The Renault Clio- Just the Va Va Voom You Need

Va va voom, a French expression that lends to excitement, flair and passion, an expression embedded within Renault. Renault became design kings in 2004 with the reveal of its magnificently quirky Megane hatch; with its Beyonce rear and crisp front end, it remained one of the better looking hatches for many years, not even outdone by its younger brother.

The new Clio changed that and upped the stakes in the hatch styling department.

What we have here is brand new Clio, but not any Clio, a turbo charged Clio. Okay, so it’s only a 66kw 899cc 3 cylinder turbo charged plant, but it’s a turbo nonetheless.

It’s not going to set your pants on fire, but most would have a hard time differentiating between this and a 1.4 litre four-cylinder engine on the open road. Add a whole bunch of fuel saving and eco benefits and you’re starting to see the point of it.

While its Eco mode softens the Clio’s responses into a stupor, we chose to rather keep to the Normal mode and enjoy the sound of that flavourful blown three-cylinder. While we averaged around 5.6l/100km in normal road use, in Eco mode Renault claims the Clio is the most frugal in its category at 4.5l/100km.

The Clio features a low inertia turbo that helps produce that 66kW and 135Nm of torque at 2500rpm. Some 90% of maximum torque is available from a lowly 1650rpm resulting in very little noticeable lag at altitude, while acceleration is fairly modest for its diminutive cubic capacity.

Renault has a wealth of experience with turbocharging small-capacity engines, expertise no doubt derived from its involvement in Formula One in the late 1970s when the French team was first to introduce forced induction technology to the world motorsport spectacle.

Chrome door sills, DRLs and some more chrome; it all sounds a little too backyard tuner, but the design works really well. Sporty rear shoulders, laden C-pillar and an expensive front end all work very well to give the Clio a sense of drama and dynamism. It lacks the boldness of the previous generation Megane, but it definitely stands out from the crowd.

Moving indoors, the Clio is also the only hatch at this price point that offers ESP, traction control, satellite navigation and LED daytime running lights as standard features. Apart from these USPs, one can add a host of regular luxury features to its impressive specification list, which includes dual front and side airbags that helped it earn a five-star EuroNCAP rating and the title of Best in Class for 2012 in the City Car category.

While some may have concerns that the piano black centre console might scuff easily after a prolonged period and the iPad-like housing visually breaks the flow of the central facia design, it dominates the facia and features a seven-inch colour Media Nav touch screen, the climate control and audio functions plus telephone functionality. The Nav system is intuitive and its functions are clear and easy to navigate. It was developed in partnership between Renault, LG, Navteq and Navgo. Renault SA says that as the navigation maps get outdated through the life of the vehicle, Clio owners will be able to download new road networks and locations via a USB stick from the Renault Maps website.

The real question is, though, does it drive as good as it looks?

A Renault just wouldn’t be a Renault without class leading handling and the Clio certainly does not disappoint.

There’s ample traction grip, composure and compliance for its size and the new hatch now sits 45mm closer to the ground than its predecessor. It’s not as sharp as the Fiesta and the steering is typically over assisted for ease of manoeuverability, lacking both substance and feel and if we’re being honest, the gearbox linkages could be firmer, too.

That said, it still handles magnificently well easily munching up corners. Hit an apex just right and the Clio pulls itself out of the corner to the outside line with little input from the drive. Point, squirt and hold on.

Even though the Clio is in the bottom segment of hatchbacks, competing against the likes of Micras and Minis, it feels more grown up than the competition.

The standard spec list is fairly impressive as well, not just for its class, but for any vehicle. It has a few flaws, most noticeably in the handling department, but value for money, it’s certain to please the most discerning owner.

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