2003 Renault Clio Dynamique review from UK and Ireland

Did stall when idle, but this has been rectified by the dealer.

Wouldn't start when warm, but this has been rectified by the dealer.

Sun-roof rattles. This has been rectified on several occasions by the dealer, but the problem keeps coming back.

In cold weather, the dash board rattles - obviously shrinks. This makes a new car sound pretty old.

Several 'creaky' noises around the passenger and driver's door. This has been partially rectified by the dealer.

When I purchased the Clio boot 'organizer' (I must be dull to have bought one) it didn't fit. The dealer couldn't get it to fit the old model either. Don't know what was going on there.

I have mixed feelings about the Clio. It drives well: cornering and acceleration are not bad at all for the class of car. The seating is comfortable, music system fine and it looks good. All the gadgets initially impress, like the rain sensitive windscreen and the automatic lights which are again good for the class of car. But, my windsreen's got a crack in it and I am not sure what it will cost to replace a non-standard windscreen - check your insurance.

What lets the car down is the quality of the cabin. It's a tad noisy for a 8 month old car. Rattles and creeks spoil the otherwise great ride. The other thing I noticed, compared to other cars I have driven is the loud road noise you get at high speed. However, I've got used to this and pretty much ignore it now.

The Renault dealer has been fairly good and have always sorted problems under the warranty. I think the number of times I have had to take the car back is unacceptable though and that the £10 insurance fee for the hire car should be waived for new car buyers. Because the dealer cleans the car whenever I take it in I have very rarely had to clean the car - looking on the bright side!