', release the handbrake on the lower left under the dash, ease the foot off the brake, press the accelerator – and away you go.

Renault says that the Twizy driven was optioned up, and included Bluetooth connectivity, to stream music from a smartphone. For those who would buy the Twizy for all-weather operation, there are zip-up side windows available, but the Twizy is 'motoring' at its most basic. Forget seat-heating and multi-zone climate control, or even cupholders and an ashtray; if you want luxuries like those, buy a car.

Renault reckons the Twizy will travel 80km in the 'real world' between recharges. For many owners, that's enough to get to work and home again on the one charge. Recharging doesn't seem to take long, with the Twizy's battery back up to 93 per cent charge over lunch after a morning program with a different wave of journalists getting behind the wheel.

Whether the Twizy can find sufficient buyers in Australia is moot at present, but if the government does see its way to allowing the Twizy to sell here, the question then arises: Who would buy it... and why?

Congestion in Australian cities is probably not yet at the level where the Twizy makes a lot of sense, and certainly not at a price perhaps as high as AUD $13,000. Australians, furthermore, have shown a reluctance to buy a four-wheeled vehicle for commuting without some of life's little luxuries. They might well miss the whole point of the Twizy.

But as a concept, we'd love to see it here – and succeed.

Also consider: Scooters or walking