So, rental roulette round four got me a 6 month-old Renault Clio TCe 90. After spending almost 6 months in PSA cars, all with the same engine, it?s nice to get something different. And since I?m still looking for a car in that segment (haven?t really had any time to visit any dealerships in the past month and a half), I was happy to get another contender, if only to provide a context for the C3?s and 208?s performance. And boy, did it provide a context?
This review will be largely a comparison between the Clio and its two French rivals.
To start off, the Clio is a fair bit longer than the 208 (10cm) and the C3 (12cm). It?s also a bit heavier than both PSA products, but with a difference of 34kg it?s not that much. It does bring the Clio quite close to the ton.
The Clio is powered by a turbocharged 900cc three-pot with 90PS and 135Nm. It feels a lot more civilized than the NA 1.2l unit that PSA fits, which sounds like a lawnmower at idle, and has trouble with smoothness, especially with sudden load changes. The Clio?s unit is less quiet at highway speeds than the 208?s, but when you hear it, it is not as annoying. The unit propels the Clio with very little fuss, and provides acceptable performance in Dutch traffic. Due to the quite tall gearing you can make the most of the engine?s relatively wide powerband, although it does mean that when that lorry finally moves over, a downshift might be necessary in order to keep up.
Inside, the Clio has a good-looking interior that is a bit flimsy in places, although this one isn?t as flimsy as what AiR described in his. At least the trim stays in place when you pull on it, although it flexes more than I?d like it to in places. The steering wheel (yay, normal size!) is wrapped in leather, and the lower part has some glossy black plastic shroud over it. I have no idea what Renault was trying to achieve with it, but it makes the interior look a bit cheap. Luckily the shroud only covers the front of the rim. Cruise control buttons are located on the spokes of the wheel, inconveniently just out of read of your thumbs when driving, but not as bad as the button for switching between off, cruise control and limiter modes, which for some incomprehensible reason Renault have found fit to place? on the tunnel console, next to the handbrake lever. In the center console is more of the same glossy black plastic as on the wheel, with a faux chrome trim around it. Inside this sea of plasticity are the HVAC controls (sadly, AVIS didn?t order this one with climate control) and the 7? touchscreen that offers control of the radio and satnav. The system itself is fairly easy to use, the design is nice and colourful, and unlike the Peugeot, you can do things without going through at least 4 menus. Maps are supplied by Tomtom, and according to the filename, they?re from Q4 2011. Which is a bit old for a car that was registered in March 2013. Sound from the system is decent. It sounds fairly full, less flat than the PSA offerings.
Behind the wheel is the binnacle, which has the biggest fuel gauge I?ve ever seen, an analog tach, and a digital speedo. Above the speedo is a fairly dated-looking 2-line LCD display that serves as a trip computer readout and for general system messages. Compared to the large LCD I had in the 208, this just feels quite dated. And then you touch anything related to the cruise control, and a message about the system pops up, that won?t go away until you press a button?
And now, the good part. After looking at all this, getting annoyed at the fact that Renault still hasn?t grasped the concept of an ignition key, inserting the silly keycard into its slot in the center console, and pressing the START STOP button next to it, the small engine springs to life, you move the gear lever into first, and your drive off. And the car feels remarkably solid on the road. The steering wheel gives far more feedback that I expected. Then, corners appear. The Clio eats them for breakfast and just wants MORE. It hardly knows what understeer means. There?s so much grip from the front end, with a rear that really likes to play along, getting lighter when the speeds go up, giving the car a very fun and playful feel. It wants you to push. Harder and harder. And when you finally reach the end of its capabilities, that playfulness doesn?t turn into anything nasty. The downside of this sporty behavior is that the suspension is quite firm, and doesn?t really bounce over speedbumps, like the 208 and C3 did. It?s taking a bit of getting used to, having to brake for the speedbumps on my commute, instead of just happily bouncing over them at 60 kph. But that is a small price to pay.
I am liking this Clio a lot. The interior and the ergonomics (excluding the center touchscreen) are a step back from the Peugeot, which was very good in that respect. But where the Clio shines is when driving it. The small turbo engine is so much nicer in all respects, and where the Peugeot has quite good handling, the Clio is simply brilliant. I am enjoying this car, and I will probably enjoy it until I exchange it for round five of this Rental Roulette.
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