2002 Renault Clio Expression 2003ed. review from Costa Rica
"Great car in a small package!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Water ran into the trunk through a crack of sorts in the solder with the first rains after purchase.
A fuse blew before the 1,000 km and had to have the car towed away by the dealer's service trucks.
General comments?
Besides the initial two glitches the car has been awesome.
After driving a Nissan Pathfinder for some years it was great pleasure to return to real driving, feeling every curve of the road and gnawing at straight highways.
Sure enough with a 1.4 engine with 100 horse power you can't expect to be the fastest thing on the road, but at least it beats all the SUV and is a good competition to most cars on the road.
The Clio's handling on curvy, wet roads and in emergency breaking situations is unlike anything I had experienced before. This is really the car for mountainous (but paved) terrain.
As to fuel economy I can't complain, with the air conditioning turned on most of the time in urban conditions I am still getting an average of 8.4 liters per 100 km (that's 28.7 miles per gallon for the USA folks).
Overall; smart looking car, could do with a little more engine power, feels Good to drive it!
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.4 - 16v Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 21 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 15600 kilometres |
| Previous car | Nissan Pathfinder |
| Date of Entry | 19th May, 2003 |