The world has become boring. Wherever you look, only two-ton SUV-class boxes, as fun as a visit to the dentist. What if there was a car that puts a smile on your face? The new Renault Twingo RS doesn't exist yet, but if we mix the right Renault ingredients, we have the most hysterical electrician in the world. This is a car for the pure soul.
Let's face it. Most modern electric cars are sterile. They accelerate like rockets, but in corners and on the steering wheel they act like very expensive and very heavy washing machines on wheels. We only hear about range, autonomous driving and applications, but no one asks whether a car is even fun to drive anymore. But when Renault have a rich history of creating absolutely crazy, wonderful things out of completely ordinary “bread boxes.” Just remember Twinga the first generation or the iconic Clio V6 with an engine instead of rear seats. So we are quite right to speculate: what happens if the French take off the chain again and make a new electric generation of the Renault Twingo RS? (why we didn't call it Alpine – below)
Renault Twingo RS: A recipe from proven French cuisine
We don't need a crystal ball to figure out what's hiding under the hood (or between the axles) of this little urban terrorist. Renault already has everything you need on the shelves, packed into its all-new electric "five" (Renault 5). If you took their classic 110 kW (150 hp) electric motor and squeezed it into the even smaller and lighter body of the new Twingo, you'd get something that would defy the laws of physics and common sense.
With around 245 Nm of torque available from absolute zero, this car would be able to shoot from a standstill in a flash. We can expect a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of a whopping 5.5 seconds. Top speed? It would probably be electronically limited to around 160 km/h. To be honest, in a car that's barely bigger than your average sports car, 160 km/h feels like you're going into hyperspace anyway. For city streets and winding country roads, that's more than enough.
A battery that doesn't need its own zip code
The biggest enemy of any hot hatchback is weight. That's why they can't fit a huge, 80-kilowatt monster of a battery into the Renault Twingo RS that would turn the car into a road roller. And that's where the magic of progress comes in.
We can assume that the battery would grow to a capacity of about 40 kWh. As the density of battery cells continues to improve, in less than a year or two such a battery will take up extremely little space and add minimal weight to the overall car package. This would mean optimal weight distribution, a low center of gravity and a range of around 300 kilometers. Perfectly enough for a weekend getaway over mountain passes.
As for charging, with 100 kW of power at DC fast chargers, this small battery from 15 % to 80 % would be charged in less than half an hour. Just enough time to drink a quick espresso, eat a croissant, and wipe your sweaty hands after a hard drive through the corners.
An exclusive design that screams for attention
What would such a little devil look like? As you can see in the pictures, you don't just have to guess. These exclusive computer graphics were drawn by the author of this article. We regularly publish visual concepts and studies of what the new Twingo RS could look like, and you can admire them in full glory on the Throttly channel and on our official Instagram profile @citymagazineslo.
The design of the new Twingo itself plays the cards of nostalgia from the 90s with the iconic round semi-circular lights that give the car that “smiling” face. But in the RS version, that smile becomes sinister. Widened tracks, massive 18-inch alloy wheels, a more aggressive front bumper with larger air vents (even electricians need cooling!) and the iconic, slightly oversized rear spoiler. All of this is lowered by a few centimeters to literally stick to the asphalt. Inside, you would of course expect deep bucket seats with red stitching and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. This would not be just a car for commuting; it would be your personal therapy.
Conclusion: Will they really make it?
To be perfectly honest, in today's world of corporate Excel spreadsheets and strict cost-cutting, it would seem almost miraculous if Renault actually introduced a model with the "RS" suffix (after all, they renamed the sports division Alpine). It could be called the Alpine A290's baby brother or simply the Twingo Alpine, but for those of us who still have some petrol in our blood (even if we drive on electricity), it will always be the Twingo RS in our hearts. But we've opted for nostalgia this time with the concept. Because Renault is so nostalgic with the Twingo.
Such a car would represent what the market desperately needs today: an affordable, fun and charismatic electric vehicle. We can speculate that the price of such a “sportsman for the masses” would be somewhere between 28,000 and 30,000 euros. Not a small amount of money for a small car, but for a package that offers you unfiltered joy with every step of the pedal, it is actually a bargain. The Twingo RS with a 40-kilowatt battery and 150 horsepower would be proof that the future of motoring may not be as dark and boring as it seems at first glance. It would be a small flame of madness in a world of pure reason. And that is exactly what we want.
