Renault Clio

Renault Clio, 2009

The 2009 Geneva Motor Show sees Renault take the wraps off the latest hatchback and estate versions of the best-selling Renault Clio. New Renault Clio's styling, comfort, versatility, safety credentials and equipment, which form a package worthy of that of models from the next segment up, are sure to appeal to a large, loyal customer base worldwide. At the same time, its extremely rigorous build quality makes it one of the most reliable cars of its class.

New Renault Clio sits squarely on the road and features more streamlined lines thanks to its extended length (4,027mm; 41mm longer than Clio III), while the contours of its headlamps extend downward to meet the outer parts of the grille. The dynamic front bumper design incorporates a broad air intake which is picked out with matt black protective mouldings. The steeply-raked 'soft' nose is flanked by the foglamps and gives the new hatchback a determined gaze, while the two-tone exterior mirror housings stand out through their sleeker forms. At the rear, the waistline is extended by new light clusters, and the more dynamic feel of New Renault Clio is further emphasized by the revised bumper, as well as by the reversing lights and rear fog lights which are situated lower down and closer to the car's sides.

New Renault Clio GT, a more purposeful personality
Styling: New Renault Clio GT can be recognized by its exclusive Malta Blue body colour and expressive, racy lines. It sits squarely on its 16-inch "Dark Anthracite" aluminium alloy wheels, while its more assertive front end features a gloss black grille and distinctive black headlamp masks. The lines of the sills point to the performance of the GT version's specific suspension.

Suspension: Renault Sport Technologies' engineers have paid special attention to ensure that New Renault Clio GT's chassis combines first class dynamic ability with a comfortable ride. The stiffness of the front springs and the calibration of the front dampers have been uprated by 15 per cent compared to the previous version. To counter body roll, the front anti-roll bar diameter has been increased from 20.5 to 21mm, while the rear suspension is equipped with the same stiffer bushes as New Clio Renault Sport. The directional stability of the rear end has been made more precise by curbing of parasitic movements. New Renault Clio GT's power steering is also more direct for swifter response and greater driving pleasure.

Benchmark cabin space and comfort
New Renault Clio boasts a class-leading overall cabin space index, with rear shoudler-room of 1,362mm in the case of three-door versions and 1,343mm for five-door and estate versions. The sensation of space is further accentuated by the generous headroom which is 866mm at the rear, while rear occupants benefit from kneeroom of 162mm, too. Indeed, New Renault Clio comfortably sits passengers who are more than 1.88m tall (95th percentile of the European population).

Efficient suspension performance for a comfortable, reassuring ride
The New Renault Clio family delivers a carefully-honed balance between rigorous, comfortable and safe handling. The suspension has been developed to meet the expectations of the customers of the different versions (Hatchback, GT, Estate). The suspension of New Renault Clio Hatchback is identical to that of Clio III and provides a high standard of efficient, comfortable roadholding.

Responsive, environmentally-friendly engines
The range of engines and transmissions has been carefully selected to bring out the best in New Renault Clio's dynamic performance. These powertrains are respectful of the environment:
* a choice of dCi engines, two of which emit less than 120g of CO2/km (e.g. the dCi 85: 117g of CO2/km) and the availability of a particulate filter for a certain number of them,
* the TCe 100, which boasts the lowest CO2 emissions of any 100hp petrol engine,
* a 1.2 16V engine capable of running on alternative fuels, namely an E85 bioethanolcompatible version and an LPG version (depending on market).

New Renault Clio comes with the new 80W RadioSat Classic audio system which includes six loudspeakers, an MP3-compatbile CD player, the display of MP3 file names and an RCA socket situated in front of the gear lever.

Equipment
For enhanced comfort and safety, New Renault Clio is equipped with the follow equipment (either standard depending on equipment level, or optional):
* cruise control with speed limiter,
* additional cornering lights
* rear parking proximity sensor,
* a combined rain/light sensor which automatically switches on the headlamps and/or activates the windscreen wipers at the ideal wipe-speed.

Safety: a priority for Renault, and a self-evidence for New Renault Clio
The New Renault Clio family benefits from Renault's extensive expertise when it comes to active and passive safety.