2002 Renault Clio Dynamique from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing thus far.

This Clio is the 3 door 1.2 16v sports package edition, including, 15" 5 spoke alloy wheels, sport suspension, sport seats, sport trimmings, sun roof, electrical mirrors, electrical windows, stalk control, control unit display, trip computer, motorised adjustable head lamps, variable viper speeds, remote central locking, fog lights, immobiliser. Extras include mud guards, side sill protectors, CAT1 alarm.

Steering: The most irritating aspect of the car has to be the steering. Although, on spec, the car is suppose to be PAS, the steering feels dead when parking, the car is heavy, so parking can be a drag. City driving the steering feels heavy, especially when over taking is required. On the motorways the steering unresponsive, but that is a benefit, when you do not want the car to be twitchy at fast speeds.

Driving view: There is plenty of blind spots on the car especially on the A pillars. When reversing the view is obstructed by the rear quarter panel - this is where learning the dimension of the car is useful.

Performance: The performance is below par, the car needs to be worked hard to build speed. The 16v engine does help, and is a notable difference from a 12v 1.2 engine. Gear changing is nice and smooth, this has been helped by Renaults quickshift technology which was implemented in this model. Smooth gear change is around the 3,000rpm mark, but for performance gear change should be done around 5,000rpm mark. The engine will scream by that time, but a sense of performance is felt, which can be satisfying. On motorways the car can cruise at 70mph with ease at 3,500rpm. The car can be pushed to 100mph, but by that time the engine will be revving at 5,500rpm, and that will be the limit if you do not want to damage the engine resulting premature faults. The engine in general is noisy, the engine rattles like a diesel, which is bizarre?

Ride: The ride can be comfortable, but having sports set-up can affect the ride in a massive way. You can feel very imperfection on the roads, which you can feel in your back, but overall the ride is comfortable. This is mostly due to the weight of the car.

Interior: It feels big inside with plenty of leg room in the front, but extremely cramped at the rear. This model comes with sporty seats, and sports trimming. The car is well insulated from sound, which helps reduce the noise from the engine and long trip driving on the motorways. The seats are very good to drive in, they hold the driver snugly which gives a secure feeling. The quality of the interior can be improved. Where the plastics join in the car, whether gear box terminal or the door trimmings, the edges are sharp. The plastic on the door feels cheap and hard. The plastics trimming on the dash are of better quality, and is fitted to German standards. The sound set up in the car are very good, with 6 speaker set up. The interior lighting has been given a thoughtful idea with an adjustable light that can be targeted. The glove box light will only work if the side lights are turned on. There are some extra stowage space, under the front passenger seats, the glove box is adequate, but the drinks holder is a talent less piece of design. The front drinks holder is below the central control unit, so 500ml bottles will not seat upright. Coffee cups will not be suitable, in fact the only thing this is designed for is for 330ml drinks can, even then where this is positioned the drinks cannot be reached whilst driving, also the can needs to be angled when inserting in the space or when taking it out of the space. There is also space to place bottles in the rear quarter panels for the rear passenger, this is useful.

Body: Very heavy, this is due to the impressive safety standards Renault have introduced across the range. Front wings are made from plastic, to bring the cost down, this also helps with insurance.

Boot: The boot is large enough for a weekend trip to Tesco. Although the car is a hatchback, the seats do not fold flat, add that to the front seat not able to fall back all the way, and you have a hatchback that defines as pointless. This car is not recommended for a trip to IKEA. The spare tire is kept neatly below the carpet which has the tools and the jack neatly assembled in a tool holder.

Maintenance: Change the oil to Castrol Magnatec, which will reduce the time the engine heats up on a cold start, also reduces wear in the engine, this is notably difference. Upgrade to Blue Vision lamps by Phillips, produces an intense light which is notably different. Wipers tend to wear quickly even with upgraded Bosch blades, perhaps try silicone blades. Fuel consumption is debateable. A full tank of fuel is £27 (76p/litre) this will last 360 miles combined. This is perhaps because the engines has to work hard. Insurance group 3.

The Clio in general is an good average car. The package one gets with the car is very good value for money compared to the competition. Even the basic spec trim the car offers lots of extras that will cost at least £1000 on a competitors similar spec. Running costs are just as same as any other super mini on the market. The car is safe, looks up to date, & feels well built enough. This is an ideal car for a young person, who wants all the extras at the fraction of the cost.

I find your comments about the steering worrying, I have just bought one and the steering is far to light. My previous car was a company BMW and I always though that the steering was a bit heavy, but the clio is ridiculous.

I had my Renault Clio for 5 months and had this stuff replaced.

2x gearbox bell housing

1x boot lid catch

1x a.b.s. sensor

2x airbags (not due to crashing just a basic fault)

2x key fobs (lock me out of car)

1x engine management system

then it got stolen in all my car would have cost me around £20'000 to fix if it was not for warranty.

This is a very comprehensive comment, but I must disagree with you in some aspects. I have owned one of these 1.2 Dynamique for nearly 2 years now, I can safely say that the car has one of if not the best engine in its class. If I am correct, I think only the sport tuned Punto 1.2 has more power and torque. Not to forget that the actual capacity of the Clio is 1149 CC, which when rounded down it should only qualify as a 1.15l at best. So considering the capacity of the car, it has lots of power for what it is.

You have made a fair amount of criticism on the built quality of the car. I am very sorry that you have had the troubles that you had, but I personally have not had any problems with mine. I drive my Clio relatively hard, and make town journeys everyday to work which is hard on the car. It deals with the everyday driving brilliantly, and hold its own very well. Please remember that the Clio is a sub £9000 car, so don't expect the world with 9k.

Any potential buyers who are worried about the performance of the 1.2 should consider that 1.4 and 1.6 engines are available at a small amount of extra cost.

I have a 1.6 16v dynamique (bought from a car supermarket), and it performs excellently.

My only complaint would be that it has the same gear ratios as the 1.2, and therefore it revs harder than it needs to on motorways. It could definitely do with a longer 5th gear (or maybe even a 6th).

The rear seats do actually fold flat!

I bought a clio dynamique 8 months ago and I've had various problems (including one tonight at 2am!). The engine cut out when I was driving at 50mph - steering locked while I was slowing down and I almost crashed.

Anyway, I've had several punctures which I don't blame on renault obviously, but when you have one every month you begin to wonder...

The security sensor came off 2 days after I received the car and was 'floating' around the engine when I found it. Took the car back the next day. It was repaired in 2 minutes, but it fell off again about 2 months down the line.

The renault dealership which I bought the car from made a mistake in the administration dept. I received a letter saying that my car was going to be repossessed within 7 days. They had given the wrong direct debit details to the bank. This was not a pleasant experience which was made worse by the lack of an apology from anybody that I spoke to while clearing up the matter.

I needed a new steering rack after 5 months which was by no fault of my own - the renault mechanic just explained that "these things happen".

I have been extremely dissatisfied with my 1.2 Dynamique. It is a gorgeous car inside and out and I have no complaint about the look of the car, but the problems I have had will make me think twice about recommending anybody to buy one.

I would appreciate any opinions from fellow owners. Thanks.

I've owned my 2002 Clio 1.2 16v Dynamique for approx 2 months, having bought it second hand from a Renault dealer. So far I have had the entire fuel system replaced (dealer fault - petrol problem) but otherwise I have had no major problems other than usual teething problems when purchasing a new car. I had driven a 1997 Fiat Punto 1.1 before the Clio and find the Clio to be a dream to drive in comparison. The steering is light, but sturdy and the responsiveness of the engine is good.

I drive approx 50mls commute to work everyday and average 250/300mls a week and find it very economical on fuel and comfortable for long haul driving. Other than the fuel problem at the start (again, a dealer fault) I have had no major problems and am looking forward to years of pleasant driving.

I have owned a Clio dynamique since March 2002, and must respectfully disagree with some of the original poster's comments.

I agree that the steering is slightly weighty, but it is supposed to (and does) provide more assistance at low speeds and then firms up to provide more 'feel' as speeds increase.

Also, performance of the 1.2 litre 16v engine is EXCELLENT! This engine is DEFINITELY the best in the supermini class; it even incorporates a 'drive by wire throttle' (every input into the accelerator you make goes through a computer for a quicker, more effective response). This is high technology indeed for such a small car. I regularly win drags against 1.4 litre cars (fiesta, polo etc.) and can keep up with my mate's 90bhp Mini One. If you think the Clio is bad, you'd better avoid other superminis!!!

I have owned my 1.2 16v Clio around 2 months now and love it!

I have had slight problems such as the airbag light has come on which I still need to get round to sorting. I have had my Clio at 115mph (on a private road of course) and it coped quite fine, but didn't get along well with the fuel economy! I think it's a bargain car for the price of one and the 1.2 engine is extremely nippy and quicker than a 1.4 fiesta!

The steering is very responsive at the slightest touch and becomes heavier at higher speeds and very light when parking!

I am on my 2nd Clio now as I crash tested my first one by slamming into a lampost at 40mph sideways (no word of a lie) I was surprised how well the car kept its shape and got out of the car with just a tiny cut from the glass.

The only problem with my Clio is I find the clutch way to heavy for a small car which gives me an achy foot in traffic, but apart from that I love it!

I have just sold my 2002 1.4 Dynamic and never want to see it again. Such rubbish, coils going all the time cat converter £1000 and loads of other stuff. This is a rattle box I'm not going to pine after!