Renault Twingo RenaultSport revs up Geneva

Renault and Honda have something in common; the love of tiny high-revving motors. Twingo has now benefited from this love as can be seen at the Geneva Motor Show today. The guys at RenaultSport have decided that Megane and Clio cannot go alone on the fun drive and have to take Twingo along.

Based on the Twingo Concept of Paris 2006, the Twingo RS has a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine that revs quite high, making its peak power at 6,750rpm. How much? A lot by the engine’s size; 133 bhp/ 98kW as a matter of fact. Torque is 160Nm at 4,400rpm, also indicating the desire to be revved high in order to access any meaningful performance.

At the feet of Twingo RS are 195/45 R16 or 195/40 R17 tyres that compliment the car’s aerodynamic spoiler and shiny chromed tailpipe. The car has been stiffened up a little bit to show its sporting ambitions. A 5-speed manual gearbox was thought best for the task at hand, so they included one. Performance brakes and calipers complete the look downstairs.

A new colour to the RS range is Altica Grey which joins the existing colours of Pearlescent Black, Extrême Blue and Platine Grey, and something called Vif Red. Sounds like it should be on a neck scarf.

Market arrival of the Twingo RS is third quarter 2008 in Europe.

Press Release

To round off the Renault Sport range alongside Clio and Mégane Renault Sport, Renault has designed an affordable, high-performance hot hatch with bags of character. Twingo Renault Sport’s compact
proportions and sharp styling embody its fun-to-drive, sporty nature, and are reminiscent of the Twingo Concept show car. Additional cooling for the 133hp normally-aspirated 1.6 litre 16V engine is provided by
a wide Renault Sport air-intake grille in the front bumper. The sculpted side sills, coupled with wider front and rear wings, underline Twingo Renault Sport’s assertive character. At the rear, the chromed exhaust
tail pipe emerges through a two-tone bumper. The foglamp surrounds, wing mirror shrouds, 17-inch alloy wheels and aerodynamic spoiler all sport the same shade of dark metal grey. On request, Renault Sport
decals can be added to the flanks or rear bumper. Inspired by the chequered flag, these designs conjure up the dynamic world of motor sport.

Twingo Renault Sport is fitted with generously-proportioned tyres (195/45 R16 or 195/40 R17) mounted on aluminium alloy wheels. They house substantial brake discs and callipers which provide powerful, durable braking performance. Twingo Renault Sport also introduces a new colour to the Renault Sport range, with the new Altica Grey once again echoing Twingo Concept. Three other metallic shades are available (Pearlescent Black; Extrême Blue and Platine Grey) in addition to Vif Red.

Sports styling inside

The ergonomic driving position conjures the world of racing with features that are centred firmly on the driver: aluminium pedals, and a four-spoke perforated leather steering wheel with dark charcoal stitching and a stitched red marker at the straight ahead point. Not only does this design offer increased comfort, it allows the driver a perfect grip in the ‘ten-to-two’ position. The rev-counter is located directly behind the steeringwheel, echoing racing car design. Employing a specific typeface, the numbers grow in size as the needle approaches the red line at 7,000rpm. Just like in the cockpit of the ING Renault F1 Team’s R28 Formula 1 car, the rev-counter features a gear change alert to warn the driver as the engine approaches maximum revs. The dark charcoal interior trim neatly expresses sporting performance. Offering additional lateral support and with excellent levels of comfort, the specific Renault Sport seats allow the driver to feel at one with the car. The colour of the Blood Orange safety belts matches the contrasting stitching on the upholstery.
As with all cars developed by Renault Sport Technologies, the Renault Sport logo can be found inside the cabin, on the rev-counter, the door sills and the front seats. Outside, the badge features on the rear hatch
and engine air filter.

Combining sports performance with everyday use

With Twingo Renault Sport, the experts at Renault Sport Technologies have conquered two challenges with one car: combining true sports performance with day-to-day driveability. This little high-performance car offers genuine driving enjoyment in total safety. The responsive, balanced chassis uses the excellent Twingo platform, and has been tuned to offer precise, consistent sports handling. ESP is fitted as standard to allow the driver to retain control in slippery conditions. However, the system can be manually deactivated and, combined with the absence of emergency braking assist, this reinforces the car’s sporty character. The assistance of the electric power steering has been tuned to offer sharp, precise response to the driver’s instructions at the wheel. Twingo Renault Sport guarantees powerful, durable braking thanks to ventilated discs and bearings inherited from Mégane II, while the callipers are inherited from the New Laguna.

A composed, balanced platform

Just like all other models in the Renault Sport range, the newcomer offers two chassis options: sports and Cup. On both, track has been widened by 60 mm at the front and 59 mm at the rear compared to Twingo
GT. These modifications improve stability and lateral grip. The front suspension is a pseudo-MacPherson type arrangement, with aluminium lower arms. The adoption of pushrods on the dampers improves the performance of the anti-roll bar for even better body control. Twingo Renault Sport's suspension is based on an H-type programmed deflection rear beam. To improve ride and comfort, the dampers are mounted vertically and coupled with variable rate coil springs. The 24mm diameter rear anti-roll bar (compared to 22.5mm on Twingo GT) brings a stiffness gain of 25%. The anti-roll performance has been calibrated to improve rear-end agility. The set-up of the sport chassis was honed for the best and safest balance between driving enjoyment and performance. Compared to Twingo GT, the chassis features a lower centre of gravity, thanks to a 10mm lower ride height. Stiffer springs (+30% compared to Twingo GT) and uprated dampers (also +30%) add to the car’s sporty handling, while firmer bushing has enhanced suspension performance front and rear. The Twingo Renault Sport sport chassis is also fitted with generously-proportioned tyres (195/45 R16).

A performance-focused Cup chassis

Twingo Renault Sport is also available with a Cup chassis for incisive handling and maximum driving
enjoyment. In this configuration, Twingo Renault Sport offers handling to satisfy the demands of any
enthusiast. This chassis offers optimum body control and its natural home is on the track, where flat
cornering and improved corner speed demonstrate its effectiveness.
The Cup chassis rides another 4mm lower than the sport version, and its lower centre of gravity improves
in-corner performance thanks to reduced weight transfer. Tuned damper settings and higher spring rates
(10% stiffer front and rear) bring greater performance through better body control.
Outside, the Twingo Renault Sport Cup chassis stands out by its Dark Metal Grey 17-inch aluminium
alloy wheels.

A punchy, flexible engine

Twingo Renault Sport is powered by a normally-aspirated 1.6-litre 16V engine (K4M RS) which delivers
133hp (98kW) at 6,750rpm and 160Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. The free-revving engine offers flexible
performance and instantaneous throttle response. At low revs and in the mid-range below 4,500 rpm,
Twingo Renault Sport offers lively, easy performance for everyday use. Beyond 4,500rpm, Twingo
Renault Sport gives full vent to its sporting character with true punchy performance.
The 133hp 1.6 litre 16V engine has been developed from the 1,598cc petrol engine. The improved power
and torque are the result of a number of modifications and improvements to the mechanical components:
- The air filling rate has been improved thanks to a specific throttle valve unit and aluminium plenum
chamber, plus revised diameters and lengths for the air-inlets.

- To improve air intake and facilitate gas flow, research was carried out on the aerodynamics of the
valve seats. The calibration of the camshafts was revised to a longer opening of the valves and higher
lift (11mm compared to an average of 9mm).
- The design of the combustion chamber and piston enables a high compression ratio of 11.0:1, leading
to enhanced combustion and efficiency and reduced harmful emissions.
- The continuously-variable inlet camshaft improves performance right across the rev range. The
actuator varies the timing setting to optimise valve opening and closing.

Sports performance and acoustic enjoyment

The experts at Renault Sport Technologies have worked hard to give the Twingo Renault Sport an engine
note in keeping with its sporting character. The engine noise is minimal at low revs, but builds mid-way
through the rev range to become ‘fiery’ when pushed to its limits.
The four-into-one exhaust manifold, made from thin-walled steel, forms the object of a patent by Renault
Sport Technologies. The technological marvel is to have combined four long steel tubes in such a
restricted space. This architecture offers an excellent trade-off between acoustics, performance and
emissions. Indeed, the engine has been designed to be able to comply with Euro5 legislation.
Twingo Renault Sport is fitted with a revised version of the five-speed manual gearbox (JR5). The
closely-spaced ratios are linked to a fast and precise shift mechanism to favour crisp acceleration in all
gears.

The Renault Sport Technologies entry-level model

Twingo Renault Sport is the latest model in the Renault Sport Technologies range, and will reach market
late in the third quarter of 2008 in Western Europe. This latest example of Renault’s hot hatch prowess
rounds off the Renault Sport family alongside Clio and Mégane Renault Sport.
With nearly 13,000 registrations in 40 countries in 2007, the Renault Sport range registered an increase
in volume of more than 50% compared to 2006. The arrival of the new Twingo Renault Sport will help the
Group expand its presence even further in the hot hatch market. Great Britain is the number one market
for Renault Sport vehicles, and should account for a third of sales. France, Spain, Italy, Germany and
Switzerland are expected to share approximately 55% of registrations.
Optimized production lines
Twingo Renault Sport is produced at Novo Mesto in Slovenia. In December 2007, the site celebrated the
production of its 200,000th vehicle in less than a year. This new record for the Slovenian facility reflects
the commercial success of New Twingo which was launched in June 2007.
The Renault Sport version will be manufactured on the Clio Campus and New Twingo production line.
The three vehicles are based on the same platform, which allowed the facility to adjust quickly to the new
model. Some 80% of manufacturing operations are identical between Clio Campus and New Twingo, 
while 90% are common between Twingo and Twingo Renault Sport. The choice of this production site
also meets the affordability and profitability targets outlined in the Renault Commitment 2009 plan.

Twingo Renault Sport: specification

Exterior design
Specific front bumper with foglamp surrounds
Specific sills
Wider front and rear wings
Two-tone rear bumper with chrome exhaust tail pipe
16- or 17-inch (on Cup chassis) aluminium alloy wheels
Dark metal Grey exterior mirror shrouds, 17-inch aluminium alloy wheels, foglamp surrounds and
aerodynamic spoiler
Specific Renault Sport exterior detailing
Interior design
Dark charcoal interior trim
Chequered-pattern aluminium pedals
Leather steering wheel with integrated thumb rests
Renault Sport rev-counter with gearshift alert
Front seats with additional lateral support, double stitching and Renault Sport logo
Blood Orange seatbelts
Renault Sport logos on door sills
Renault Sport logos on carpet
Dimensions
Overall length 3,607mm
Wheelbase 2,368mm
Width (without exterior mirrors) 1,688mm
Height 1,470mm
Powertrain
1.6 litre 16V normally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, Euro 4-compliant
Maximum power: 98kW/133hp at 6,750rpm
Maximum torque: 160Nm at 4,400rpm
Manual five-speed gearbox (JR5)
Steering
Electric power steering

Suspension

Front: pseudo-MacPherson with aluminium lower arm and integrated anti-roll bar
Rear: programmed deflection torsion beam with coil springs.
Wheels and tyres
16-inch aluminium alloy wheels (195/45 R16)
17-inch aluminium alloy wheels (195/40 R17)
Brakes
Ventilated discs, 280mm at front and 240mm at rear
Callipers: 57mm front, 34mm rear