Not all wind should be embarrasing, Russell Campbell finds out why.
It was mid-pm, and I was waiting at the lights before slipping onto the North Circular when I was struck by what the Renault Wind’s defining feature is - its roof. Nestling under one of Heathrow’s flight-paths, roof down, heater ablaze; the moment had a strong flavour (read,“light aftertaste”) of Top Gun. The low- flying fighters replaced with 747s, the Wind instead of a superbike and in place of Tom Cruise? Erm… me.
Possibly only a day-dreamer like me could come up with such an analogy, or so my mother would say, but I stick by the principle of the fantasy. A single-pivot design - much like a Ferrari 550 Superamerica’s - the Wind’s roof can be raised or dropped in 12 seconds and does not impact on boot space. Thus, transforming it from a snug coupé into an open-top sports car at the drop of its hat.
Roof up or down, it’s a cool, if slightly effeminate-looking machine. With a cheeky front and sporty side profile, the Wind is quite eye catching (although the clever roof gives it a heavy-set look at the rear). And it would benefit from a less apologetic exhaust.
Sheltering with the roof up, the cabin is not an unpleasant place to be. The plastics might not slip under the nose of German quality control, but they’re not half bad. The dash and central console are neat rather than funky. Our Wind came generously specced out with cruise control, automatic wipers and lights, and heated leather seats. There is also an aux plug for your iPhone and a passable stereo. OK the seat is a bit high, and the electric windows laboriously out of reach, but these and the poor rear visibility are the only black marks.
On the motorway, the engine quickly turns strained and the noise at high revs puts you off bending the law - as does the tyre roar from the 17-inch polished alloy wheels - better just to admit defeat and call on the services of the handy cruisecontrol. Opt for the 1.2 litre and it is safe to assume that performance is not a major factor in your choice; where the Wind scores highly is economy. It returns 44mpg on the combined cycle and qualifies for a low tax band (£125 a year). While not earth-shatteringly quick, the addition of a turbo helps the Wind produce 98bhp and 112lb ft of torque, giving it a 0-60mph time of 10.5secs and 118mph flat-out.
It’s just a shame that there’s not enough power to test the chassis. From underneath the Wind is basically a Renaultsport Twingo, meaning it corners flat and true.
The electrical power assisted steering is direct, but lacking in feel, giving little indication of grip at the front wheels. It is this that robs the Wind of the depth of character that is present in rivals such as Mazda’s MX5, although it rarely shows any sign of the scuttle or shake one would expect to generate from chopping the roof off.
Starting at £15,000, the Wind is one of the most economic ways of going topless this summer and having a hard top means it feels as secure as any fixed roof when sunshine turns to snow. It certainly has the edge on the Peugeot 207CC when it comes to eye-catching looks - it’s still quite a rare sight and shod in Glacier White, ours certainly stole some glances. It is hard not to recommend the 1.2. For the money it is a great package. But if character is important to you, we’d take a hit on the mpg and tax rating and plum for the 1.6-litre model. The extra 32bhp will be welcome when it comes to testing the chassis and the noise of the sportier engine will give you more encouragement to do it.
Renault Wind 1.2 TCE Dynamique S
list Price: £15,000
mPG: 44.8mpg
Co2: 145 CO2g/km
0-60mPh: 0-62mph 10.5secs
Top Speed: 118mph
