USED Renault Clio Hatchback (05 - )

My car

I bought a 2007 model just under three months ago. I like this car, it makes me smile. It's well built, reliable (so far), flexible (both practically and engine wise) and the interior quality puts its competitors to shame. I live in the Isle of Man, the geography is rather steep, therefore it's near impossible to match the claimed "Combined MPG" figures from the manufactures, getting 90%+ over their figures is good going I'd say.

Pros: *Flexible engine *Revs freely *Good gear ratios *Interior quality *Large boot *Reliable (so far) *Headlight styling *Good sound insulation *Standard alloys for this model look good *Grippy in the dry *Steering feels good, once you get used to it

Cons: *Doors are large (3dr) *Sound system could have more "umph" *Brakes are a little "snappy" when cold *"Clunky" gear change *Brakelight styling *Wing mirror styling *Rear view mirror position is too low.

My car

Brought in 2010 after having a fantastic 182, car was loaded with 3k of extras, inc Sat Nav, cuppack etc, car developed fault after 1000 miles when cold, could not be fixed, after 9 months of garge visits ened up with dealer stating we could not drive the car properly,and it was meant only for the track, so why the option list, told us to start car and leave on driveway to warm up, change gear at 3500-4000 rpm in 1st and 2nd gear, wrote to Renault MD who never responded, but passed to customer service who were terrible, asked me what i wanted to go away, dealer terrible, salesman liedto customer services on what we discussed, mechanics told wife it was software issue then denied,found other drivers with same problem but renault would do nothing, just denied any problem, ended up with selling car at a loss of 5k dealer would only offer 10k on a car worth 17k 9 months before finally got 12k against a different manufacturer Renault UK said they would give me 1k off new car if i returned, will never buy a another renault appalling service, appalling after car service, and after all the good press the car has on its performance we never found out

My car

This is my second review of the car and I've made some slight changes to how I feel about it. I've done 22000 miles without any problems. It is fun to drive on the country roads in which the steering matches the focus, very precise and does pick up when you want to but you have to push it a bit to get the speed you want but you get used to it. It is very practical with the back seats because they fold completly flat by pulling the bottom of the back seat forward and laying the back of the seat down, it then has a flat floor. The only thing about the clio is the computer on the dash board, not very accurate about how many miles to the gallon you are getting and problem one reason why this car would put you off but I've had it on all kinds of different roads and I've never got more than 48mpg but it is a nippy car. This car is 50% better than fiesta once you get used to it but the sad thing is it comes with no spare wheel just a can of foam and a compressor.

My car

I bought my Clio new back in 2006 and I can honestly say it gave me 4.5 years of trouble free motoring. The Clio always did well whether in town or on a longer trip. Only having the 75 bhp engine did mean overtaking and quick acceleration on the likes of motorway sliproads required a fair bit of effort, but for a consistent drive it was very comfortable - if high revving at motorway speeds, and matches ride comfort with much more expensive cars. The suspension and quite light steering were good, and although they were comfortable and the car does handle ok, it's not too much of a sporty drive.

With good dealer discounts around its easily possible to get a base spec car and add some nice comfortable extras. In the end I sold as I ran out of headroom (being 6ft6) as I had the sunroof and not a height adjustable seat.

All in all it was a very good and dependable car. The main things which surprised me were the cost of Renault servicing (a good chunk higher than the likes of a fiesta) - although I balanced this against never having a problem with the car - and needing to find a good Renault dealer - it appears that some are much better than others. It's a great car, if I were in the same position as I was back in '06 I wouldn't change my choice, and if I was shorter I would probably still have one.