Renault CLIO range
Still One Of Britain's Favourite Small French Cars, Renaults Clio Now Deserves Its Sales Success. Vanessa Hinkley Checks Out The Latest Version
If ever a car was aimed at women, it has to be the
Renault Clio. Unless youve been living in a cave for the last few years, you cant have avoided Nicole and Co, the Size Matters campaign and most recently, billboard ads suggested that weve all lost our va va voom. I wont air my personal views on whether size matters, but I have to agree that this little car has had a massive impact on the shape of the supermini market past and present. The most recent version Im testing here is an update of the second generation Clio, a car that broadened this little Gallic runabouts portfolio of virtues.
The original Clio was the kind of car that was fine for short trips around town, but not so good for longer trips; this one is different which suits me much better. With a new Clio, I wouldnt have to keep splashing out on hire cars every time I want to join my friends on a weekender. The current model has a big car feel courtesy, say Renault, of a long wheelbase, which has released extra interior room. Theres also a large glass area - which gives the cabin a light, airy feel.
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Outside, the same theme continues, with a false impression of extra width courtesy of curvy front wings, large headlamps and that unique upright tailgate with its domed glass.
Basically, the interior uses the same layout as the Megane with an even more comfortable driving position. There's a useful eye-level display showing radio and clock information and (on top-spec models) novel top-hinged head restraints. Rear
seat legroom still isn't great - but then few superminis excel in this department. I was impressed to see that a great deal of thought has gone into real world ownership issues. Take the bendy composite front wings, designed to withstand scrapes (you can stamp on them and they still pop back into shape without a scratch). Then there's the long service intervals (two years or 12,000 miles). And an eight-year paintwork warranty one of the longest in the class. 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.
As Ive said, the latest Clio is a much more relaxing cruiser. Renault makes much of the suspension system, borrowed from the larger Megane. Certainly, the ride is absorbent and still soft enough for it to be obvious that you're in a French car. As far as handling is concerned, Id say that Clio is once more at or near the top of the class. It may not feel particularly sporty, but it's easy to place through the bends - even with excellently weighted power steering. If Renault's objective was to create a car you could enjoy driving on motorways and back roads, as well as around town, then they've succeeded. The dCi 65 diesel; engine I tried isnt a bad unit, combining what super low fuel consumption (65.7mpg) and CO2 emissions (115g/km) . Performance isnt that startling though, given that the dCi 65 takes 15.
0s to get from rest to sixty on the way to a maximum of just 100mph. To be fair, it feels a bit perkier than those figures suggest on the road, though its never the kind of engine you really ever want to push hard. More surprisingly, nor is the 75bhp 1.2-litre 16V petrol unit.
If you really want performance, then the story gets better the further up the range you go. I was impressed both by the 110bhp 1.6 and by the 182bhp 2.0-litre.
Renault seems to have a trump card here, given that prices start from £7,875 and specification levels are higher than with virtually all the opposition. All models get things like power steering, central locking, electric front windows, twin front and side airbags and ABS with Brake Assist.
Why not? Maybe the va va vroom thing works after all.
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