My... Renault Twizy
Discussion
Hi all,
I hired a Twizy a couple of times in the New Forest a number of years back - they were great fun and really wanted one but didn't have a garage at the time so it wasn't really going to happen.
Following this, I hassled a friend for ages to get one for him to commute to the station in. Turns out, he never really used it and most of the mileage over his 3-year ownership was driven by me (700 miles in 3 years) as I often borrowed the car!
Fast forward to this year and after losing some storage space the car was going to be put up for sale - but I obviously had to buy it!
This was the car in April 2016 as my friend bought it:
The previous owner does not know how the car ended up being Liquid Yellow (as it was originally orange) and the job is not the best - I hope to change the colour at some point.
Whenever I borrowed the car it was usually for a trip out for the day or for some sort of meet - I found a Lambo in a similar colour (without Lambo doors!) and Renault Sport Spider in the same colour whilst on my travels. I take all my cars to Surrey Rolling Road and the Twizy went along as well - it made 26bhp which is a slight increase over standard as the software has been tweaked.
I once took the car to a small evening meet at Guildford Tyres and to my surprise, I was not the only Twizy there!
You can also see the car briefly wore some branding from my friends business, of which the colour scheme came from the Twizy.
Now under my ownership (and with a new reg), I had a few things to attend to. Firstly the brake pads were needing changing so I undertook this simple task (I think the pads were £25 for the lot!)
Next, I purchased a set of tyres (£175 delivered from Camskill) as the car had one mismatched brand and two which were nearly bald. These are yet to be fitted but they do fit in which is handy.
Today I took the car to have the wheels aligned as the steering was a little off... (excuse the plate, awaiting a replacement)
I then changed the 'gearbox' oil which was an easy job with a small syringe..
Lastly, the car was MOT'd today which was interesting as it only just went on the ramp...
Ultimately this car is useless unless you have a short commute to work and don't mind getting cold and wet in the winter. I just use it for popping to the shops, running errands and as a weird alternative to having a convertible in the summer.
I also find it quite fun to drive - the torque is instant, the noise is addictive and you get so many people wanting to take photos of it and chat about the car which I also enjoy.
I'm not sure if there are any other owners or fans of the Twizy on here but I thought I would post anyway!
I hired a Twizy a couple of times in the New Forest a number of years back - they were great fun and really wanted one but didn't have a garage at the time so it wasn't really going to happen.
Following this, I hassled a friend for ages to get one for him to commute to the station in. Turns out, he never really used it and most of the mileage over his 3-year ownership was driven by me (700 miles in 3 years) as I often borrowed the car!
Fast forward to this year and after losing some storage space the car was going to be put up for sale - but I obviously had to buy it!
This was the car in April 2016 as my friend bought it:
The previous owner does not know how the car ended up being Liquid Yellow (as it was originally orange) and the job is not the best - I hope to change the colour at some point.
Whenever I borrowed the car it was usually for a trip out for the day or for some sort of meet - I found a Lambo in a similar colour (without Lambo doors!) and Renault Sport Spider in the same colour whilst on my travels. I take all my cars to Surrey Rolling Road and the Twizy went along as well - it made 26bhp which is a slight increase over standard as the software has been tweaked.
I once took the car to a small evening meet at Guildford Tyres and to my surprise, I was not the only Twizy there!
You can also see the car briefly wore some branding from my friends business, of which the colour scheme came from the Twizy.
Now under my ownership (and with a new reg), I had a few things to attend to. Firstly the brake pads were needing changing so I undertook this simple task (I think the pads were £25 for the lot!)
Next, I purchased a set of tyres (£175 delivered from Camskill) as the car had one mismatched brand and two which were nearly bald. These are yet to be fitted but they do fit in which is handy.
Today I took the car to have the wheels aligned as the steering was a little off... (excuse the plate, awaiting a replacement)
I then changed the 'gearbox' oil which was an easy job with a small syringe..
Lastly, the car was MOT'd today which was interesting as it only just went on the ramp...
Ultimately this car is useless unless you have a short commute to work and don't mind getting cold and wet in the winter. I just use it for popping to the shops, running errands and as a weird alternative to having a convertible in the summer.
I also find it quite fun to drive - the torque is instant, the noise is addictive and you get so many people wanting to take photos of it and chat about the car which I also enjoy.
I'm not sure if there are any other owners or fans of the Twizy on here but I thought I would post anyway!
Edited by Max M4X WW on Sunday 12th May 00:02
I've seen your Twizy related posts on insta in the past, I'm a big fan of them. I dunno why, they're a bit quirky and unusual but I just like the look of them. Realistically they're a toy for the summer but they look so much fun, instant torque, nimble and look like a road going go kart. What's not to like?!
Hope it serves you well, keep us updated
Hope it serves you well, keep us updated
Oohhhhh, interesting thread!
A mate who,lives in Glasgow used to drive a Twizy as he worked in the city centre and the local car park was free for EVs, charging too, so it made perfect sense for him.
Since then he's had quite a change of career and works with EVs, charging points and also Supercars, so it changed his perspective on work and life.
You've been warned!
A mate who,lives in Glasgow used to drive a Twizy as he worked in the city centre and the local car park was free for EVs, charging too, so it made perfect sense for him.
Since then he's had quite a change of career and works with EVs, charging points and also Supercars, so it changed his perspective on work and life.
You've been warned!
I live near the New Forest, and promised my daughter a day out in a Twizy after we kept seeing them around, as there was a (now defunct) hire scheme operating.
They are great fun, but you quickly become range-obsessed, and realise that there are more hills around than you previously imagined, and you always seem to be going up them. Factor in the hour-plus charging time, and it's a good idea to plan any journey very carefully.
Ours didn't have windows, and going by the frequency and level of complaints, it gets a bit chilly in the back seat, even in August. The central driving position is great, and when the battery is fully charged, it was a blast to drive. There's a blanket 40mph speed limit on the Forest roads, which was plenty, as the car became a bit skittish on poor surfaces above that.
I found that the Twizy was a fun novelty, and if you only use it for short commutes, it's a practical alternative to a "proper" car. It has significant limitations, and they're non-negotiable, so you have to adapt to it. Accept that, and I'd be happy to have one as a second car.
They are great fun, but you quickly become range-obsessed, and realise that there are more hills around than you previously imagined, and you always seem to be going up them. Factor in the hour-plus charging time, and it's a good idea to plan any journey very carefully.
Ours didn't have windows, and going by the frequency and level of complaints, it gets a bit chilly in the back seat, even in August. The central driving position is great, and when the battery is fully charged, it was a blast to drive. There's a blanket 40mph speed limit on the Forest roads, which was plenty, as the car became a bit skittish on poor surfaces above that.
I found that the Twizy was a fun novelty, and if you only use it for short commutes, it's a practical alternative to a "proper" car. It has significant limitations, and they're non-negotiable, so you have to adapt to it. Accept that, and I'd be happy to have one as a second car.
mike74 said:
Aren't you paying around £30-40 a month to 'rent' the battery from Renault though? That would irritate me.
Yes, but I have heard of some getting away with it if letters are ignored...likesachange said:
Please tell me there's companies that offer performance upgrades for these? But I presume the only upgrade is more batteries !?!
A few people have begun to look at different batteries and battery management but due to the above, it can get complicated. My Twizy already has a power upgrade of some sort (I believe it is the common 'Powerbox' but I don't have the box!) The 'map' remains after the unit is unplugged.I've not driven a factory Twizy for years but I believe it makes a reasonable difference to performance.
Dermot O'Logical said:
They are great fun, but you quickly become range-obsessed, and realise that there are more hills around than you previously imagined, and you always seem to be going up them. Factor in the hour-plus charging time, and it's a good idea to plan any journey very carefully.
Ours didn't have windows, and going by the frequency and level of complaints, it gets a bit chilly in the back seat, even in August. The central driving position is great, and when the battery is fully charged, it was a blast to drive. There's a blanket 40mph speed limit on the Forest roads, which was plenty, as the car became a bit skittish on poor surfaces above that.
I missed this post before my reply. The range is a weird thing - we have driven a few 'long' distances and the range indicated was almost spot on. As long as you have charging at the other end for the return journey!Ours didn't have windows, and going by the frequency and level of complaints, it gets a bit chilly in the back seat, even in August. The central driving position is great, and when the battery is fully charged, it was a blast to drive. There's a blanket 40mph speed limit on the Forest roads, which was plenty, as the car became a bit skittish on poor surfaces above that.
As for the wind, it isn't great in the back (I'm told) but when I have been passenger I just usually tilt my head to avoid the draught!
The handling again is odd - I find it fairly stable at 50-55mph but this is dependent on road conditions.
MickyveloceClassic said:
Super looking little car, which in the right circumstances makes sense.
How long do tyres and brakes last?
I changed the pads at around 7000 miles which is fairly common I think. The tyres have lasted the similarly - one rear had already replaced when my mate got it (with a budget tyre, puncture?) and only one front was bald - the other is only half worn. I'm doing the lot for ease.How long do tyres and brakes last?
Driven carefully I have heard rear tyres lasting 9-10k and the fronts a little longer.
As someone who sells Renault, I like these and they are good fun, very expensive new though, for what they are.
Only got close to selling one once; declined on finance!
We haven't run one for years now, but oddly we have been getting loads of enquiries on them in the last 6 months or so, haven't a clue why.
Strangely given their size, I found them really head to reverse or parallel park, I think it's the wheels being outboard of the body so the are wider than they seem when sitting in it.
Enjoy OP.
Only got close to selling one once; declined on finance!
We haven't run one for years now, but oddly we have been getting loads of enquiries on them in the last 6 months or so, haven't a clue why.
Strangely given their size, I found them really head to reverse or parallel park, I think it's the wheels being outboard of the body so the are wider than they seem when sitting in it.
Enjoy OP.
I can't seem to make the quote function work, but in response to the last two posts..
Reversing: Not just me then, whenever I reverse park I always end up wonky. The car is almost triangle shaped as it is slightly narrower at the front.
Heater: Correct! Optional doors and no windows. It does have a heated windscreen but I think if I needed to use it I would take another car!
Reversing: Not just me then, whenever I reverse park I always end up wonky. The car is almost triangle shaped as it is slightly narrower at the front.
Heater: Correct! Optional doors and no windows. It does have a heated windscreen but I think if I needed to use it I would take another car!
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