2000 Renault Clio Si 1.4 16v
Summary:
Want a fun little do-it-all? Buy this. You want superb comfort, buy something else
Faults:
In the first week I got it, the drive belt of the alternator and servo-pump broke. Not exactly sure what caused it, but it was an easy fix.
A couple of months later the horn stopped functioning. I don't know the cause, as I haven't really looked into it.
The build quality is certainly not great either. I've had to remove some interior parts (for fitting a new speaker cable) and I was underwhelmed by the fit and finish. My previous Nissan Micra was a 10 year old car, but was much sturdier. However, the Clio doesn't have one rattle (in fact it did, but this was easily cured by fitting a small piece of foam).
General Comments:
The engine is supposed to have 98 hp, but it doesn't feel it. However if you look at the tach, you can see it does indeed move quite quick. It is capable of 202 km/h on the tach (about 190 on GPS) so it does have the power, it just feels kind of 'flat'. For a reference: a friend of mine drives a Opel (Vauxhall) Astra 2.0 with 115 BHP, and it' equal in acceleration and loses by 2-3 km/h in top speed. It does however have a good motorway response. I was really amazed the first time I drove it. With only 1400cc, one doesn't expect a good response at 130km/h without changing down a gear, but it does go quite well.
The handling is what I think is the strong part of this car. In Belgium the car was sold with a firmer than standard suspension in its 16v-version. I wouldn't say it's a Lotus Elise killer in the corners, but is does go fast. Very neutral and fast steering, followed by oversteer when lifting the throttle. The trade off for its good handling is a firm ride. French cars have a reputation for being comfortable, but it doesn't hold true for this car. Especially little bumps that come through quite harsh. It does get much better when fully packed, but then the engine has to be worked hard.
The brakes are very powerful, and more importantly, they don't fade. I drive cars pretty hard sometimes, and most get out of shape quick, but this little Clio doesn't. It remains very composed all the time.
The car is cheap to drive, is easy on tires, and easy on the gas; 6.5 liters/100 km if driven carefully, 7.2 when driven quick.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th February, 2006
18th Dec 2003, 16:24
I wrote this review originally. The car now has 252 513 Km. I've had to replace quite a few things recently such as the entire exhaust (nearly €1 000/$1200, too much!), the brakes, ball joints, wheel bearings,... Given the Km's I do, this was not unexpected. Incidently, I do about 55 000 Km's each year, the 33 000 figure in my original report is for miles. Sorry for the error.
I have always used a full synthetic motor oil since the first oil change. I change every 15 000 Km as Renault recommends. I've been using Mobil 1 0W-30 for the past two years with excellent results, it's better than the 5W-30 even though Renault does not recommend this grade for its diesels of that year. I have to add about one half liter of oil between changes. The engine purrs like a kitten and starts easily, even in minus 12 C temperatures, but that's at the cost of a new set of glow plugs each year. The car has always been maintained by Renault. I give it a minute or two to idle in cold temperatures before driving and go gently until the temperature needle is in the normal range.
From time to time the car gets overloaded. The worst incident of this was when our supermarket put 18 kilo sacks of dog food on half price sale. I got all they had--24 sacks--and managed to get them all in the car and had enough space left over for myself. I had to drive it like that for about two hours before it could be unloaded. It was no worse for wear afterwards. I'm still on the original shock absorbers/struts, drive shafts, starter, and alternator.
The car is a good driver. Oddly enough, one of its best features is the 50 liter fuel tank, largest in class. You may think that's strange, but the larger the tank, the fewer times you have to stop and fill it. When you do over 50 000 Km's every year, the savings in time add up.
I'm now running on Continental EcoContact 3 tires. For an entry level tire, they are fantastic, better than the Semperit Speed Comforts they replaced.
Given the Km's I've done up to now, I see no reason not to get at least 300 000 Km's and hopefully a little more as I don't expect to buy another new car until mid-2005. Unless something much better comes along, that new car will be a Ford C-Max.