The new Renault Clio is named Supermini of the year
The Renault Clio has been named 2021 Auto Express supermini of the year, again, beating tough competition like the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 208 and even its sibling the Sandero.
But what is a supermini and why is it important? In the ‘60s and ‘70s, you had the Leyland Mini and the Fiat 500 and so on. They were really small cars, very basic, light on fuel but also light on space and features. So with time, these cars got bigger, more luxurious, more powerful and with many more nice-to-have features. As a base definition, we suppose you could call them B-segment cars, around 4-metres long, smaller than the compact class, but bigger than the city cars.
Examples would be the Renault Clio or Sandero compared to the Chevy Spark or Hyundai i10. You can see where that is going.
The supermini is a very important class of vehicles within the spectrum of cars on the market. Most of them are hatchbacks, but there is also the occasional sedan. Competition is fierce because this configuration occupies a large chunk of what the motoring public wants.
The public wants a smaller car in overall size, but bigger inside. One of the Clio’s winning features is its space inside. The 391-litre boot is class-leading, while the seats can accommodate five chunky adults in comfort.
The Clio is also packed with all the must-have tech, including a large touchscreen giving your infotainment via Apple or Android, great sound, and all-around great to be in.
Safety is a major area where cars are judged by would-be buyers, and Clio passes this test with aplomb. It has ABS and emergency brake assist, cruise control, hill-start assist, ESC, anti-slip regulator, a thing to tell you about your seatbelt, driver and passenger front and side airbags, Isofix 3-point kiddy seat fittings and Fix4Sure. The latter is designed to prevent you from submarining in a crash – stopping you from sliding under your seatbelt.
Of course, if you are looking for a supermini, you want some vroom from your engine, but you don’t want to spend a lot on fuel. The TCe will give you 66 kW and 135 Nm with a 5-speed manual box at 3.9-L/100km. The Turbo EDC has 88 kW, 190 Nm and 4.4-L/100km.
Very often smaller cars trade their size against noise and handling, but the judges found the Clio to sound refined at normal driving speed, with a healthy snarl developing at speed. Handling too was impressive, with only larger potholes giving a jolt.
So now you know what a supermini is and how much you would like one, why not go and check out the latest Renault Clio and take it for a test?
