Faults:

The exterior passenger door handle wasn't flush with the bodywork.

The drivers side interior door trim had a damaged clip so wasn't in properly.

The drivers car mat has a hole in.

Everything was sorted under warranty and Renault replaced all of the mats, not just the drivers.

General Comments:

Love it. Looks smart, especially in Flame Red. The engine doesn't have much pulling power lower down the rev range, but when it hits 4000rpm the car thrusts forward. It will happily cruise above the legal motorway limit and still return about 45mpg, with power in reserve.

The interior is very comfortable with the alcantara and leather. The climate control is very handy in the summer. The xenons are excellent. Not keen on the auto wipers though. The brakes are very strong with ABS and traction control as standard.

The first service (12000 miles) I got at 11750miles and was cheaper than for my old Fiat Cinq Sporting. It cost £148 which I think is very good for a 2litre car. The Renault dealer I use are also very helpful and friendly.

My car has had an Ecotek valve and a K&N induction kit fitted to provide a it more power and they really do. Modifications also don't invalidate the warranty, but the parts you have had fitted obviously won't be covered.

Originally I was going to get the Mini Cooper S, but that would have come close to £20k to spec up to what the 172 has.

Am well pleased.

Faults:

I own a Renault Clio Dynamique, and bought it brand new at the beginning of this year. The build quality of my car is also appalling.

I have had my car for almost 11 months now, and have had several problems from the start, from minor ones like having to have my gear cover replaced (it was pointed out to me on the very day I picked up the car, that this was broken and this was visible anyway) or my seat railings replaced (the seat was jammed so the runners had to be replaced - this was not pointed out to me and it was also obvious) to the more major problems that I will discuss further.

At first it was just my engine stalling whilst waiting in traffic in neutral gear - so I kept taking it back the the Renault approved dealer where I bought my car. After several humiliating visits (as they blamed it on the way I drove the car - apparently 'I just needed to get used to the car') they discovered the problem and rectified it - they said the car wasn't tuned properly.

The problem ceased for about a month, and then started again - by this point I was fed up and just put up with it. Then it progressed to refusing to start again after I turned the engine off from any length of journey - I'd have to wait about a couple of hours before it would start again. So I booked the car in 3 weeks in advance (I needed a courtesy car and there was a 3 week wait), but not long after I booked the car in, it started to stall in gear!!! And then not start again!!! And it happened so frequently, I had to call for roadside assistance - who informed me that my car kept stalling because my crank sensors were faulty (I don't know what this means - but he did say it was a vital part needed for the car to function properly).

He also looked under my dashboard for wires, which he could not find - there were none. After searching for a while he found them located under my ashtray!!! Very strange. Also on looking under my dashboard - he exclaimed that he would not have purchased my car, as all the metal was extremely rusted in the interior under my dashboard, and the only way it could be rusty is either that the parts were already rusted before the dashboard was put together, or if the parts had got wet before it was used.

I have not picked up my car from the Renault dealer yet, but I have questioned the rusting, and they say that there is nothing they can do about the rusting, and that it is completely normal. Can anyone tell me if this is true? Or should I be concerned about the rusting?

Overall, I may just have been very unlucky. I think it's a gamble whether you will get a reliable car that is usually expected from Renault.