Our "own" car reviews

^ Good review. Of the two I'd likely go for the Flex: The Explorer's a bit tighter inside as far as 3rd row legroom goes.

Actually if I were buying, I'd skip both and go with a CPO Freestyle/Taurus X. Same platform as the Explorer and Flex but more practical and roomy for less money.
 
Yeah but, doesn't the CVT have problems?
 
Yeah but, doesn't the CVT have problems?

Some love it and report no issues, others say otherwise. The Taurus X uses the GM/Ford 6-speed so no worries there..only downside is a small drop in fuel economy.
 
courtesy wipe? well i have it in my 2001 focus too..
 
The turn signal noise is also strange. It sounds too "digital." Does that make sense?
I know exactly how you feel. A relay click is just not replaceable by some bing or dong.
 
I don't mind a digital blip blop blip blop or tik tok tik tok.

What I do mind is the "bip bip bip bip" in cheap Renaults and Dacias. Not a blip, just a bip. Like the letter L was too expensive.

The turn signal in my Skoda (and probably most other VAG products of the era) is a bit too quiet, imo. Either that, or it just doesn't sync with my ears. My brain filters it out after being exposed to it for a little while.
 
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It's not really "quiet" per se, it's just that my brain filters it out. I can hear it just fine when I flick it on but I've had to look down at the gauge cluster numerous times to check if it still is on. It's strange. Does any of this sound familiar to you narf?
 
2013 Ford Explorer w/ 2,000 miles

The best part? It doesn't lock out your phone like some car stereos do forcing you to navigate through the stereo. If you feel navigating your phone is faster, it works.

The dash can show to the right of the speedo GPS, radio info, or your phone stuff.

The one thing that would bug me is the new tone Ford uses for warning. Like when you start the car, or you leave your headlights on and you open the car door when the car is shutoff. It's so weird and irritating. I want a standard bong. The turn signal noise is also strange. It sounds too "digital." Does that make sense?

good review, even i have nothing to compare it against.
I dont quite understand why you would use your phone to browse for a file though.... a big plus for me is that yu can just leave your phone in your coat/backpack in the boot and access anything and everything (call info, texts, music) from the head unit... speed of browsing depends on the phone, not the hu or the connection

On warning bongs and bleeps : the only 3 reasons when a car is allowed to bong at me are these :

- you're going hit that car/house/tree/child (ie parking sensors)
- you've forgotten to turn off the lights you fool! now my battery will be drained
- you've left the key in the ignition! someone will steal me!

all else is superfluous (stuff like 'door is a jar'.... no its not, its a door! and its open because i want to get out)
 
Sorry, outside picture would be good, wouldn't it?

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Best color for it. White would be good if you want to imitate people. The state police and some local towns have them.
 
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.

Pictures:
Clio-2187.jpg

Clio-2206.jpg

Clio-2188.jpg

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Clio-2207.jpg
 
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The keycard is SO BIG. Why do they insisst on it, it wont fit your pockets, and keyless card is an option (!).
It is a nice little hatch, a good all-rounder, but if you like power and corners you should try the Fiesta with the Ecoboost. The 100PS 1.0 is just so good! :)
I really don't understand why Renault covered the nice steering wheel with plastic either, gets slippery.
 
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How spacious is the Fiesta's rear seat? I need to be able to comfortably stash two kiddies plus accesories in there, and the Fiesta's rear doesn't look that big from the outside.
 
It's smaller than the Clio's for sure. But the size difference is most notable in the boot. It'll be a dark cave for kids in both. Here are the dims. Yellow: length/height. Red: Width/depth.

fiesta.JPG

And a hard to read comparison
2013-Renault-Clio-RS-14-dimensions.jpg

Also before anyone says something my handling comparison does not apply to an RS :p

Own car review: Today I picked up my Astra again with a now functioning ABS-ESP-system after a week and a half with the i30 rental. Turning the wheel for the first time it felt like I was piloting an oil tanker and the "different" clutch and pedal resistance took me by surprise and I literally went "woooo" up towards the first T-intersection as I applied the brakes and nothing happened for what felt like a very long time. I was quickly reminded you need to push the pedals alot more to make them do anything in the Astra. ;)
Heavyness aside, the Astra steering feedback is better than the "over-assisted" i30, which feels quite numb.
 
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