The Renault Clio V
Watching the first ascent of the Montgolfier balloon in Paris, someone asked what its use was. Benjamin Franklin, in the crowd, quipped: “What use is a newborn baby?” (It will grow up.)
When the first Renault Clio was launched in 1990, it was a cheap and friendly little car, not fast, not spacious, and one could wonder what its use was. Jump forward thirty-two years, and boy did it grow up!
Today’s 5th Generation Renault Clio is bigger, with bulges in places where the first model did not even have places.
But this latest generation is not only in a different league from the early Clio – it is a serious step up from the previous Clio as well. These differences are tangible and intangible.
It comes with an interior that uses better quality materials and finishes, giving an altogether more upper-class feel. The exterior is very similar to the fourth generation, and yet completely different. The lines of the body flow better, yet the front is much more aggressive, like seeing a shark head-on. The five just looks faster than the four, even when both are parked.
French flair is an overused cliché, but the new Clio has it in spades. It was designed by people with passion, be it love, food, art, music or all of life itself. The Clio was created by those who see the soul of a car not in speed or space or fancy bits and bobs, but as the embodiment of the total package.
The Clio lives in a crowded segment of the market and its competitors are fine cars in their own right. But in a world of cost-cutting blandness, the Clio stands out as the one car with a huge personality. It will probably never be the top seller – far too different, too French for that.
But for those who love cars for what they are and how they make you feel when you drive them, the Clio is the sweet spot.
Get into the new Clio and go drive on a mountain pass, the steeper and curvier the better. Start slowly, getting the feel of the car and the rhythm of its handling. Go faster, get used to the way the Clio leans into the curves, the one rear wheel getting lighter. Ride the revs and use the gears to sustain your momentum.
Snarling through mountain passes is perhaps the best way to understand the Renault Clio and why it is such a remarkable car. Once you experience it, it’s inevitable that you’ll want to find the next mountain pass, go on that roadtrip, make the commute to work – anything to keep driving the new Clio.
Sure, the Clio is loaded with luxury and safety gear, more than most, and you can look at it here. But if you want to know why you have to take one for a spin. The new Clio has been around long enough for there to be some very high-quality demo models to look at as well.
