The Motoring Guide Southern Cape recently had the pleasure of test driving the car for a few days and from the first impression to the last day we enjoyed the experience.
From close up, the new Clio is even prettier than you thought - inside and out. The attraction of the new design is that it looks sporty enough for the aspiring boy racers, but for every taut racing line there is a seductive curve and fine finishing that will appeal to female drivers.
BACKGROUND
Clio is celebrated as one of Renault's top-selling cars - over 12 million since Clio I debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 1990. One year after its launch, Clio I clinched the 1991 European Car of the Year title and again with Clio 3 in 2006. In South Africa, Clio 2 was awarded Car of the Year in 2000 with Clio 3 a Car of the Year finalist in 2006 and 2007.
It was the first car in its category to obtain four star, then five star Euro NCAP rating.
The latest Clio has followed the tradition of winning awards since its launch in late 2012 including: the 2012 Golden Steering Wheel Award in Germany for Small Cars, European Car of the Year Finalist 2013, Best Production Car of the 2012 at the Paris Motor Show, one of the top 3 Most Beautiful Cars of 2012 Award and a 2013 World Design Car of the Year Finalist.
LOOKS
The new Clio's sporty, coupé-like silhouette is accentuated by the integrated rear door handles while the ratio of wheel to vehicle has been adjusted for a more dynamic look. The lower ride-height benefits the car's aerodynamics while pronounced shoulder lines make the fourth generation new Clio even more visually distinctive and appealing.
Front-end styling featuring a Renault logo more prominent than previously set bold and upright on the radiator grille against a gloss black background makes the new Clio's sporty silhouette recognisable. While the exterior styling suggests coupé, all three variants have five doors with the rear door handles concealed.
New Clio stands 1 448mm high, is 4 062mm in length, 1 732mm wide (excluding mirrors) and sits 45mm closer to the ground than its predecessor.
A steeply raked windscreen adds to its dynamic look and feel as does the improved one-third glass to two-thirds body ratio when new Clio is seen from the side.
INTERIOR
The inside is modern, welcoming and ergonomic with a neatly sculpted dashboard. Designed to complement the exterior styling and with finely appointed detail through the cabin, new Clio's interior inspires strength and confidence combining beauty with functionality.
Features include an optimally positioned central interactive tablet console with a host of multimedia functions, a digital speedometer, the use of plush, hi-tech materials throughout and comfortable seating make for a modern, ergonomic design.
There is a generous level of onboard technology and all are practical, easy-to-use and logically where one would expect. There is multimedia and standard smart features including: cruise control with speed limi-ter, Bluetooth connectivity for audio streaming, hands-free telephony, USB connectivity, onboard computer, Renault keycard and Hill Start Assist.
ENGINE EXPERTISE
This is Renault's first turbo-charged, 3-cylinder petrol engine, an all-aluminium 66kW Turbo boasting performance equivalent to that of a normally-aspirated 1,4 litre 4-cylinder engine. Thanks to Renault's engineering excellence and expertise in powertrain development, the new 66kW turbo engine boasts amazing power and torque for a low capacity engine: 135Nm at 2 500rpm with peak power output at 66kW at 5 250rpm.
EFFICIENCY
Low running costs are thanks to careful tuning and new technologies to enable an optimised version with taller gear ratios for fuel consumption of 4,5 litres per 100km and CO² emissions of 105g/km.
Stop-start technology means there is zero emission and zero consumption when the vehicle is stationary while Energy Smart Management (ESM) recovers the kinetic energy produced by the vehicle when decelerating or braking via the alternator and stores it in the battery.
Thus electrical use is powered directly by the battery and have a low impact on fuel consumption. The stored energy is also used to restart the vehicle.
RANGE
Renault's new Clio line-up comes in three variants with the mid Expression and upper Dynamique models powered by the new 3-cylinder 66kW Turbo petrol engine.
The chic entry level is a 55kW Authentique 5-door, then there is the upgraded 66kW Turbo Expression 5-door and the top-of-the-range sporty 66kW Turbo Dynamique 5-door.
Class-leading standard equipment across the trio includes: ABS, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), ESP, Hill Start Assist,
cruise control and speed limiter, driver, passenger and side (head/chest-level) airbags, on-board computer, LED daytime running lights, electric defrosting wing mirrors, electric front windows.
ACTIVE SAFETY
Renault Clio was the first car in its class to obtain a five star EuroNCAP rating. The new Clio's electronic architecture was designed to ensure that the latest-generation protective systems are triggered even sooner and the result was a 5-star EuroNcap Best-in-Class for new Clio.
With an overall scoring of 85%, the car is at the top of its segment and obtained the maximum score for three out of the four evaluation criteria: child protection, pedestrian protection, safety equipment and adult protection.
For enhanced safety and driving pleasure, all new Clio engines incorporate Hill Start Assist connected to an ESP system which is standard across the range.
Additional active safety features include ASR traction control, ABS, EBD and EBA as well as electric variable-rate power steering and cruise control plus speed limiter. New features are the 'motorway-mode' indicators, which are an extremely practical feature that produce three flashes of the indicator when preparing to overtake by lightly moving the indicator stalk.
PASSIVE SAFETY
In the event of a head-on impact, the Clio's occupants are protected by four high-efficiency airbags - two front and two side - as well as seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters. Thanks to the overall design of its structure and to the availability of three-point ISOFIX child seat anchorage for the front passenger seat and outer rear seats, New Clio's child protection rating figures are among the best in the B segment.
Meanwhile, Fix4sure technology is a Renault innovation that has been developed to combat 'submarining' where passengers slide beneath their seat belt in a head-on impact. All occupants of a new Clio are now protected against this phenomenon thanks to a special hump in seat cushions as well as the low position of the seat belt buckles.
CONCLUSION
When testdriving a smaller car, we often consider how much product parity there is nowadays.
All brands have improved in terms of performance, comfort and the features offered. Colleagues concur that they don't regard any brand as 'bad' anymore - it is rather a question of value for money and doing one's homework before spending those hard-earned greenbacks.
In the new Clio we have to add some well-deserved praise: it is a stylish looking car that is comfortable inside and easy to drive. There are quite a lot of extra bonuses in terms of features and comfort in a well-balanced package. Renault has also been working hard at keeping cost of ownership reasonable.
We'd put it on the list for a closer look if this suits the segment and budget. There's a nippy little car that will also get you over long distance drives in comfortably.
DETAILS
Clio 4 - 55kW Authentique 5-door - R149 900; Clio 4 - 66kW turbo Expression 5-door - R169 900; Clio 4 - 66kW Turbo Dynamique 5-door - R179 900. Options available: manual air-conditioning: R10 000 (Authentique); fixed glass roof: R 8 000 (Expression and Dynamique); Climate control: R 5 000 (Dynamique); rear park assist: R 2 000 (Dynamique) and metallic paint: R 2 500 (Range)
The three New Clio variants come standard with a five year or 150 000km mechanical warranty, a three year or 45 000km service plan and a six year anti-corrosion warranty.
The Renault Clio 4 was made available for the test drive by Seaman's Renault George. For more information, call 044 873 2039 or pop into the showroom on C J Langenhoven Street for a close-up look of the Clio 4.
The new Clio has a 5-star EuroNcap Best-in-Class safety rating.
New Clio's interior inspires strength and confidence combining beauty with functionality.
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