Test drive by Renault Clio 5 doors 2001 - 2006 hatchback

Does the cheap horse spoil the furrows?

An inexhaustible storehouse of folk wisdom convinces: a good thing should not be cheap. On the other hand, if such cars are produced, then someone needs it. So we decided to get into place of potential buyers of the most affordable foreign cars of the Russian market.
 



In the fate of the symbol and Pounter there is much in common. Natives of noble European families, both found a new house far from their native shores, respectively in Turkey and Brazil. On the new permanent residence, both cars have changed, including externally. To the good? You decide. The symbol, which is nothing more than Clio with a separate trunk, was literally just slightly lifted. The turn signals and repeaters in the latest fashion became transparent, a new combination of devices appeared in the cabin, and a pretty bagel from Megan II is now regulated by the angle of inclination.
 

The Pointer, the nee Volkswagen-Gol, made his debut in 1981, 19 years later he had undergone a cosmetic operation, and in 2004, having received a new name, he found himself in Russian expanses. But outwardly, nothing gives out a car that is nearly a quarter of a century. Of course, it is impossible to call it ultra -modern. But neat and clear lines of the body give the car a raid of conservative solidity, and transparent turn signals hint that the old man reads fashion magazines.
 

So the exterior of our heroes does not give them through the budget nature. But all the secret sooner or later it becomes a reality. And in order to understand why the price tags of the pointer and the symbol are so desperately attractive, you just need to reach out and open the door.


Smoking harm!
However, at first you don’t feel the podvoch in the Pointer salon. On the contrary, spitting into a chair, upholstered by luxurious by the standards of the class of super -brimmers with light velor, and evaluating the noble splendor of aluminum door handles, you immediately understand: you won’t drink the breed. The rich people never understand how nice it is to find a part of the 100,000 Audi-A8 in a car cheaper in a car.
 

There is such a head light switch in a pointer. And here is another stylish element chrome -based ringing of the base of the KP lever. The mirrors are excellent, and most importantly, the same in size. The driver's seat has a useful thing in height. In a word, by the first impression, the Pointer seems to be a head surpassed by the Korean classmates of Rio, the emphasis and somewhere even a hetz. But do not rush joyfully clap your hands.

 
   
At first glance, the inner world of Pointer bribes truly Volkswagen's solidity. Only the absence of such familiar things as a tachometer or ashtray is depressed
 
A light velor salon is required for all 5-door pointer. The black interior reserved behind the three -door seems to be a more practical choice


Of course, the equipment of a cheap car should not conquer with generosity. But savings have a limit where it turns into stinginess. Is the pens over the doors is a luxury item? Suppose, with the lack of mirrors in anti -linen visors, it is not difficult to reconcile, but I don’t want to already be shifted to one side. In the end, this is a safety factor. And how to respond to the absence of a tachometer? I’m not saying that the smokers will have to use their own lighter and shake the ashes by the window of the cigarette lighter and an ashtrays in the poeter are not provided. The fight against tobacco? And the absence of head restraints on the couch in this case is the fight against the cervical vertebrae.
 

The interior of the symbol against such a background seems to be an attraction of unheard of generosity. By and large, you can find fault with two things here. To begin with, design. Personally, I did not leave the feeling that the symbol was licking with me. Everything is too round here, smooth, frivolous. Someone is a kind of kindergarten, maybe to my liking, but definitely not for me. However, from the tastes we will move on to claim more serious than the lack of vertical adjustment of the driver's seat. The latter, however, is partly compensated by the adjustment of the steering column on the pointer, by the way, no.

 
   
After a recent renewal, the symbol of the symbol was a frivolous externally more on an elegant steering wheel with adjustment on the angle of inclination and a stylish combination of devices
 
Perhaps the main drawback of the driver's workplace is the lack of adjustment of the seat in height. But the symbol has three head restraints on the back sofa


Otherwise, the symbol is a worthy modern supermini. At least on pens and cigarette lights, they did not save here. Yes, in the basic version there is no tachometer, but in our test, there are five head restraints, and a magnificent remote joystick of the musical system, and an electronic clock. So if it were not for the very wooden plastic torpedo to the Turkish Frenchman for the interior would be higher.


Stand up for landing!
The capacity of the kids pleasantly surprised. Of course, they are far from the current record holders of the class. But with machines such as Rio or emphasis, our couple may well make together. In Pounter, only one moment was a margin of space for the heads of sitting from the back is clearly small. But behind him, not too straining, a man of 185 cm tall will be sitting too much.
 

In the symbol, this will also be good over the head even more; And the Renault sofa is a little more spacious than Volkswagen allows you to accommodate if necessary. True, it is better for a short while.


What is more important?
The figures of the trunk of the symbol of 510 liters magically act on the minds of summer associates, already in the store counting the number of belongings, which can be taken to your house in the village. However, the trunk should be not only large, but also convenient. And then Renault has some problems. Firstly, this concerns the transformation of the salon. The back of the sofa folds entirely, which is quite acceptable. However, the limited height of the opening makes it impossible to transport large -sized cargoes. The TV will simply not enter here. In addition, massive trunk loops can mate a luggage, and the lack of decorative upholstery of the cover for today's times, Moveton.
 

 
In the Pointer, which is far from record in volume, with a folded back of the sofa and the cleaning shelf, even medium -sized refrigerator will fit


But 510 liters of the symbol are good only for transporting potatoes from a personal plot


The pointer, like any hatchback, has an undeniable advantage over the sedan. Let the maximum capacity of his trunk are inferior to Renault, but, by and large, it is more convenient. They folded the back of the sofa, removed the shelf and in front of you is a very spacious luggage compartment.
 



Gas to capacity
Nevertheless, the main budget component of our heroes is manifested under the hood. There is no characteristic bar on the back of the Pounter and there is no hint of engine litting. A liter 8-valve four gives 67 liters. With. For such a modest working volume, it is quite solid. And most importantly, not much less than 75-horsepower one and four, installed under the hood of the symbol.
 

In real life, 7 l. With. The differences turn around by the unconditional loss of the pointer when accelerating to hundreds of ten buildings or as many as three seconds! But the main thing is not traffic lights, but the real convenience of management. The pointer is lacking not so much power as burden. To look adequate in the road stream, a small motor constantly has to twist. The car does not ask, but forces it to actively work as a gearbox. In order not to sour, for example, when climbing a hill at 60, you need to add the third. Clutch-passage-gaz, clutch-transfer-gaz and again, and again, and again ... After an hour, you start to get tired of such a whirlpool. Perhaps in a week you will get used to it, or rather, come to terms with the engine so demanding of switching, but in any case there is little good.
 

How easier it is to control the city with a symbol! A tested and reliable 1.4-liter engine confidently pulls from the bottom, so after a trip to Pounter, you rest at Renault. Here you can already allow yourself to switch less often, and if necessary, for example, in snowfall without problems to move from the second gear. In general, the clutch drive on the symbol is quite loyal to the driver, while in Pounter the slightest negligence in handling the left pedal spills into the crunch of gears. Susper is a symbol on the suburban highway. If the Volkswagen with the air conditioning is faster than 145 km/h will not go, then the symbol is not a problem and 160.
 

But the brake dynamics in both did not cause special complaints. Yes, the feeling of cotton pedal on the symbol slightly lubricates a general positive impression, but the absence of ABS in the basic configuration is much more alarming. Still, the Europeans who made it mandatory for all cars are right. Maybe we will ever live.


Within a reasonable
Even during the years of his youth, neither Clio nor the goal were among the gambling in car handling. Therefore, it is not worth approaching our heroes with high standards of modern sports-hatch. But in the standard modes to the kids no complaints. Only the nuances are quite noticeable. A symbol, with its at all a sharp wheel of 3.5 turns from the stop to the stop and a long -term suspension, let’s say, more thoughtful and measured. In corners, this is a typical front -wheel drive car of medium -sized driving talents. He clearly lacks reactive effort on the steering wheel, and on a fast arc, the car seeks to straighten the trajectory. Both, however, are within the norm.
 

And quite a comfortable cruising speed of 140 km/h is a pleasant surprise. You can go faster, but the empty steering wheel and the body is a little frightening to the gusts of the side wind.
 

Pointer also has a long -flowing suspension, but a more honest and harsh steering wheel. You feel so calm at high speed. But in the bends this undoubted plus cannot be used. Too early Pounter begins to issue a long -flowing nature of the suspension with rather frightening transverse rolls.
 

But both cars and for this a huge respect for them! They are very well adapted for motion for primer. A solid road clearance, the short -winged sovereign, the Pointer of the overhang, the obligatory protection of the bottom and again long -flowing pendants greatly facilitate the sorties from the highway to their country house.



A little quieter, a little quieter ...
 
As you probably already managed to understand, both the symbol and Pointer are very comfortable on the go. Perhaps the Volkswagen copes a little better with large potholes, but Renault has noise insulation more efficiently by an order of magnitude. On the potholes, the suspension of the Brazilian German works not so much hard as loudly, creating a sense of discomfort.
 

But compared with the noise of the engine, all these are flowers. The liter engine of the pointer must be twisted well, and, given the absence of a tachometer, when the moment of switching can only be determined by ear, the sound background in the cabin is such that it does not seem little.
 

So the symbol is again preferable. Yes, on the idle purring of the motor is heard in the cabin, but in the movement the metal trill of the engine does not irritate at all.


Permissible minimum
The driver's pillow is an integral attribute of even the cheapest symbol. However, you do not expect another from Renault, claiming the role of a world leader in passive safety. It is more offensive that the passenger Air Bag and ABS are included in the list of additional equipment.
 

In the configuration, the basis for Pointer from passive safety means exclusively belts.
 

However, the front-based eire-beags are included in the second level of Seyphity, which is actually cheaper than the basic symbol. That is why we give them equal assessments for safety.


Until the last penny
Never before the new Volkswagen has cost $ 9499 in Russia. So the price, of course, is the main trump card of Pointer. And let the basic version is a 3-door body with a steering wheel and seats. The main thing is that such a machine is quite a real product, and not the ephemeral lumber from the advertising avenue. The variant of the Seyfeti for $ 10,517 is already a 5-door with frontal pillows, a steering wheel amplifier adjustable in height with a driver’s seat and even an audio training with four speakers. Finally, the top version of Seyfeti plus for $ 11,223 also has an air conditioning. And even a symbol cannot kill such a price.
 

In the basic equipment, an otent for the symbol is asked for E8850 or approximately $ 10,850. And for this money, you will not receive anything particularly valuable, except for a safety pillow and hydraulic power pillow. The tachometer is not provided. Therefore, the optimal for the symbol can be considered a second -level set. Express for E10 340 (approximately $ 12,680) is a convenient and well -equipped car. Air conditioning, a central castle with a remote control, a radio with a control, a headlight washer, adjustable steering column, front electric windows. That is why the express with a 16-valve 98-horsepower engine (E11 190 or $ 13,720) is perhaps a luxury. Cast disks and electric mirrors for a budget car are already trinkets. And excess horsepower is not very necessary for the symbol. The 75-horsepower engine is quite enough.

 

   
 

Head light switch, as in thoroughbred cars
  
Mirrors will have to be adjusted manually
 
The glove box is not particularly spacious

Anti -loner visors are non -removable and without mirrors
 
Electric windows are included in the configuration of safe, Seephiti air conditioning+

A solid rear suspension tumor limits the beneficial volume of the trunk
 
   
 

The cover of the glove box can be a bar
 
The windows buttons are not the best solution one after another
  
Hand mirrors are almost the only reminder that the symbol is the most affordable of Renault

All the head restraints of the sofa are adjustable in height

Smoke on health on an ashtray and cigarette lighter in Renault do not save
 
Joystick of Music Management to the right of the steering wheel is very convenient

Information from the radio is displayed on the display
 



We decided:

The formed image of a prestigious car works on a pointer and in the eyes of many lifts it to a step above budget classmates. But if the car is tempting cheap, then something is missing in it. In the pointer, in our opinion, the balance in the decoration and equipping of the interior.
 

I am sure that the vast majority of buyers would gladly change velor to a tachometer, the chrome ring of the KP lever on the handles above the doors, and the controller controller for normal anti -loner visors. Another minus of the Brazilian German can hardly pull the engine onto the tria. The Pointer asks for a more serious motor, and we hope that the quickly appearance of a 1.8-liter 99-horsepower unit will correct the situation. In the meantime, with an average estimate of 3.6 () the most affordable of folk cars is only the second in our test.
 

The most annoying thing is that because of, to put it mildly, an ambiguous appearance, the talent of the symbol is an average rating of 3.9 () is not obvious to everyone. And he certainly did not offend his talents. A worthy motor, moderately spacious and decently equipped, good adaptation to Russian conditions and, finally, albeit not as affordable as that of Pointer, but still a very attractive price, agree, a solid set of positive qualities. And personally, I would, without doubt, overpaid about $ 1,400, sharing similarly equipped pointer and symbol, if not for one but ... Alas, the design of the car plays too important for me.
 

Mikhail Medvedev, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 

Source: Magazine buy a car [18/2004]