Clio III benchmarks get it Euro award

by Trish Whelan.

The key priority when designing the new Renault Clio III was that the new car 'should have an appealing look and be a benchmark for interior qualities, roominess and delivering on safety'.

The car has now been voted European Car of the Year 06 and has gained the top award of 5 stars in the Euro NCAP crash test for both three and five door versions, so the designers must have got at least some of their objectives right.

The Clio project is vital for Renault who have spent around €953 million on the car. Development time was just 28 months, the shortest time in Renault's history.

Clio III is built on the 'Alliance' platform developed jointly with Renault's Nissan subsidiary. Suspension is from Megane 2 for enhanced driving pleasure.

Three specifications are on offer, Authentique, Sport + and Dynamique.

Engines include the 75bhp 1.2-litre petrol (as in Clio II), expected to be the volume seller, and a 98bhp 1.4-litre. There are no plans to import the 70hp and 85hp diesels into Ireland as the demand is not there for diesel in this B-segment.

A 2.0-litre 140bhp petrol will arrive in early 06.

The review car was the 1.2, 75hp version which proved ample for my everyday kind of driving. While the car handles very well, is good at cornering but the steering could be a bit sharper.



Build quality is excellent with high quality interior materials and great attention to small detail. I especially liked the stylish dials, featuring white on black, and which come with wide silver circles. There is also a satisfying solid clunk when you close the doors.





The lack of air conditioning in the review car was a bone of contention during the damp, murky weather in early December when windows fogged up especially while stuck in long traffic jams, necessitating the use of the fan. Also, I found the thickness of the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 points a bit off putting for small hands. But my main gripe was the fact that the floor mat kept rising between the pedals when driving. The problem was solved by moving it sideways.

Maximum power comes in at 5,500 rpm; maximum torque of 105 Nm at 4,250 rpm and the car takes 13.4 seconds to do the 0-100 km/h trip. The car is heavier, due to its bigger size and also to allow it gain those 5 stars. Despite the weight, fuel consumption has been improved, and performance too.

The official Renault brochure shows a combined fuel return of around 5.9 L/100km (47.9mpg) but during my time with the car the computer registered 7.6 L/100km which equates with the urban figure and is probably reflective of the kind of driving I had to do.

Safety features include doors locking almost as soon as you move off, ABS with EBD combined with Brake Assist, driver and front passenger airbags and front lateral ones, ISOFIX points. The multifunctional digital display shows things like distance travelled, fuel remaining and average fuel consumption. Clio is the first car to have a new type of head rest which slides on fixed bars lessening or avoiding whiplash injuries. There's also remote central locking and Renault Anti Intruder Device and an engine immobiliser as standard.

The Clio also has a very useful and clever system for lowering the rear wheel from its underfloor position and bringing it backwards so that it can easily be lifted from its mount, without having to use a tremendous amount of strength. Because of this, there is considerably more storage room in the boot.

New Clio is 17-inches longer than Clio 11, and is wider with more interior space, unequalled in the B-segment, and more elbow room front and rear. Glass area is 3.3 sq m not including the panoramic sunroof. And there is an insulating acoustic on the windshield. But watch out if you're over 6' tall and sitting in the rear as the mechanisms that operate the panoramic roof mean an intrusion into your head space and the seat can't be lowered to make up for it.



Renault currently enjoys 12% of the crowded B-segment here, largely due to the success of Clio II which will remain on sale while demand is there. Probably for as long as two years.

Over 4 million Clio units have been sold worldwide since the launch of the first Clio back in 1990.