It’s a brand new Renault Clio
For almost 30 years the Renault Clio has been a familiar face, particularly in France. That is why the new Clio in 2020 is not going to look very different. It has, however, changed on the inside.
Same Clio but cooler
As we mentioned, Renault aren’t about to change the look of their winning Clio formula. They did liven it up a bit with stronger angles in the body and very cool ‘C shaped’ daytime running LEDs that break away from the headlight. It’s a little bit like the new Peugeot 208 and that is exactly why I like it. The rear door handles are also hidden to make this car look like it’s a sporty 3 door when it’s a regular 5 door.
Inside is where the change is
The outside is not where the excitement is, it’s the interior that has all the difference. Renault put emphasis on driver comfort and new technology. The seats are very comfortable using great materials. There’s a lot more use of soft-touch plastics and particular attention to the feel of places you are most likely to be touching, but there are a few hard surfaces here and there.
There is a very noticeable 4-inch portrait infotainment system and the option of ambient lighting. This Renault Clio comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and each model gets 2 USB sockets in the front too. It’s a little unfortunate that there aren’t any USBs in the back.
Space is great for the front seats, not so much in the back where taller passengers will struggle a lot. That said, it’s not the worse having more than some of its competition. The boot boasts a fantastic 319 litres and the back seats can fold down for even more.
There are 5 different engines
Renault offers 5 different engines to choose from, the standard transmission is a 5-speed manual. The standard is a 1 litre 3-cylinder petrol and the next one up adds a turbo. Then the bigger engine is a 1.3-litre petrol that has a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
If you are looking for a diesel then there is a 1.4 litre 4-cylinder but, that’s not the last option. There will be an E-Tech hybrid engine that uses a 1.6-litre engine and two electric motors.
While this Clio is an improvement from previous generations, there are still some drawbacks in performance. With a lack of torque, it really doesn’t respond well to acceleration and the suspension, while adequate, will leave you feeling every bump on the road.
Models
While there is no confirmation for price in South Africa, there are still features in the 4 models that we get options for.
Play
This is the standard option and it has all the features that we have discussed before, and it gets cruise control. Renault didn’t leave this model with steel wheels, instead, it gets 6-inch alloys.
Iconic
The infotainment system gets upgraded to a 7-inch screen and gets other technology like keyless entry and rear parking sensors. This Iconic also gets diamond cut alloy wheels.
S Edition
Again, the infotainment system gets upgraded. This time to a 9-inch screen and it’s linked to the reversing camera you get too. There’s another screen in this car, digital dials for the drive.
RS Line
Lastly is the more sportier-looking version that has all the features of the S Edition.
Source: Carbuyer | What Car?
Images: Wikimedia Commons
