2002 Renault Clio 172 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

As excitable as a child in a candy shop

Faults:

The exhaust system has come loose at the manifold.

This causes irregular 'putting' from the tail pipe.

There is also a resonating buzz when thrashing through the gears.

The front suspension also makes a noise from the rubbing on the exhaust system???

General Comments:

This car is a lot smoother than what i originally expected.

Reckon it is chipped to only perform at 4000 rpm. This allows smooth driving at lower revs.

Looks are subtle and not so 'rude boy'.

Catches out other drivers who think it is just a Clio.

Lovely well designed interior.

Some of the controls don't seem quite right, e.g. the wiper controls.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th May, 2003

2002 Renault Clio Dynamique + 1.6 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good value for money, stylish looks and fun

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Plus points:

Excellent value for money with a good level of equipment for price e.g. 6 airbags, ABS, a/c, cd player, sunroof.

Looks good, goes fast, is fun and fairly economical (but don't think you will get the same sort of figures as for the 1.2 or the diesel)

Gadgets such as the automatic lights and wipers work well.

Shortcomings.

The roof makes a lot of creaky noises

Turning circle not as good as you would expect

Not much space when you are loading large items.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th April, 2003

2nd Jul 2003, 05:42

I have had a Clio 1.6 16v V reg for nearly 4 years. No problems at all and it only cost me 10k brand new.

OK, it is not perfect, but it is only supposed to be a little runabout.

My only gripes are the ride is a bit joggy on bumpy roads, the engine has a slight intermittent wobble at idle, (I was told that this is normal for that engine) the front windows squeak and moan when winding down, but they are big windows after all!

If I take it easy, I get around 45 mpg. I will consider buying another one, perhaps the 172 or CUP.

Would love to meet someone who owns a CUP and has had first hand experience of one and servicing it.

Have I been lucky to have no breakdowns or problems since new or are all Clio 1.6 16v the same?

Cheers.

16th Aug 2004, 16:13

I agree with the comments about the creaky roof. My 2002 Dynamique Plus went in to have it mended last year. They hadn't heard of the problem then, so tried many options. It ended up being at the garage (the main dealership in Derby) for so long that they needed the courtesy car back so had to rent me a car -a brand new ford fiesta (which was fantastic by the way!). Eventually it was mended. However, a year on the same noise has come back again (and I've not even done 12k miles yet) it has gone in, and they replaced the seals on the sunroof and grab handles - again. However, a week later, the same creaking, rattling stress noise is back. Its very bad over bumps and in multistorey car parks (going down). I'm currently trying to book it in again - although I keep leaving messages and they never call me back - typical Renault customer service as far as I can say. I also seem to have a problem with the car getting far too misted up, does anyone else have this problem? Renault say that I have the re-circulation button on - which I don't - but unfortunately did when I complained about it!

2002 Renault Clio 172 Cup 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Currently you can't buy a faster hatch back

Faults:

At 3500 miles the engine mount worked loose, Renault dealership yet to repair this fault 6 weeks on.

Service light constantly comes on.

In general the build quality is poor in comparison to my Vauxhall Corsa (2000 model). Like other Clio owners have said, when driving this car there are squeaks and rattles.

You don't expect this on new cars that cost 13 grand.

General Comments:

All faults aside, the car is amazing to drive and will keep up with most cars on the road. A guy in a Civic Type R challenged me to a race the other day, believe what you want, but the Cup was quicker up to 130mph. Dyno test has confirmed that my Clio is producing over 180hp in standard form. This car is how I pick it up from Renault. Oh by the way it handles like a go-kart, great fun on the right road! One last comment, the brakes are powerful, but very dangerous with no ABS. Not a good move when you consider that most people will never race it round a track. For the sake of few hundred pounds it should have been standard like the normal 172.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th April, 2003

10th Jun 2005, 09:53

Lack of ABS is dangerous? I suggest you go on a driver training day such as the one run at Lotus Cars where you will be taught to brake correctly without ABS. A true driver prefers full control. Maybe there should be traction control and a pair of slippers in the next version.