Dynamique 1.5 dci 86

Decent little car

After owning a 2003/53 1.5 diesel Clio and having a good experience i didn’t have to think twice about buying a third gen 1.5 diesel. The biggest selling point is cheap road tax and excellent miles per gallon (always above 55).

The car drives brilliantly for such a little car and is comfy enough on long journeys. Much quieter at high speeds compared to the old generation. And the interior is much better built (no rattles or squeaks), I’m glad I opted to spend more on Dynamique trim to get a better interior.

My wife also enjoys driving the car and says it’s one of the best hatchbacks we’ve owned. However, I do have to say it is beaten in almost all aspects by our 2009 Fiesta diesel. The Fezzi 1.6 is a little bit nicer to drive, a tiny bit comfier, a little bit more economical, tiny bit cheaper to tax (£10) and a little bit quicker. It is slightly more well rounded than the Clio. But not by much, and the Clio does have a bigger boot.

Reliability: A place Renaults typically do badly, I don’t know why, from my experience they’ve never been too bad. A few small and inexpensive faults but nothing to scream about. With both Clios all I’ve replaced has been the exhaust mount and the windscreen washer pump (I also replaced the hazard warning light button on the older Clio). All in all not that bad. Have had much worse - Hyundai and Vauxhall.

To sum the little Clio up I would say, it is one of the best small hatchbacks, however if your budget stretches to the slightly more expensive newer shaped Fiesta then go for that instead. Otherwise, the Clio will do you well enough.

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