Faults:

One of the tail lights went off at 200 miles - replaced under warranty.

The catalytic converter failed at 6000 miles - the part was delivered faulty from the factory according to the service people. Replaced under warranty.

The overheat warning light came on at 10000 miles - service mistakenly left the fan's electric connector disconnected.

General Comments:

I've been driving this car for over one year, so I think I'm qualified enough to evaluate it.

First of all, I think it's a pretty decent little car with low running costs. The car's performance is satisfactory considering it has a tiny engine.

Handling is better than I thought. The car rides very smooth on highway. Shock absorbers work nice on bumpy roads. Stability at high speeds is very satisfactory. The top speed I reached was 140 mph and the car was still stable. Car doesn't take much noise inside the cabin, until you hit 80 mph.

The trunk capacity is far from small for a super mini.

Safety stats were a big buying point for me.

Fuel economy is phenomenal for a gasoline car. I get about 35 MPG in city and 45-50 highway..

I like the design of the car. Being an aerospace engineer, I consider myself meticulous about the car's design, largely about aerodynamic performance, drag coefficients etc. But I think Renault designers did a really nice work on Clio's front end design.

Despite the car being considered overall good, it still has some negative points: There's no sign of comfort in the back seats. Long uphills become a pain shortly; a 1.2 liter engine is no good for mountain climbs.

Although it has a few drawbacks, I like this car and am completely satisfied with it.

Faults:

When I had the first service as soon as I bought, the service dealers told me about the magnetic captor that it needs to be changed. Had it changed the day I bought my car.

After about 2000 kilometers, that magnetic captor broke down again. I had it changed again after 1 month.

At 82,000 kilometers, the roller on the trigger set broke down with an annoying sound. Had it changed.

At 82,000 kilometers, the remote control lost the frequency, without knowing what to do, I made a simple search on the Internet and got an assistance from a private locksmith to synchronize the remote unit and the car.

The sunroof leaked last week. I had the maintenance myself. Cleaned the emptying canals and the rails, they were very dirty and blocked with leaves etc. It doesn't leak anymore.

General Comments:

It is more comfortable than I thought. I had long journeys (11 hours at least) 3 times, didn't have backache or else. And the sound of engine is low that I only hear the engine after 4000rpm.

The performance is quite good. 98hp engine gives the performance after 3500 rpm best. Since this is an Automatic Gear car, when I kick-down, I get what I want.

Backseats are not so large that when there are 2 or 3 people on the backseats, the front seats need to be slided forward.

Petrol consumption is very good for a 98hb automatic car. The rate at motorways is 6,2lt/100kms.

The grip is very good. At high speeds, it can be handled easily.

ABS and airbags make the driver and passengers feel safe.

Faults:

Although it was equipped with power steering, I always had the feeling that it was not - especially when parking.

The handbrake gauge began to display during driving after about 50,000 km.

General Comments:

Even though it lacked some comfort, I loved my car. It performed well on road and it was economical. The equipment level was OK (there had been no power mirrors on any other super mini rivals then).

The cabin was roomy enough for a small car.

The heater operated superbly on winter days (no air-con fitted).