The Twizy is back! But now it's a city runaround from Mobilize

Mobilize, the electric-focussed Renault spin-off, now has its own vehicles. Say hello to the 100-mile-going Duo, and it’s 649-litre cargo-carrying sibling, the Bento.

Yes, both look remarkably similar to the Renault Twizy, but there have been some serious developments since the original two-seater’s launch some 12 years ago.

The two-seater Duo (geddit?) is an electric-only quadricycle featuring the 48V 10.3kWh battery from the Renault Austral. It's only 2.43m long and 1.3m wide, and built from a planet-friendly bunch of recycled plastics and materials. Charging takes about three-and-a-half hours using a Type 2 socket to soak up juice from 20-80 per cent.

Mobilize tells us it recovers energy every time you lift off the gas and we’re also told the suspension’s been configured to deal with the joy of city speed bumps. So the rear passenger shouldn’t feel like Winnie’s mate Tigger back there.

Inside, there are more creature comforts than the OG Twizy ever sported. For starters, a driver airbag comes as standard – a first for quadricycling, so Mobilize tells us – and then there’s the heated driver’s seat and windscreen for the winter months. There’s also washable fabrics and a ‘boombox’ dashboard with simplified button choices, which goes a bold shade of orange in the more premium trim.

Speaking of which, the Duo has three trim levels: 45 Neo, 80 Evo and 80 Pro. The number refers to its top speed in kilometres-per-hour, so the Neo targets French kids of 14 and over, whose parents don’t mind them rolling around the neighbourhoods at a top speed of 28mph. Microcars have been super popular on the continent, as youngsters don’t need a fully blown licence to drive them.

Clearly, the Duo 45 Neo is here to compete with the Microlino, the Fiat Topolino and the Citroen Ami, and in fairness its £7,611 (€9,090) price tag is very competitively judged against the latter two. That said, some of the features like Bluetooth and the heated seat do become optional extras.

For folks who hold a driving licence or have passed their CBT, the Duo 80 Evo and Pro top out at almost 50mph. Both have a slightly better upholstery choice than the Neo, but the Pro takes the connectivity package a bit further – appealing to fleet users by integrating functions like Smart Sharing (a carsharing platform), Geofencing (a digital boundary tool) and Battery Charge Inhibition (a way of remotely immobilising the vehicle to protect the battery).

On the subject of digitally connected stuff, there’s a MyDuo companion app, which enables a digital key with up to six users and visibility on remaining range, location of the vehicle and the user manual.

Price-wise, the Evo starts from £9,717 (€11,600), with features like air con and rear parking sensors on the options list. Meanwhile, the Pro is slightly cheaper at £8,959 (€10,700) but doesn’t come with the fancy orange dash or Bluetooth kit as in the Evo.

Elsewhere, Mobilize is eyeing up the last-mile delivery solution market and tradies with the Bento 80. This ‘microvan’ has a top speed of 50mph too, but a range of almost 93 miles: Mobilize reckons that’s sufficient for the daily needs of such drivers.

It also thinks those customers can capitalise on marketing opportunities by branding up the 649-litre cargo box, which offers one-metre-square capacity. Prices for the Bento 80 start from £8,373 (€10,000), excluding VAT.

On both vehicles, the trendy doors open up like a fly’s wings and the EVs are so compact, three-in-a-line will fit into a conventionally sized parking spot. And while they don’t offer the same filtering flexibility of mopeds, scooters and bikes, there’s something to be said for staying dry.

Jean-Philippe Salar, Design Director, Mobilize, said: “We wanted a vehicle of unique looks, breaking with conventional automotive cues. Duo is robust, simple and tech-centred in design. With its futuristic lines and elytra doors, Duo looks like a space capsule on wheels. Inside the car, the boombox-inspired dashboard is also simple and robust. Duo and Bento deliver a mobile experience that is both memorable and fun.”