Chic Clio
Stylish looks that should age well and an engine that’s as frugal as your grandmother, the Clio’s fun factor is hampered only by the diesel’s lack of revs.
Most would associate hatchback driving with nippiness, litheness and all kinds of zippiness really because that’s always been the hallmark of the class.
The Clio is no different, it is light (1,153 kg) and suitably powered by a 1.5l turbodiesel that makes 90 bhp and 220 Nm which is plenty sufficient for a car this size. The only problem is this – hatchbacks are fun because they’re largely underpowered and require much heavy right footing to zip around quickly. The diesel doesn’t rev beyond 5000 rpm and generates much of the torque very quickly like it should.
What happens then is the Clio delivers all its performance early on and doesn’t leave much room for you to push the engine to the end of its revs. This is perfectly alright for regular peak hour drives where it’s jammed and boring anyway, but when it comes to the weekend or when you just feel like a bit of fun there’s something about revving a petrol engine hard that’s missing here.
But where you lose fun the Clio makes up for it with fuel economy. It’ll basically go on forever if you’re not heavy footed with the gas pedal and that means lots of savings at the pump in addition to the fact that the fuel is cheaper by a considerable amount to start.
Pair that to the ride quality that feels surprisingly in the league of some premium brands and you’ll have an interesting dilemma as to whether to buy the traditionally popular offerings or this chic Clio.
Credits: Story and Photos by Alvan Sio
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