2002 Renault Clio Sport review from UK and Ireland

I have had only one minor problem with the car, that being a faulty steering wheel stereo control (toggle). This was corrected quickly.

The car is quite nippy, given that it is a 1.2 litre 8 valve. It handles well, the electrically sensitive steering is a joy in comparison to the Peugeot 106, which was a very basic model. ideally I would be driving a 2.0 litre, naturally, but because I live in Ireland, and am under 25 years of age, insurance rates here make it impossible for me to own anything above a 1.2. In terms of comfort, the driving position is good, much better than any of peugeots 206 models, excluding the GTI models which I have never driven. granted there is little room for a rear seat passenger, me being 6 feet tall, but to be honest that's not my problem, I am never going to sit there, and ideally I would never have passengers in the back, as it seriously affects the acceleration and speed of the car, this is the case in all 1.2 litre cars. Having said that, if the front seat is forward to accommodate a shorter driver then the rear seats are great, but the head rests must be adjusted. I have read articles by professional motor journalists who have wrote about the rear head rests digging into passengers shoulder blade, all this genius had to do was adjust it. On style the new front is aggressive and brutish looking, which is good. It is less feminine looking than the previous Clio. However, the side of the car and rear needs to lose that Nissan Micra look in its next revamp. The new Clio needs to look more ridged and less bubble like. But we must remember that this is a very reasonably priced hatch back, and not a Porsche. The car is setting the standard for small car safety, with dual and side airbags and ABS as standard. These safety features are not available in any other car in this class, and it is in safety where thus car shines. Remember it's a Clio, not a Merc, this car competes with Micras, 206's, Polo's etc.and it does so well.