2000 Renault Clio Alize review from UK and Ireland

Nothing yet... but I've not had it long enough to give a fair comment on this.

This is a really nice car. It's comfortable, has a good range of standard features and is much, much faster than I thought a 1.4 litre engine could be.

However, there is either something wrong with the fuel gauge or it drinks petrol with no consideration of the impending fossil fuel crisis - infact, it might just cause it!

In fairness, the poor fuel consumption (around 35mpg urban) is partially my fault is it is just so fun to drive and the temptation to put your foot to the floor and surprise the GTi drivers is just too much for me.

The manufacturer's 0 - 60 time is listed as 10.5 seconds but I've timed it at 8.2 seconds. Okay, it's not a Ferrari, but it's pretty damned good for a sub ten grand car and quicker than a Saxo VTR/1.6 Puma/XR3i (I think) /Corsa SRi and so on without the higher insurance premiums.

However, speed isn't everything (or so I've been told) and the electric windows, air conditioning, remote central locking, good looks (in my opinion) add to the car to make it a great little package.

If you are thinking of buying a 1.4 16v Clio, I'd urge you to haggle with the dealer. They can shift the 1.2 Clios to people who want cheap insurance and electric windows and they can flog the 2.0 16v sport models to people who can afford the insurance, but the 1.4 is stuck in the middle. I was totally prepared to walk away when negotiating for the car, they realised this and I got the price down from £7000 to £6300 including tax and insurance.