- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.2T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
88kW, 190Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 5.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2013)
2014 Renault Clio Expression review
It's been two years since I last submitted a review on my little Clio (Theo), and in that time my love for the little guy has only grown. Theo and I have relocated to Melbourne now from Sydney, and he did a solid job on the drive down. I've also just come back from a trip to Tasmania, where Theo took my mates and I across the entire state.
- Utterly dependable
- Punchy turbo engine
- Well equipped for its age and price
- Still looks sharp
- Characterful
- Gearbox can sometimes be jerky at low speeds
- Scratchy plastics on glovebox and door trims
- Tiny rear windscreen hinders visibility
- Limited rear cabin space and insufficient interior lighting
- Causes obsession with an inanimate object
In my opinion, Theo still looks great and drives just like the day I picked it up from the showroom more than four years ago. I'm still surprised that there hasn't been a single reliability issue given that he's French designed (though I understand he's Turkish built). My dealer upgraded my media unit to a newer model recently, and since that change I have stopped having the issues with Bluetooth disconnection that I was experiencing when writing my previous review.
Theo continues to be asked to go places where city cars should not go. He's been on icy roads in Mount Buller, mixed it with kangaroos in Port Arthur and traversed dirt tracks in regional Victoria. The little trooper responds with aplomb, and while he might only have a 1.2-litre engine, he's a willing performer. I don't beat many contenders at the lights, but it's quite a peppy engine and the handling is almost go-kart like.
The seats are well shaped and comfortable, and the interior has held up to the abuse of careless teenagers and young adults. The gloss-plastic interior looks a little dated nowadays, but it still has a solid navigation interface and punchy sound system. Rear seat passengers constantly complain about having to amputate their legs, but Theo is most often used as our road trip chariot. He's almost done 70,000km now and still shows no signs of slowing down.
I don't know what it is about my little guy that makes me love him so much. Both my laptop wallpaper and my phone wallpaper are photos of Theo. In fact, one of my favourite T-shirts is one that has a silhouette of a black Clio just like mine. You might think that I'm sad. Look, I don't blame you. If I had kids, I'd probably love Theo more than them.
I'm currently starting to think about buying a more 'grown up' car now that I've hit my mid 20s. I've looked at the Golf GTI, the Megane RS and the i30 N, but to be honest, none of them would put a smile on my dial as much as Theo does. Driving through the winding roads of Tassie with the windows open and the whine of the turbo whistling through my ears, I realised that I've found my little piece of car nirvana.