Renault Clio Complete Review

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Exterior: The front part of the new Renault Clio has undergone a complete nose job. This time the car looks in line with that of the new Megane. The lower grille is much more wide and racy with huge gaps. The front lights have also become wider and seem more stretched. The back end of the car has new light systems and the renewed bumper give the Clio, the appearance of a wider car.

Interior: The Renault Clio is outright spacious and comfortable. The car though lacks on the style aspect considering its French connection and is not as sleek as the interior of the Ford Fiesta. The car also falls short in terms of the car quality unlike the Volkswagen Polo. The Dynamique trim above gives a softer dashboard with quality materials.

Practicality: The Renault Clio is best in class in terms of the cabin space in its segment. The car easily handles five occupants during the short journeys. The boot space is a whooping 288 litres of luggage capacity and this can be exponentially increased up to 1,038 litres by folding down the back seats.

Ride and handling: The Clio has a good solid chassis which has a good combo of quality and flexibility. This allows for good ride capabilities and road control well suited for the poor Indian terrains. The car has a good road grip and gulps most of the worst road bumps with ease. The electronic steering though makes you feel a bit out of sync.

Performance: The 1.5dCi with 86bhp is expected to create some huge ripples in the small car segment. The engine is top quality with very little noise and great refinement. The engine also delivers good performance and complies with most eco efficient laws. The car races the 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds and hits the top speed of 108 mph mark.

Renault Clio running costs: Apart from the low mileage of the greedy 1.6-litre petrol the Renault Clio is a total budget friendly cheap car to run. The 1.5-litre dCi is a gem, delivering up to 69 bhp and is an equally eco friendly car with just 115g/km of emissions.

Reliability: The Renault Clio this time around seems to have more than learnt from its past mistakes and the current model is an improvement of the previous versions not just in terms of the features but also the quality. The new Clio so far has not run into any problems and if any problems do exist they should have been ironed out by now.

Safety Features: Renault is a clear cut winner in terms of safety with five stars in the EuroNCAP crash testing. The car is a complete safety maniac with six to eight airbags fitted depending on trim and anti-lock brakes are a compulsory.

Our Verdict: The Renault Clio is one small car that is always making big leaps. The car has good handling; great ride quality and well supported by a solid engine. The car is a champion in the safety aspect making it a strong buy in the small car segment.