1999 Renault Clio RXE review from UK and Ireland

So far the only problem has been a broken rear sear belt clip. The red plastic has cracked.

After driving company Land Rover's for the last twenty years I changed roles and had to provide my own form of transport.

Therefore I had to find a second car pretty quickly. I needed an economic, five door, small car that could take my six foot three frame plus two young children and accompanying gear. It also had to be able to deal with steep hills on a daily 13 mile commute on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District. I wasn't asking for much then!

After years of driving Land Rovers and Volvos I had not got a clue what small car I needed or indeed what I could fit into. So the whole family visited several car supermarkets to 'try' out as many small family hatchbacks as we could.

Fiats had great seats, lousy electrics, Matiz's were too small & tiny. Ka's were far too small. I couldn't fit into a Saxo, my knee was wedged against the steering wheel and gear stick. Peugeots were too small and the ergonomics of a Toyota Corolla were far too cramped. However the Clio was just right. So a Clio it was to be.

I soon realised that a five door Clio was hard to find. Apparently for every five door sold there are 14 three doors sold!

Three doors are extremely popular and can be found in a variety of outlets. I trawled the autocar web site and by selecting my budget and locality we found a selection of five doors to check out. Best of the bunch was a 1.6 RXE fully loaded! Having started out looking for a basic 1.2 at the same price I was very pleased. It is really fun to drive, I love it.

As a one occupant car it is superb. It has a big car feel with the seat fully back and lowered. A very comfortable, ergonomic and economic drive.

On a recent trip to Bristol it cruised happily on the motorways returning 42 mpg, sat at 80mph and had a nippy feel to it. I arrived feeling quite refreshed. The seats are comfortable and all the switches are clear and easy to hand. The driving position is comfortable with a good view of the road.

Around town it is great for easy parking and gutsy acceleration. Our other family jollopy is a 20v Volvo 850 GLT Estate, it knocks spots off that!

The children love it, especially the six stack CD! The air con is great too.

I have been very impressed by this car. It feels like driving a go kart. Very positive and handles like glue.

After buying the car for me, my wife has found it superb. So much so that I now drive the Volvo to work and she has commandeered the Clio for the school run and her commute to work. I use it for long runs if I am lucky!