ANYONE over the age of 25 look away now - this is a youth car alert. If the diminutive but sporty looks and bonnet stripes hadn't given it away, then the advertising accompanying the Renault Twingo should have done the trick. The word cool' appears in the promotional literature and one of Apple's more successful products also features heavily. Only those wearing the right kind of trousers will be allowed in.

At least that's the marketing-speak, but there are plenty of reasons why you should be interested in Renault's new baby. For a start, any car that checks in at 3.6m long is worth investigating - small cars are more important than ever as well as being far more useful and versatile. If you've not experienced cars like the Twingo recently then you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

It may only have two doors, but the Twingo is designed to seat four in comfort. The front seats are for grown-ups, have decent support and are comfortable on long journeys. The rears are not far behind either, helped by a sliding mechanism to adjust the balance between boot space and legroom. Fold the rear seats altogether and you have a diminutive van ready for any occasion.

It may be aimed at those with a limited attention span, but the cabin is actually rather grown up. A son-of-Clio dashboard with a two-tone look is simple but sturdy, while the column-mounted rev counter is a nod to fun-loving cars past and present. Two engines are available with the Twingo, but the 1.2-litre TCE turbocharged unit is installed in the higher specification GT as standard.

The 100bhp on offer is spot on for a car weighing 980kg and with mildly sporting pretensions, and it makes the Twingo a sprightly car to drive. The turbo delivers a broad spread of torque rather than high rev punch, but that means little effort is required however much of a hurry you are in. The five-speed gearbox has shorter ratios in the GT for added pep, but motorway cruises are still comfortably affairs.

The GT also gets stiffer sport suspension which does add a degree of firmness to the ride. It's far from uncomfortable, though the standard model would suit those not interested in tearing up B-roads. Its size lends it a healthy dose of agility and although the relatively numb steering means the Twingo is not as much of an entertainer as some rivals, the peppy engine and lack of weight means fun is certainly on the menu.

Comfort can often be left off the standard equipment list in a car this size, but longer journeys should hold no fear. Refinement levels are more than adequate, and it is a rare occasion that the Twingo betrays its small car status.

Whether the Twingo is the car for you depends on a couple of factors. The main one is its three-door only status, the other is the Fiat Panda 100HP. Its arch-rival from Italy comes with five doors as standard, looks superb and is a hoot to drive, but it can't match the quality of the Twingo or its interior versatility. In truth we should be thankful for the fact that the big guns are putting their efforts into producing small cars of this quality.