The new Renault Clio: Badge Proud!

The Renault Clio has been around for more than 20 years and every version produced has that "je ne sais quoi" that caused this french supermini to sell like hot cakes. Looking at the new Clio, it's obvious that Renault has spent a lot of time to create the distinguished looks of their new car. Back in the day the Clio was offered in the most basic version "RN" for people on a budget up to the luxurious "Baccara" with full leather interior. The new Clio follows the same trend. The car we drove was a top of the range Dynamique S Medianav with the 90 bhp diesel engine featuring Stop&Start technology.

EXTERIOR: The front of the new Clio looks as bold as a prototype, it's dominated by an oversized badge, huge headlights and a smooth bonnet. Despite being now sold only in 5 door form, the profile has a single door handle on show so that the car looks like a sporty 3 door. The back door's handle is concealed in the C pillar like in a Citroën DS4. The door sills have a gloss black protection with chrome insert, a very modern touch. The back is very individual with smart horizontal lights and a gloss black diffuser-like insert on the lower bumper. Our Clio was painted in Flame Red just like the one on the Renault brochure.

INTERIOR: The new Clio is worlds apart from the previous generation. Our test car matched the exterior with a red dashboard, red upholstery and red door panels, it looked like a show car. The R-Link multimedia system worked really well and it connected very quickly to my phone and also streamed music and displayed track names on a 7 inches touchscreen without the need of cables. The radio had Bass Reflex speakers but it didn't sound as good as the optional Sony unit found on some Fiestas. The instruments were clear with a neat digital speedometer and trip computer.

DRIVING: The 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine is very eager and feels quicker than figures suggested yet it easily returns 60mpg on a combined circle and shows 80mpg at motorway speeds. The car is very quiet at any speed with a well subdued engine noise but there is a remarkable wind noise around the wing mirrors which might be a niggle of an early demostrator. The steering felt quicker than old Clios even with our heavy diesel engine. The gearstick felt tight and less notchy than usual Renaults. Our test car had fantastic looking 17 inches alloy wheels and low profile tyres but the ride was never uncomfortable.

PRICES: The new Clio prices start at £10,595 for the 1.2-litre petrol in Expression trim and every new Clio comes with the 4+ Package which includes Warranty, Roadside Cover, Servicing and Finance Package for 4 years. Even the most basic version is well kitted and the interior and exterior of the new Clio can be personalized to your heart's content. The "Colour Collections" allow you to match your steering wheel surround to the alloy wheels and so on. However we found the choice of 7 body colours a bit limited without a shade of green or a metallic blue.

VERDICT: With the new Clio, Renault have played all their cards right. Its aggressive looks make it stand out from the other competitors. The quality interior is stylish and features all the latest technology. It's also comfortable with plenty of space and a 300 litre boot. The new Clio is great fun to drive and handles well with limited body roll. It's not perfect but it's definitely up there amongst the best in its class. MG