Renault CLIO 1.5 dCi 100 RANGE
The Concept Of A Diesel Warm Hatch Is One That Buyers Are Increasingly Taking To Heart. Heres Renaults Crack At The Genre The Clio 1.5 dCi 100. By Andy Enright
Automotive niches within niches are now serious business. Warm Hatches - basically slower versions of faster GTi Hot Hatches - were born out of the rocketing insurance premiums of the late eighties but initially received a lukewarm reception from the British car buying public. Of late, however, the Warm Hatch sector has been heated up a good few degrees. As proper Hot Hatches get ever quicker, their less powerful siblings have had to up their game to such an extent that many Hot Hatches of a few years back look decidedly tepid now.
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Nor are the options on offer merely petrol-powered. For proof, check out the car featured here, Renaults Clio 1.5 dCi 100.
This variant is proving popular and the reasons arent difficult to grasp. As well as offering the usual sassy looks with spoilers and alloy wheels, it offers the everyday practicality of a shopping hatch, the fuel economy of a citycar and at last amongst dressed-up diesel superminis a decent level of performance and handling so as not to prove a sheep in wolfs clothing. Factor in low insurance bills and an affordable upfront price and its easy to see why interest in this particular Clio is strong. Other similar superminis have also been well received, with cars like the
Skoda Fabia vRS and the
Vauxhall Corsa SXi DTi both outperforming initial sales estimates.
The Clio dCi range kicked off with 65 and 80bhp versions but this 100bhp car offers genuine overtaking ability. We all know by now that a diesel car performs strongly in the midrange, so at first the Clios 0-60mph time of 10.4 seconds looks so-so. In comparison with its rivals however, this is a very creditable performance, besting cars like the Corsa 1.
7 CDTi, the
Peugeot 206 1.4 HDi and the VW Polo 1.9 TDi100. Accelerating down a motorway on-ramp in the Clio is a revelation, the turbocharged common-rail diesel engine giving a seamless flow of torque thats quite addictive and feels like at least 150bhp of petrol engined car.
Whats more, it emits less carbon dioxide than any of these rivals too, its 113g/km showing making it one of the cleanest cars on the road. A 65.7mpg average fuel consumption figure is similarly difficult for its rivals to beat, rounding out the Clios strong showing. Prices open at £11,200 for the three-door Dynamique version with the five-door model pitching in at £11,800.
Youll need to factor in an additional £500 if you want air conditioning. The plusher Privilege and Initiale five-door models retail at £12,800 and £14,600 respectively.
"Accelerating down a motorway on-ramp in the Clio is a revelation"
The engine seems to be able to offer the best of all worlds. How has
Renault been able to achieve these astonishing figures? By using latest generation hi-tech common rail diesel technology. Without going too deeply into the technicalities, this approach sees fuel squirted directly into the cylinders from a single pipe (the 'common rail') rather than through individual lines. This cleaner, quieter process means a more efficient use of fuel, which in turn leads to better performance and lower fuel consumption. Renault would like you to think of it as the diesel engine that performs like a petrol: certainly at speed, you probably wouldn't be able to tell what was under the bonnet. You may not instantly recognise the styling revisions on the latest Clio when its positioned alongside its predecessor but, take our word for it, they are there. The changes at the front amount to what Renault insist is a bolder, more sporty front bumper that incorporates revised fog-lamp housings on those models deemed posh enough to be equipped with fog lamps. The Dynamique model is one of the chosen few and it accentuates its sporty theme further with a body-coloured sports spoiler to bring up the rear.
Inside, the interior has been similarly warmed over with enhanced materials and extra equipment. The panels on the rear doors are now soft-feel, while the dashboard instruments now mimic the design found in the Megane for a more cutting-edge appearance. Most salient amongst the interior additions is probably the digital screen now mounted on the centre console to supply up-to-the-minute information on the Clios various systems. On the equipment front, the height adjustable drivers
seat is now common across the range and there are rear electric windows on the higher spec models.
There are other minor improvements specific to certain trim levels too but, to keep things concise here, those are probably best discovered by means of the brochure. In true Renault style, safety gets its usual top billing. The previous Clio had already achieved a top four star rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests and builds on that with adaptive intelligent twin front and side airbags with two levels of inflation, depending upon the seating position of the driver and the severity of the impact. For the rear side seats, pretensioners are now combined with 600kg load limiters.
Finally, the latest Clio is equipped with Isofix three-point child safety seat attachments in the rear side seats and the front passenger seat (which is provided with airbag inhibition, should you wish your child to be placed alongside the driver). As long as you dont need to regularly travel five-up, load up with huge amounts of kit or venture off road, the Renault Clio dCi 100 could well be all the car you ever need. Its practical, affordable, reliable, safe, fun to drive and offers a number of big car features that you might not expect to find in a supermini. There are those that may have overlooked the Clio in favour of cars with a few more ahem column inches to their name, but its well worth revisiting this latest version.
Its still a favourite amongst staff in this office, the keys regularly being snaffled in front of more expensive tackle. A diesel warm hatch that youd drive just for the fun of it? As unlikely as it may sound, here it is.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Clio 1.5dCi 100 range
PRICES: £11,200-£14,600 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 10.4s
CO2 EMISSIONS: 113g/km
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 65.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS, Brake Assist WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height [3dr] 3770/1640/1417mm
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