Test drive by Renault Clio 5 doors 2001 - 2006 hatchback

Symbolism of calculation

The proverb says: not the one who earns a lot is rich, but the one who spends little. Renault Clio Symbol offers its version of expenses.
The Renault Clio Symbol presented at the last Moscow motor show is declared as a car specially prepared for the Russian market. The development and pricing of which took into account both specific road-climatic conditions of our country and the real financial capabilities of consumers. The basic equipment will cost $ 8.5 thousand, and the maximum, with a 16-valve 98-horsepower engine, is $ 11.5 thousand. The intermediate option should cost about $ 9.9 thousand.
Link and difference. Creating a new car, as it turns out, is relatively easy. It is only necessary to the hatchback, for example, Renault Clio II, to attach a very voluminous - 510 liters - the trunk, increasing the total length of the machine of 37 centimeters. And you will get a new car - Renault Clio Symbol.
Thanks to his balanced and harmonious lines, Symbol retained the grace of a compact hatchback and at the same time acquired solidity inherent in sedans. We must pay tribute to the designers of Renault, because they managed to get away from the trivial washing and uniformity characteristic of some machines of this class. Smooth, but at the same time clearly balanced lines and proportions, wide-open eyes-faras, a smile of an oblong gap of the air intake under the edge of the hood create a peculiar, at the same time attractive and friendly appearance.
Fashionable polycarbonate, from which the headlight dispers are made, allows you to really not fear stones, it does not crack from heating and cooling. And it can also painlessly withstand incompatible blows in small accidents. In this sense, the composite material from which the front wings are made is also progressed. It is practically not susceptible to the destructive effect of salt, and with small accidents, it will relieve Richthoe work, allowing you to do with only painting. In other words, both pretty and practical, one is in our favor.
Divisive and divisor. In Russia, in front of its salty and cold winter, bad roads and disgusting gasoline, foreign cars, like people in a bathhouse, are becoming equal. Theoretically, the more expensive and higher than the class, the car is better protected, and the cheaper, the, respectively, worse. Preparing Symbol for the Russian market, people from Renault seemed to reason that additional protective devices would provide him with a certain advantage over classmates.
In addition to the zinc coating of the body and the enhanced anticorus of the internal cavities and bottoms, they were protected by the engine, as well as metal defense plates of the fuel and brake highways. The real need for the last two is very doubtful, but it will not hurt.
In addition, having changed and improved the architecture of the suspension, Symbol did not symbolically increase the clearance, 20 mm in front and 10 in behind. There is no need to argue about the benefits of this step, especially based on the fact that in the original Clio it does not exceed 130 mm. A 70 ampere/hours battery and a 90-ampere generator should provide uninterrupted launch and work at a time when the notorious General Moroz reigns, which, as you know, has destroyed more than one hundred strangers. Especially at the beginning of the last century.
Numerator and denominator. The basic Symbol is so basic that it is easier to list the additional equipment that is in it than what it is deprived of. The list consists, in fact, of two positions - the power steering and immobilizer. There is not even a tachometer. However, safety is highlighted in a separate line: even in the database, this machine is equipped with a driver’s pillow and belts with pyrotechnic pretense. And ABS in all versions is an additional option.
It would be naive to expect from the car for that kind of money of any luxury, and still the asceticism of the salon is amazing. Its matte surface and rough texture, as well as two -color torpedo material, save the position a little. Thanks to which the interior does not look really dull. But the gaping hole of the deprived cover of the glove compartment is unlikely to please anyone. However, there will be a plus here - a useless junk will accumulate less.
Despite the natural limitations of the small middle class, Clio Symbol is quite roomy. The pillow and back of the rear seat are easily extracted, and a decent cargo compartment forms with a wide and high opening in the trunk. Yes, and the passengers from behind were not very crowded, only a sloping roof will make tall people bow their heads in front of the designers. Literally.
Private and amount. However, running qualities compensate for a lot. The motor does not seem to indulge in the power and size of the torque, but has a living and responsive character. Surprisingly quiet and balanced. Together with soft and exact controls, a quick and understandable reaction of the car, high maneuverability and a good review, this makes the Cloi Symbol control process simple and pleasant.
The first gear, as usual, is short. The machine is able to start very sharply, leaving behind even seemingly more powerful and dynamic Almera 1.6. The rest are long. Which is good and not very. It is good because due to this, the smoothness and accelerated dynamics are high for this class, the need for frequent transfers in the torn city rhythm is removed. And not very because the flip side of this coin becomes a mild picking up, which, if necessary, accelerate forces to switch to lower gears. And if you ride calmly, there are no questions.
The suspension also copes with its tasks without much comment. Symbol more than adequately holds the way, although, of course, it does not do without a mild, but inevitable for many front -wheel drive models of insufficient rotation. Nevertheless, the ligament is not the most gentle turns and not at the lowest speed it passes, confidently prescribing the planned path.
In general, having tried Symbol on the go, I came to the conclusion that for behavior on the road he can if not finally forgiven, then at least try not to notice the scarcity of basic configuration and simplicity of decoration. And if you still recall the price, then you can completely forgive the inconvenience of a typically French signal, the button of which is displayed on the left steering wheel switch, you can look through the fingers that in the machine equipped with electric windows, opening the window, you will have to work hard, holding the control buttons, located behind the gearbox lever almost under the console. And not very criticizing her for the not-so-correct ratio of the position of the driver's seat and the height of the gas pedal, which is why the right leg as if hangs, which leads to discomfort after several hours driving.
DERIVATIVE. The car market, like nature, does not tolerate voids. The reality is that the most solvent demand in our market is primarily focused on the sector of small and inexpensive cars. And just in this sector there is a decent gap between representatives of the domestic tenth family, offered on average for $ 5500, and Korean cars, the price of which starts already from $ 9,000. There was still only one intermediate option-this is a pretty obsolete Korean-Uzbek Nexia. Now the situation may change.

Text Andrey Timofeev, photo Alexey Ilyin

 

Source: "Autopilot"