Squeaky sunroof Handle.
Replacement stereo head unit.
Faulty sensors on rear seat belts kept triggering the airbag warning light.
I love this car to bits. I acquired the car from new last year. This is the new face-lifted model and was one of the first in the country.
The car has been very reliable from day one. It needed a couple of a visits to the dealer to fettle a couple of minor issues, but this is what I expected for a brand new car.
The car has on three occasions developed a fault with the airbag warning light. Each time this has been addressed, the problem re-occurred several weeks later. However, after the first service (last year) this problem hasn't re-surfaced.
The sunroof handle creaked really loudly when travelling on bumpy roads (i.e. all the time!). I borrowed a loan Clio whilst the airbag light was being sorted, and this car had a silent sunroof. I pointed this out to the dealer and they ordered a new handle. This was fitted at the first service and has sorted the problem, hurrah!
The only other fault was partly my fault. The head unit chewed up a tape. The dealer sorted the problem within 24hrs and it has been tip-top ever since.
I am massively impressed with this car. I cannot stress this point clearly enough.
The performance is very good, it feels more like a 1.4 rather than a 1.2. Indeed, it has the same power (75bhp) as many other marque 1.4 models.
The economy is outstanding. I travel around 60 miles a day travelling to work. This is over mixed roads - A roads, B roads, dual carriageways and stop start urban driving. I always have a passenger in the car and I don't hang about!
The car averages around 50 mpg, which is fantastic. Even when I am on my own and really ring it's neck the mpg stays in the 40s!
The insurance is only group 3! The Fiesta equivalent, the Zetec is group 6 for a car with exactly the same performance/power!
The car is well finished and comes with a decent 6 speaker stereo with that fantastic trademark Renault stalk control.
The handling is grippy and entertaining. Unless you need a big car, I really feel this is all the car you ever need.
It looks good, can handle any kind of journey, is well equipped, very cheap to run and is a hoot to drive.
I would recommend this over the Expression+. That model is the same price, but forgoes the sports wheels, suspension, seats, fog-lights and leather steering wheel, for air conditioning. I have driven the Expression+ and it's manners are very different to the Dynamique. It rolls too much, the seats are not as supportive, and that plastic steering wheel feels dreadful.
I have driven two different Expression+ Clios (both loan cars). Even though they share the same engine as the Dynamique, the second one felt the same as mine performance wise, but the first had no life to it at all. Very strange.
The only slight criticism I have of mine to drive, is that it is very easy to stall. Renault have got a fix for this (A change to the engine management software), but I have read that on some models this results in lumping running higher up the rev range and poor fuel economy.
Because I love the performance and economy offered by my Clio, I am leaving well alone!! and just apply a few more revs than I would normally when pulling away.
Have a test drive and see what you think. Personally, I would buy another one tomorrow like a shot.
We have two cars in our household a Vauxhall cavalier and a Renault Scenic, we love the Scenic, and loathe the Vauxhall, it`s is a pig of a car- always going wrong, which we are considering changing for the new shape Clio.
Last week the Scenic was in for a service and we were given a Clio as a courtesy car, and we loved it, it was only the 1.2 engine, which given how nippy it was, I looked under the bonnet thinking it was the 1.4, it was so quick, I was also very impressed on how good the suspension was.
Everything about the car was great, other than the clutch pedal was not adjusted correctly (not in line with the other pedals) making it easy to stall.
And yes the sunroof on this one also creaked and groaned over bumps, and also when closing the roof.
I have a Renault clio, not as new, Y Reg sport, but I've just bought a black clio dynamique and I'm looking forward to it.
About the squeaky sun roof, my Y reg clio does it too, I have had it fixed once, but there just seems to be more squeaking, think it's a typical renault thing!
I've only had a problem with the engine management system, they fixed it, then I had to take it back to the garage because the light came on again and the fixed it again. All is sorted now and I'm very pleased with my car, hence the reason why I have bought another clio!
Great car, excellent performance and a beaut to drive!
Hi it's me again! four years after my original purchase and review I thought I'd provide an update.
The squeaky sunroof resurfaced on several occasions (despite a couple of replacement handles) and is now just treated as a permanent feature (does anyone out there sell an metal handled replacement for the sunroof? My old Renaults had a metal handle and never suffered from this problem).
Just before the end of its 3 year warranty period, it would occasionaly stall when slowing down (maybe once or twice a month), at the same time the electrical warning light would come on (I'd always had a problem with it stalling on occasion when pulling away). This was traced to an ECU problem and replaced under warranty and the problem never resurfaced, also, the stalling problem also disappeared.
Other than this, the Clio caused me no problems whatsoever. It cost me peanuts to run, never ever let me down and was a great car to own.
Time moves on and with the high mileage I cover it was time for a replacement. I have just taken delivery of a Megane Oasis (BTW, the 1.4 is rather under powered for such a heavy car!), however, my wife sold her Yaris and now owns the Clio, so I still get to enjoy it!
I know lots of people seem to have problems with Renaults (or more specifically the dealer network), but I'd just like to say that my Clio has been a joy to own and the dealer (Russells of Bexhill) are superb, both helpful, efficient and have remarkably cheap labour costs!
All in all, as I said before, I cannot recommend the Clio highly enough.
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