Renault Twizy Life 80 - unlike anything you've driven

What if we like the idea of ​​an electric car, but would like to have a small car for the city - and not spend too much money on it? Buy Twizy! But is it still a car?

Electric vehicles are a serious competitor to cars with internal combustion engines. These types of drive systems are gradually becoming mainstream - in just a few years, probably every manufacturer will offer such vehicles. At least one.

Although "electricians" are usually referred to in the future, they are driving the streets right now. Most of them are still ordinary cars, but with a different power source. However, while they are much more expensive than cars with internal combustion engines.

Capsule from the future

Renault Twizy has been offered for 6 years now. During this time, little has changed - it still remains the vehicle of the future. Such a different appearance certainly makes him stand out, and such low popularity allows him to maintain a cosmic character.

It's hard not to stand out in this car. It catches the eye of almost everyone. Most people will find it difficult to categorize it. What's this? Kick scooter? Automobile? Although this is a car by homologation, I would rather say that it is something in between.

The moment you get out of the car is even more impressive. Doors open up - just like in a Lamborghini or BMW i8. However, this is not just a stylistic element. Thanks to these doors, we can get out of the car even in the narrowest parking space.

Twizy doesn't have external door handles. To get inside, you need to pull the slider (this is how the foil “windows” open), pull the handle and lift the door up a little - the drive will help later. If the door does not open, it is necessary to pull the seal from above - this is not a defect, this is a feature. If we don't want rain to get in, we just slide the seals back in.

Mirrors are also adjusted "manually". There is no mechanism here, you just have to click on them until you get the look you want.

Twizy is available in two versions - Life and Cargo. First for two. The passenger sits behind the driver. The second is for one person. The passenger seat is reserved for the trunk.

The driver's seat is quite comfortable already because it is ... plastic. The adjustment range covers only one plane - back and front. Height cannot be set. Getting into the driver is not difficult - he can sit down from any side that he likes. The passenger is faced with a difficult task - ideally, the driver should get out and move the seat forward. On the one hand there are fasteners for seat belts, which also makes landing difficult.

The steering wheel is not adjustable. On its left side there are two buttons - emergency lights and gear shift buttons. Above them there is a storage compartment, which is also on the other side of the dashboard - this one is already locked with a key. The speed at which we are driving is shown on a small display in front of the driver.

And that's all - a small car, little is visible.

Time for a trip. We start the engine by turning the key, but for movement we have to remove the lock, resembling a handbrake. What is the castle for? Twizy is just as easy to get to as a scooter. Therefore, it is the only form of anti-theft protection other than signaling. The lock can only be released when the brake is applied.

How are you!

The Renault Twizy engine produces 11 hp, but for people with an AM-only driver's license, a 5 hp version is also provided. The maximum torque is 57 Nm and - like an electrician - is available in the range from 0 to 2100 rpm.

Twizy's ride is... strange at first. We press the gas pedal and nothing happens. It doesn’t get better any further - the delay in the reaction to gas is very long. However, we quickly get used to it. Likewise with braking. Compared to conventional cars, the Twizy brakes very badly. And yet we can develop with it up to 80 km / h! Acceleration to 45 km / h here takes 6,1 seconds.

Twizy has neither ABS nor traction control - you have to figure it out yourself. So in this car, you have to anticipate - braking should start early enough. You have to push the pedal really hard, it's hard, but I don't know if Twizy "understands" what "emergency braking" is.

The Twizy responds sluggishly to the gas and brakes slowly and corners rather hard. Steering without power steering, it is hard. The turning radius is also not so small - at least from the point of view of such a baby it seems that it could be smaller.

Added to this suspension — very stiff. Passing through speed bumps at speeds of more than a few km/h causes the axles to bounce. The inequalities we don't see in cars are doubled in Twizy.

And yet the ride on the Twizy is insanely enjoyable. Everyone is looking at him, and you feel closer to everything - you hear cars, people talking, wind, birds singing. On quieter streets, only the piercing noise of the electric motor is heard - and this is not enough to prevent pedestrians from getting under the wheels.

However, while everything to do with driving is "this type has it" stuff, and the lack of any point of reference makes it seem like the Twizy couldn't have been made any other way, there are a few downsides as well. For example, a door does not cover the entire "window" space. So when driving fast, you constantly hear how they hit the body, and when it rains, water seeps inside a little. A little - you can safely ride in the rain, but we will not say that we are 100% protected from rain.

The car is really small. There is very little space in it - after all, it is only 2,3 meters long, 1,5 meters high and 1,2 meters wide. It's smaller than Smart! Weighs only 474 kg.

However, this makes it very convenient. We will park it literally everywhere. Where other cars park in parallel, we can park them perpendicularly and still not stick around.

Charging is possible from a household outlet and takes 3,5 hours. Only from a household outlet. The manufacturer suggests that we will drive 100 km on a full battery in the urban cycle. Enough to travel to and from work. In practice, the range was more often 60-70 km, but fell much more slowly than the number of kilometers traveled. The brake energy recovery system works quite well.

But is Twizy safe to ride? Certainly more than a scooter. It has a solid construction, seat belts and a driver's airbag. There will be nothing for us in the city bumps.

cheapest electric

Prices for Renault Twizy in the tested two-seat version start at PLN 33. This price applies to a car with the possibility of renting a battery - to this amount you must add up to PLN 900 per month. Twizy with its own battery costs PLN 300. For an electric car, this is not much.

Renault Twizy with luggage compartment is more than 4 zlotys more expensive. zloty The highest battery rental plan allows you to drive up to 15 km per year. km. This model is aimed at people who want to transport cargo - and at the same time be able to park on every corner. However, the same people may have a problem with the range being too small for such a “delivery” vehicle.

Is it still too early?

Renault Twizy delivers a lot of driving pleasure. Not because it's comfortable or sporty to drive, but because it's the center of attention wherever it goes. In addition, driving it is not like driving any other mechanical vehicle - we are already happy with its uniqueness.

Twizy showed a vision of the future of individual transport 6 years ago. Only this future has not yet arrived, and he, like Nostradamus, foresees new visions of the world in which there is a place for him.

This is a great toy that is practical in the city. If I didn't know what to do with my surplus money, I would buy a Twizy and enjoy the ride like a kid. But until we find an alternative to the car in it, it will be difficult to meet on the road. Just like now.

Maybe it's time for a second, equally different, but more practical generation?