Steve Rogers
drives the new Renault Clio
Renault and a
few others will be rubbing their hands in glee now that Ford has axed the
Fiesta.
The supermini
supreme has been a thorn in the side of its rivals for decades but now is the
time for others to step forward and shine, and Renault is well placed having
just updated Clio.
Clever
advertising in the nineties put Clio in the limelight - remember the Pappa and
Nicole ads - and it went on to become a firm favourite with the Brits racking
up more than 1.1 million sales as well as holding the crown as France’s best
selling car. So has Renault done enough to challenge for that top spot?
This upgrade is
significant, not so much for the refreshed front and back, but for what has
been done inside. Renault promised a quality boost and it has been true to its
word raising the bar and at the same time doing its best for the environment.
You will not
find a scrap of leather, instead surfaces are covered in grained coated fabric
made of recycled polyethylene fibres. A bit of a mouthful but the end result is
that it looks good.
The range is
simple: three models, Evolution £18,095, Techno £19,195 and Esprit Alpine
£20,595 at the top with a hybrid engine.
In days of old,
entry level models were pretty lean on kit but times have changed and it
certainly isn’t the case with the Evolution which is reviewed here. Standard
spec is generous and includes automatic LED lights and rain sensing wipers, all
round electric windows, smartphone links, auto air conditioning, navigation,
rear parking sensors and keyless entry, very useful when hands are full of
shopping.
The cabin looks
to have been stripped out and started again with new everything. As well as
coverings for the seats and trim the dashboard has a fresh design with a
digital driver’s display and seven inch touchscreen. This looks after the
multimedia stuff and navigation but thankfully not the heating which is controlled
by three chunky knobs and couldn’t be easier.
As a small
family car there is a decent amount of room. Rear legroom does not match the
Honda Jazz, which beats everyone, but is more than adequate. Boot space is
among the best in the class but throws up a small problem. The drop from the
boot lip is a foot (30cm if you prefer) which makes life difficult when lifting
heavy objects.
This could be
cheaply resolved with a two level floor, just like the Kadjar SUV. How often do
people use all the boot space anyway?
Driving Clio is
a joy, it's comfortable, the steering is light, it barely leans through bends,
and grip is excellent. Performance from the 3-cylinder engine is typical, it
runs out of steam higher up the rev range but has good low and mid range pick
up so no worries when overtaking.
The best
economy will come from the hybrid Esprit Alpine but that is an extra £2,500 so
if you can make do with around 50mpg I would be inclined to stick with
Evolution or Techno models.
My only issue,
and it is with Renault rather than Clio, is safety. The package for Evolution
is good with emergency braking, traffic sign recognition and lane departure
assist but misses out on blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert which
comes in higher up the chain. The full safety package should be standard, just
like Honda and Volvo.
I have a soft
spot for Renault stretching back 60 years to my parents rear-engined R8. The
family total stands at 25, my contribution is 10 and would probably have been
more had I not had company cars for 30 odd years, only one of which was a
Renault which I bought when the contract was up.
So Clio is neck
and neck with the MG3 as my best small car of the year. Got a bit of thinking
to do!
Fast facts
Clio Evolution
TCe 90
£18,095
999cc petrol
3-cylinder, 90bhp
6sp manual
0-62mph
12.2secs; 112mph
54.3mpg
combined
118g/km. 1st
tax £210
Insurance group
10
Boot: 391-1069
litres
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