Carry On Clio

Renault’s most popular super mini turns on the style. Rebecca Appleton reports.

Now in its third incarnation, Renault’s curvaceous Clio, first wheeled out to cries of ‘Nicole’ and ‘Papa’ in a series of early 90s sun-drenched TV ads, is still the master of French chic. Smart and stylish, the Clio is one of the marque’s biggest sellers, out performing hard-hitting class rivals like the VW Polo and Peugeot 205.

Just launched in mainland Europe, the Clio III is carrying on where its predecessors left off – namely out in front in the fiercely contested compact car market.

Star Quality

Voted Car of the Year 2006 by a panel of motoring journalists from 22 European countries, the much-coveted accolade is the second of its kind to be bestowed on the Clio (the Clio I won on its debut in 1991).

The cleaning lady in charge of dusting the cheeky compact’s trophy cabinet will also be troubled by five European stars, awarded to the third generation hot hatch in the Euro NCAP crash tests.

This basically means Renault have wrecked their biggest selling super mini time and time again, saving you the trouble of finding a less aesthetically pleasing small car to test the many new safety features on.

Sleek Lines

Outside, all four Clio III models boast look-at-me curves and sleek lines. As with all the best nose jobs, the surgeon’s scalpel has left little impression on the sporty, edgy front carried over from its predecessor.

With softly rounded contours, the flowing shape of the bonnet feeds effortlessly in to the panoramic windscreen and double optic headlamps.

The fluid design continues at the rear of the car with a pert boot, distinctive lights and sinuous corners.

Interior Design

The Clio III is race-bred and wears its pedigree proudly. Thanks to a widened wheel track, the body of the car sits lower on the tyres, giving it a menacing wolf in sheep’s clothing appeal. Like a well trained pet pooch, it behaves impeccably in traffic but just begs to be let off the leash on a clear stretch of road.

A cruise control system with speed limiter is new to the model, as is the keyless ignition and card-controlled door access.

Inside, the French car makers have excelled themselves with an attention to detail only rarely seen outside of nouveau riche Gallic country chateaus. From first contact with the touch-friendly, rubber-coated door handles, it’s clear that here is a car catering for both Papa and Nicole.

Inspired by the unassuming squash ball, even the air vents have been souped up. No more forcing your digits to stomach the indignity of coming in to contact with garden variety plastic. No, the vent control has a unique rubberised finish, elevating the Clio III to levels of luxury normally only found on larger, higher-end saloons.

Pulling Power

Passenger comfort is assured with a larger, more spacious cabin, greater leg room and increased storage space.

The steering wheel too has been vamped up. Gone are standard issue stems for lights and indicators. In their place, stunted paddles reminiscent of a race car jut out. While the paddles may take a bit of getting used to, it soon becomes all too easy to imagine yourself throwing this super compact around crowded ribbons of tarmac in a style better suited to Fernando Alonso.

Road rocketry in the manner of Renault’s Spanish champion is facilitated by the usual pick of engine sizes. Ranging from the modest 1.2 Clio Extreme to the look-at-me,1.6 Dynamique S, the new Clio boasts enough pulling power – both figuratively and literally – to stop any escaping Papas or Nicoles in their tracks.