Ownership Verified: 2023 Renault Twizy, or: Calimero the amusing commuter egg

[eizbaer]

That's not 7x less, that's 22.4x less.

Neat… at 30sfr why even bother though?

I like how my 10y tax free was declared to me by the authorities. They sent a letter stating 2019-2029: 0€, then from 2029: can’t remember whatever! But what stood out to me: “we will collect the money from your bank account on or after June 3rd 2029”. They already announce that they’re gonna collect those taxes in 10 years…

 

[lip]

By now it's officially not new anymore.

Firstly, because that "km" number is climbing fast...

And secondly, because I got my first beauty spot:

How to do it: Easy, you park up for a short pause, to take a seat on that red bench to eat a sandwich. And after that you step into your Twizy and then you elegantly back up straight into that road sign that has been in your field of vision during the last 10mins but went out of your mind the moment you pressed "R" on the dashboard. "Kaboom!"

Eh, it's only pride and plastic, and anyway, i'm sure it's just the first of many scratches to come, judging by my careless co-cart driving style.

Best car ever! And I mean it!

 

[ninjacoco]

Oof! Hard to notice, at least.

 

[lip]

Today, after three months, the Twizy windows have arrived...

The local Renault Garage got them on, and they are quite a clever design:

The windows are pressed tight to the chassis and under the roof when the doors are closed.

Ah, I can already hear you saying: "but there is a large triangle shaped gap at the rear!" - Yes, but that has to be there because of regulations. Fully enclosed and the Twizy wouldn't be a quad anymore, but a car. And that would mean game over in therms of safety demands. Also the Twizy cannot be airtight or the inside would fog up, as there is no heating. - Btw, that strap you see in the middle of the door was wrongly placed by the garage, it should hang into the inside, not the outside. (I changed this later on).

Anyway, just a few minutes after the assembly, the ordered test rain came rolling in:

Here you see the deliberate gap at the front, allowing air to flow along the inside of the window, but without any of it reaching the driver. To open the door you push against the upper part of the spring steel window frame (where the sticker is) and at the same time you grab the door handle with your other hand. With that the door can lift upwards past the roof:

Btw, the whole window can be mounted/demounted in seconds by just two thumbscrews.

 

[lip]

And here is the everyday setup, with the windows placed in the right door (which I never use), ready to be deployed. - Mounting them takes a stop of just 20 seconds. I measured it.

The fixed velcro strap that was initially designed to hold the rolled-down windows when the are zippered open, workes fine too for holding the windows in place. Btw, the transparent parts of the windows don't touch themselfs or anything else, so they don't get scratched.

Granted, 95% of the time (atleast until fall) I will drive the Twizy open, but it's good to have a cozy thunderstorm-solution at the ready.
Btw, we are at 7000km (4530mi) on the clock!

 

[NecroJoe]

Do the windows stowe in the car anywhere out of the way, in case you get caught in unexpected weather?

 

[narf]

Do the windows stowe in the car anywhere out of the way, in case you get caught in unexpected weather?

Nah, that "shove it next to the second door" is the best you can do.

 

[Matt2000]

They're pretty much the same shape as the lower windows, so Renault could've maybe designed it so they clip in on the inside of each door, upside-down. Still better than the roof on my Freelander, which is removable but you can't store it in the car as it's way too big.

 

[lip]

Nah, that "shove it next to the second door" is the best you can do.

They could be mounted out of sight onto the backseat too, but I like the current way better, as the are easy and fast to deploy from there. - As in like today:

And they will be daily, as the weather tends to be shit (read: rainy) over here for the next whole week too, dammit!

 

[lip]

^ And now it's too hot! LOL

Anyway, we are at 8'500km, done in just 4 months! - Awesome and all, but this also started to cause a problem: My contract with Renault only allowed 10'000km per year or the monthly payments would rise considerably. - I got annoyed by the feeling how this restriction would cut into my daily use and the overall fun for the rest of the year, so I simply used my summer bonus from work and what I got for the S6 together to pay off the Twizy. = It's now 100% mine!

 

[Redliner]

 

[Matt2000]

Seems like a great move, nothing to worry about now you own it. How does the battery situation work now, do you own that too or is it still loaned/leased so you can get a free replacement when the time comes? I'm guessing you'd be keeping it for long enough.

Anyway a Twizy roadtrip is required, so you need a generator to go in the back.

 

[Perc]

You liked the Twizy so much you sold your V10 Audi?

 

[DanRoM]

You drove your Twizy more in four months than I drive my car in a year.

 

[lip]

How does the battery situation work now, do you own that too or is it still loaned/leased so you can get a free replacement when the time comes?

Yes, I now own the whole thing including the battery, there are no ties anymore to Renault. - The good thing is that since Twizys are made since more than a decade, there is a lot of experience around. And it has been shown that the batteries hold on quite well. There are 100'000km Twizys around, in Germany mainly. Overall the battery retains about 80% capacity after 8 years.

But even currently there are 10-, 13- and 20Kw replacement options around, and as soon as the warranty of my Twizy runs out this will be the next goal. There is no need for speed tuning or fast charging because it's fun as heck as it is, just about three times the range would be nice, which a current 20Kw battery will provide, at the same weight as the original one nontheless! = Battery technology has marched on quite a lot inside the last decade!

You liked the Twizy so much you sold your V10 Audi?

Basicly yes: https://forums.finalgear.com/thread...-or-the-howlwagon.3556217/page-6#post-3638575

You drove your Twizy more in four months than I drive my car in a year.

"A garage queen! Alaaaarm!!"

 

[WDWBen]

You drove your Twizy more in four months than I drive my car in a year.

Yup, that's reasonably accurate for me too. Less than 6k miles a year over here.

 

[lip]

^ When I bought the Twizy my estimate was about 5000km per year, just the daily commute and some shopping trips, all rounded up. - Sure, I knew by reading in Twizy owner forums that the little bucket would be quite amusing to drive, but I really had no idea how addictive it would be. - When I made the contract the Renault guy suggested 15'000km straightaway as the yearly limit instead of the usual 10'000km. He knew. I didn't: "This is just for commuting, I will mostly drive my main car otherwise", I insisted in my naivety, "so 10'000km is more than enough!"... "Ok", he said...

Yeah, well, those estimated 5'000km's were gone in just 2 months, and I'm going to break the 10'000km mark inside the first week of September (not even 4 1/2 months after the purchase), I'm sure.

 

[NecroJoe]

^ When I bought the Twizy my estimate was about 5000km per year, just the daily commute and some shopping trips, all rounded up. - Sure, I knew by reading in Twizy owner forums that the little bucket would be quite amusing to drive, but I really had no idea how addictive it would be. - When I made the contract the Renault guy suggested 15'000km straightaway as the yearly limit instead of the usual 10'000km. He knew. I didn't: "This is just for commuting, I will mostly drive my main car otherwise", I insisted in my naivety, "so 10'000km is more than enough!"... "Ok", he said...

Yeah, well, those estimated 5'000km's were gone in just 2 months, and I'm going to break the 10'000km mark inside the first week of September (not even 4 1/2 months after the purchase), I'm sure.

A stupid comparison, but it reminds me of my lawnmower. This little 11" lightweight thing is so much fun to toss around compared to the 18" beast I used to have, and I mow the lawn so much more often.

 

[lip]

Aaaand done! - 10'000km (6214mi) in just 4.5 months!

 

[Matt2000]

Congratulations! Based on that you've averaged 2.96km/h, or the equivalent of riding the same distance at the top speed of this electric kids motorbike.

Any data on how much juice you used and overall cost in that time? Knowing that electricity was often free it would be interesting.