The Clio is a winner for Renault

THE first thing that struck me about the new Renault Clio was that it wasn’t as

‘well trained’ as the Renault Fluence I had a few weeks back.

The Fluence locked automatically when you walked away from it. The key for the Clio looked the same, but it wasn’t keyless entry this time.

Still I’m not complaining, as the 1.5 diesel version of the fourth generation of the Clio was really lively. My test model was pearl black which a classy colour when clean, but all the photos of the car I have seen are of a red version. Ian Dempsey, presenter of Today FM’s morning programme, recently took delivery of a red model as part of Renault’s sponsorship of the programme that features the brilliant Gift Grub.

And the Clio was certainly a

‘gift’ for Renault as it has sold over 12 million units since it was launched in 1990. No surprise then to learn that only the Clio and the VW Golf have won the European Car of the Year award twice.

The Papa/Nicole Renault Clio ads were very popular in the 1990s. Only five words were ever spoken in the eight ads that were made: Papa, Nicole, Amman, Bob and Yes. But the ads were so good that I can still visualise Nicole nipping around the streets in her Clio with the Robert Palmer song

‘Johnny and Mary’ playing in the background.

This fourth generation is obviously sleeker than the previous version. The front end is dominated by Renault’s famous diamond logo. It’s also set ever so slightly lower and that gives it a sporty look. It’s probably unusual for a supermini to come with no two-door option, but there were no complaints from any members of my family about a four-door car in the driveway. However, the design could fool you into thinking it was a two-door as the back door handles are very discreet.

Inside there is room for five adults but there is not a huge amount of space if you are carrying a tall adult in the passenger seat. And the glove compartment is a bit tight. On the dash the digital speedometer dominates and I suppose that a good thing as it should help you avoid penalty points. Overall the dash is very modern looking topped off with an eye-catching steering wheel.

A decent size boot, but no spare wheel, so you will have to make do with the dreaded repair kit. As mentioned earlier it doesn’t have keyless entry, but it does have stop-start technology, which is almost universal in all new cars now.

I only drove the 1.5 diesel and it was really fast off the blocks and so frugal. For the first few days I thought the fuel gauge was broken as it never moved. Still most Irish buyers may opt for the 1.2 litre petrol version.

Prices start at

?¬14,990 for the 1.2 litre petrol and if are looking for money talk to Renault Finance where you can purchase a Clio for

?¬149 per month with an initial deposit of course. The 1.5 litre diesel model I drove will cost you

?¬19,290, but Co2 emissions are really low at 83g/km and that means road tax of only

?¬180.

Overall a very lively motor and an excellent addition to the supermini range. With sales figures of over 12 million, there is no doubt the Clio is a winner for Renault.