Louth Motoring: Clio E-Tech - Chic at the price

The current Clio is a very striking car. From any angle it appeals and easily carries off the chic label that's always been associated with the car.

Nicole, famous from the early ads in the 90s, would be a middle-aged woman now but she would still testify to its chicness.

I owned a 131 reg 4th generation model that was on sale for 8 years. We changed it to an automatic car so my daughter could pass her test easier, which she duly did.

That's my top tip for learners. Go for the automatic as it allows you concentrate on road craft first which will greatly improve your confidence.

Anyhow, with the relentless conversion to electric cars where will you get a manual car in a few years? Let's see. Alas, we didn't go for an automatic Clio which is a regret as we all loved that Clio.

This tested model is a facelifted version of the 5th generation that was launched back in 2019 so this is, based on past form, a midlife facelift.

And with the Clio that's the tricky bit. The car doesn't need much tweaking and the changes are not radical.

There are slimmer lights at the front and a new checkerboard grille with fancier daytime running lights – 12 of them on either side and looks like a scaled down version of how the Hyundai Tucson looks.

At the back, the rear lights get a splattering of translucent plastic to break up the all-red look from the earlier model, but the high boot lip remains and is always a points dropper in a hatchback.

The sides are practically identical. Inside there is not a huge change either with a newly lit floating centre console and fancier driver's and central display.

Not a lot was messed with as there wasn't much that needed messing with.

The tweaked differences are noticeable so and if you were forced to choose the new or the old model you'd be drawn to the new model easily, so the designers have done an excellent job.

The Clio has always been a huge favourite both here and internationally and was the first car to win the European Car of the Year award twice but has yet to get the Irish Car of the Year accolade.

The front passengers will always feel like they are in a bigger car as it has that big car feel. If they sit in the back they will find out that it is a small car as the foot/leg space isn't as much as you'd like.

It will require the front passengers to mover their seats forward a bit to afford the rear passengers decent leg space.

The chic design comes at a bit of a cost as it doesn't afford backseat passengers a lot in terms of visibility.

The boot at 340l is unchanged and is fair for the car size. I had to carry two scrap sheets of Perspex which I managed effortlessly by folding the rear seats that gave me oodles of space. It's amazing how buyers assess boot space and concentrate on getting a boot for those rare times you actually fill it.

If they just dropped the seats they'd realise that they don't need such a big boot after all. Renault stopped bringing the Clio estate to Ireland when the 4th generation model was launched which I always thought was a mistake as it was a bit of a looker as well. Now Renault have stopped making the Clio estate entirely.

I had a 145hp petrol/electric hybrid model in a beautiful Iron Blue colour. Yes 145hp from a 1,598cc petrol engine. That combo produces a range of up to 880kms returning 4.2l/100km.

Renault also say that the car typically runs on electric power for 80% of the time in city driving. My own return, with no city driving, was 5.6l/100kms and that's heavy because I was simply smitten by the 145hp available and how potent it is.

The power delivery was immediate helped no doubt by the additional electric power and this responsiveness contributes majorly to the driving enjoyment.

The automatic gearbox was very responsive and on the twisty roads around where I live it didn't have to drop down to a lower gear that often to maintain the power delivery my right foot demanded.

The steering was solid and all the things that let down a car travelling fast were not there like body roll and diving under braking.

The fun factor in this Clio is remarkably high. I'd have liked quieter tyres to reduce the road noise a bit more, but I'd have to say it was not close to annoying.

Renault traded on their safety reputation a few years ago which is not so in your face nowadays but that doesn't mean that Renault's safety focus has waned. This car comes with 17 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems functions including rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. That's a lot of good stuff.

Which brings me to price. The entry petrol Evolution trim model costs €24,845. My esprit Alpine hybrid model carries a sticker price of €34,045.

That's a lot of moola Papa now must find for his dearest Nicole. It also has the car in the territory of the ever-attractive crossover and for comparison you can get two trim versions of the super popular Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid for that money.

That's a hard sell when the Yaris Cross has a bigger boot and larger dimensions all round apart from being 33mm narrower.

But chic always carries a price and in that comparison the Clio is peerless. Our fondness for crossovers has seen the decline in small cars – which let's be quite clear the Clio isn't in any sense small – which I see as a shame.

I wouldn't get the same fun in the Yaris Cross which you should always factor into your buying decision, and can you put a price on chic? Renault has and it's a bit juicy, so it'll be interesting to see how the ever-popular Clio fares this year in terms of sales.

It may well revive Renault's sales which has seen it drop out of the top ten in Ireland since 2020 which paradoxically saw Dacia (a Renault owned company) feature for the first time in 2023.

Maybe the parent could learn a thing or two about prices from its sibling and help all the Nicole's, who struggle to buy a house, to buy a chic car.