Review of the new Renault Wind range

You have to sympathise with any designer tasked with creating a small car featuring a folding hard-top roof. Making a slab of metal seamlessly disappear beneath a vehicle's bodywork is one thing. Accommodating it and the mechanism that makes the magic happen, without compromising interior space or exterior style, is quite another.

The smaller the car, the bigger the problem, which goes some way to explaining the tin-topped horrors we've seen emerge from perfectly well-respected design studios in the past. When Renault hinted that it was considering a tiny convertible based on its Twingo citycar, many in the automotive world winced but could the intelligently designed Wind provide a breath of fresh air in the compact cabriolet market?

Renault set out to create a fun little car with an energetic feel and a reasonable level of practicality. The Wind, we're led to believe, is that car. In a bid to avoid the issues faced by small convertibles attempting to cram-in a four-seater cabin, the Wind is a straight two seater - one with as much practicality as most citycar drivers will ever need and the added benefit of a removable metal canopy for those rare days when the rain holds off.

A couple of lively engines have been earmarked for service in the Wind. The entry-level option is a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit badged TCe. With 100bhp and torque of 135Nm at 3,500rpm, it promises zippy performance of the type it achieves in Renault's Twingo. The other option is the 1.6-litre petrol unit that powers the Twingo Renaultsport and here there's a full 133bhp available. This engine is the one to go for if you like to hear a saucy engine note when your convertible's roof is stowed. It features an exhaust system that's specially modified for just the right amount of acoustic titillation. Torque from this non-turbo engine is rated at 160Nm at 4,400rpm.

"Renault has gone about fashioning its Wind convertible in an impressively intelligent manner"

The design of the Wind is rather clever. Most small convertibles have rear seats but a lack of space means people looking to sit in them will usually need to unscrew both legs beforehand. They could store these extraneous limbs in the boot for the duration of the journey but that's only if there's any luggage space to speak of. The complex roof mechanism has to fold down into rear of these cars and tends to impinge on capacity back there.

Renault's solution was to axe the rear seats completely, creating a shorter cabin that can be bridged by a smaller, simpler roof mechanism. There's plenty of space for a pair of occupants and a 270-litre boot capacity that's virtually unheard of in a convertible this size. The roof itself is straightforward and effective: it retracts in just 12 seconds, pivoting back to stow itself below the boot lid. It means that the amount of available luggage space is unaffected whether the Wind's cabin is open to the elements or sheltered.

The Wind's simple roof design has also helped its styling. It's a small car at just 3,830mm long, but unlike many other compact convertibles, it doesn't need an extended rear end to fit a large and complex canopy in. The Wind isn't the most elegant drop-top on the road but Renault has given it a foursquare stance and a certain nuggety aggression. Inside, there are sports seats lending good lateral support and the instruments are housed in metallic cowls with chrome detailing to provide some extra sense of occasion.

Renault is touting the Wind as a 'Coupe-Roadster' which sounds a bit better than 'convertible citycar'. It's available in two mainstream trim levels, Dynamique and Dynamique S, and there's a decent safety specification on all models. Front and side airbags are standard. So is an ABS system with Brake Assist and Renault has also thrown in ESC stability control. In Dynamique S guise, steering wheel controls for the CD stereo are added along with automatic lights and wipers, Bluetooth connectivity and 17" alloy wheels. Owners can customise their car with a range of accessories from chrome mirrors to a rear diffuser.

The market for small convertibles is on the up and the Renault Wind will not be short of competition. It will need to out-do supermini-based products like the Peugeot 207CC and the MINI Cabriolet and Renault also claims to be gunning for sportier models in the mould of the Mazda MX-5 Roadster-Coupe.

The sprightly petrol engines that power the Wind promise reasonable economy figures but there's no unit that will deliver the ultra-low fuel consumption of a leading citycar. Renault has preferred to keep things moderately sporty and resisted the urge to give the Wind a diesel engine.

Folding hard-top cars with modest dimensions are a real headache for designers but Renault has gone about fashioning its Wind convertible in an impressively intelligent manner. The roof arrangement is simple but effective, the car looks well-proportioned and practicality looks strong despite the lack of rear seats. That two-seater thing will be a hang-up for some buyers but the kind of rear seats you get in other small hard-top convertibles are rarely used for anything but storage anyway and the Wind gains a sizable boot as consolation.

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