Happenings

Little French Cutie

BY Burnpavement

Better late than never, the latest Renault Clio finally makes its local debut, at a launch event in conjunction with the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team.

Despite its flaws, the Renault Clio RS 200 charmed us with its nimble and eager handling. But curiously, its humbler sibling was conspicuous only by its absence.Now, two years later, the regular Clio hatchback has finally reached our shores.

The launch was a rousing affair, thanks to the presence of Toro Rosso Formula One driver Max Verstappen, who was on hand not only to unveil the car, but also race against the finalists from a Red Bull F1 racing simulator competition, as well as greet and sign autographs for dozens of racing fans.

The Clio, now in its fourth generation, has consistently been Renault's best-selling model since its introduction in 1990, and claims to be the most efficient and cleanest car in its class thanks to its 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine and six-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) gearbox. The magic figures? Just 3.7 litres of fuel consumed per 100km, and 95g/km of CO2 emissions; granting $30,000 of Carbon Emission Vehicle Scheme rebates. As is characteristic of diesel engines, the horsepower figure is on the low side (88bhp), but its high torque figure (220Nm at just 1,750rpm) is roughly equivalent to that of a 2.4L engine.

The new Clio is larger in all dimensions than its predecessor, with a 2589mm-long wheelbase — the longest in its class. Renault also claims the Clio's 300 litre boot is largest in the segment. Up front, the Clio comes equipped with Renault's R-Link multimedia system, which boasts among its functions voice control, TomTom GPS navigation, and an ECO Trip Report which analyses your driving over each journey and calculates an overall ECO score out of a 100 for easy reference.

If there's anything that will give buyers peace of mind though, it's the Clio's impressive safety rating. Renault was the first car maker ever to score five-stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests, and the new Clio is no different. Four airbags are fitted as standard, as are Isofix child seat anchoring points, and the seats feature Fix4sure technology that prevents submarining (where occupants slide beneath their seatbelts in a frontal crash). In fact, the Clio scored top or near-top scores in adult, child and pedestrian safety ratings, making it one of the safest cars in the small hatchback class.

With a launch price of $99,999 (inclusive of COE), the new Clio should be an attractive proposition for car buyers. Shame it took so long to come though…