We've got two representatives of from the A-segment here today, familiar cars. And what's the news?
In this case, it's the Twingo. Both cars were launched in 2014, but the Twingo received a facelift recently.
A slightly different front, a few changed exterior and interior parts, and the engines have been updated. The 70 horsepower-engine...
received some additional horsepower. The Peugeot 108 however, hasn't been changed in all those years. Only the engine was updated.
Last year, it received some additional horsepower as well. Both these cars are incredibly popular for private lease,
because a low monthly cost and low fuel costs. But you could also buy them yourself, despite they're not cheap anymore.
The Twingo has been around since the early nineties, and the first two were completely different cars.
Especially the first one, which was very ingeniously. Almost like a mini-MPV. This however, is completely different.
The new version has received a facelift. As I already mentioned, the biggest changes are the front and the different headlights.
It now has C-shaped headlights, which double as indicators. At the side over here, there's a cooling vent for the engine.
Apparently, it needs more are then before. Therefore a vent. What's a big difference with the other Twingo's, is that this...
is based on the Smart ForFour. Or they're building it together. That means the engine is all the way at the back. A very different concept.
So the engine is back here. What's new as well is that the lock for the bootlid is now here, instead of underneath the license plate.
That's easier. The engine is underneath here, and it heats up the boot. You shouldn't put your hand on here, that's too hot.
What I find remarkable however, is that it's mounted shut with six bolts. If you only want to check the oil, you've got to remove them all.
If you're boot is full with groceries or anything, it's going to be quite the challenge to fill up on oil.
The 108 is part of the Aygo/C1/108-family, but it's the best-seller of the group. It hasn't changed a lot in the five years it's been available.
Previously, you could also get a 1.2-litre engine. However, only a 1.0-litre is available for the 108. It's gained a few horsepower over the years...
and it's available as a GT-line, as we have it here. That gives it nicer wheels, a black roof and black mirrors and a fake exhaust.
I'd love to show you the seating in the back, but as you can see the seat is in my position. Unfortunately, I can't get behind myself.
Luckily, that's not necessary because I'm driving. But still. They're small cars without a lot of space. They're not the most...
biggest in the segment. Just look at the boots, which are around 200 litres. They've got rivals which offer more.
When you get in, you immediately notice the seating position is higher. This car is eight centimetres higher than the Peugeot.
However, it's a little difficult that the seat is very close to the floor. So the seating position is a little weird as well.
It's not necessarily a bad position, but it's different. The drive itself... Right, the engine is at the back. Yesterday was windy,
and it's very prone to sidewinds. Despite the sidewind-assistant. The high, narrow body combined with the rear-wheel drive and engine...
at the back, that it's very prone to sidewinds. The steering itself feels light and playful.
It's been disconnected from the drivetrain and you notice that. Especially when you're turning. It has an incredibly small turning circle.
You can almost turn the wheels 180 degrees, or so it feels. It's remarkably small, which is handy for parking or city driving.
I already mentioned the additional horsepower, but they're only available at higher RPM's.
Both the power and the torque, so you won't notice that as much when you're driving around normally.
I think they've changed up the specs to make the engine a bit more economical. According to the numbers, it uses one litre less per 100 km.
So it's become more economical, which has reduced the CO2-emissions. Right. In both cars, looking back is a little difficult because of the...
seats with integrated headrests. In this case, the C-pillars are pretty wide as well, so it can prove to be difficult in the city.
The advantage of the rear mounted engine is that you almost can't hear it. It's so far away from you, that you can only hear a slight buzzing noise.
But it's more silent than the Peugeot. It has a very simple radio, but when you download the R'N'Go-App and connect your phone with Bluetooth,
you can control lots of car functions through your phone. You can use it as a radio display, rev counter, engine temperature gauge,
fuel gauge... You can check everything on your phone. Even satnav. You can click it into a standard holder which is very solid.
I think that's a very clever system, because you don't have to pay extra for an expensive multimedia system.
But you do get your own screen within reach which lets you use all of the functions.
Safety systems aren't incredibly common in the A-segment, and these cars don't pose an exception.
You can get Lane Departure on this, but it's an optional extra. It doesn't have any other safety features available.
The dashboard of the Twingo still looks bright and sparkly. Especially because of the colors. Which you're able to choose yourself by the way.
What also stands out is that the doors have fabric on them from top to bottom, which gives a warm impression.
So it's still good after five years.
When it comes to the seating, you notice that this car just sits better than the Twingo. This seat is adjustable in height.
It's adjustable in the Renault as well, but both cars don't have adjustable passenger seats. So some passengers will be too high up.
Anyway, it has a better angle for the legs because the seat is a little higher up from the floor.
That's a big advantage. The dashboard is very comparable with the Twingo, especially when it comes to materials and finishing.
In this case, it's a tad more luxurious. We have bigger screen with satnav and MirrorLink. This car also seems to have cruise control,
according to this lever, but don't be fooled. It's only a limiter. If I set it to the maximum allowed speed, I can put my foot all the way down,
but it won't go faster than 80 km/h. So that's nice, you don't have to keep eye on the speed anymore.
However, you do have to keep your foot on the throttle to remain at the right speed. So I don't understand why there's no cruise control.
The 108 has some buttons on the steering wheel as well. Speaking of the wheel, it's only adjustable in height, just like in the Twingo.
What stands out in this interior is this metal on the inside of the doors. On the other hand, it's allowed in this segment. It looks bright,
just like the red elements on the dash. Also, this is a GT-line which has more trim than the base version. But you should expect that from this price.
When you're driving, you notice that this has better springs. Especially when you encounter bad road surfaces. The Twingo tends to get bouncy,
but this is smoother. That's very pleasant when you encounter bad surfaces more often. On the motorway, the difference is very small.
The difference being that this car is less prone to sidewinds. Also, there's more calmth in this on the motorway.
However, the motorway isn't the place for cars like this to begin with. You notice that they start making a lot of noise. Wind noise,
tire noise... You have to turn up the radio to be able to hear it and you notice that the engines need to work a lot harder.
That means the fuel consumption will rise progressively, so you won't be able to do 21 km per litre.
So if you're driving on motorways a lot, you'll notice that they start using much more fuel than when they were in the city.
The 108 also has limited safety systems. You can get Lane Departure Warning on here and Active City Stop,
so it'll detect pedestrians and bicyclists. It will brake automatically if you fail to spot them.
But that's about it. So it's pretty basic.
Enginewise, there aren't a lot of differences. It's powered by an atmospheric 1.0-litre 3-cylinder connected to a manual 5-speed.
What stood out to me is that it had some difficulties to get in reverse. I really had to try a few times or even drive a bit forward...
only to reverse again. Not always as smooth. Performancewise, this produces 72 horsepower whilst the Twingo produces 73, so not...
a big difference. It almost has 100 Nm of torque, so it's fine for driving around the city, but when you're going for long...
distances on the motorway, you'll notice the engine will have some power-difficulties.
We recently did an article in our magazine about the A-segment, and that it seems to be going extinct.
Take these two for example. Peugeot has already said there probably won't have a successor. And the Twingo, well. Smart is going electrical,
So that joint-venture will end as well. Also, cars like this are becoming more and more expensive, because all of the mandatory safety systems.
So they're all factors in play. Speaking of prices, I was really shocked when I saw the price tags of these cars.
This particular car costs more than €17.000, and the Twingo is over €15.000 as well. But that's still €2.000 cheaper.
Anyway, you get more kit in here. Built-in satnav, rear-view camera, climate control, so it's a more luxurious car.
You could get a simpler version. So we'll have to tally up the points in the magazine-test.
I think the Peugeot has a slight advantage here. The drive, the slightly more alive engine and the interior space...
might make it the winner.