Test drive by Renault Clio 5 doors 2001 - 2006 hatchback

Two plus three

Renault Clio III will not change the second version of the model in the market
The first generation of Clio saw the light in 1990, the second was born only in 1998, and three years later an updated version appeared, still sold. By the way, in total, 15 million copies of these machines were sold. The world premiere of the new, the third, the family of the three- and five-door Clio, took place at the current car dealership in Frankfurt. Here, Renault admitted that, given the demand for these cars, it decided to sell Clio III in parallel with its predecessor until 2008.
Today, many eminent manufacturers are trying to inflate their new cars to the maximum size allowed for a particular class. This trend is especially noticeable in the initial groups. So it happened with Renault Clio III - now he is the largest in the V.S. But nevertheless, its creators made the main emphasis not so much on the size of the model as on the appearance of the new item. The third Clio received a fresh, dynamic appearance. A pretty face with the headlights of a la Renault Scenic is decorated with a predatory mouth of the air intake in the spirit of the last models of competitors from Peugeot. In the line of glazing of the three -door, for example, Fiat Stilo is slightly guessed, and in the angle of three quarters behind the car a little resembles the Toyota Yaris hatchback. At the same time, in the appearance of the new Clio, all these elements are intertwined into specific Renovan forms. And on the door of the Zabka, in addition to the proprietary rhombus, the inscription Renault reappeared, which was abandoned even with the restyling of the second Clio. True, company representatives say that they simply wanted to accustom the consumer to the new logo font. So in any case, Clio III will not confuse with anything.
The enlarged dimensions of the car are rather designed to improve the comfort of passengers, and partly to tear Clio III from classmates, showing that it is above them. After all, the wheelbase of 2570 mm is the segment of the segment B. The new Clio is now also 170 mm longer and 70 mm wider and above the predecessor. In fact, it is already comparable to Megane hatchback - only 22 mm is shorter than it. As a result, the designers managed to win 30 mm on three planes, which, of course, affected the internal volume of the car. For example, the trunk added 33 liters (compared to Clio II) and began to accommodate 288 liters, and with folded seats - as much as 1038 liters. Even in the womb of the glove box, you can hide 9.4 liters of cargo.
The size, of course, matters, but without a noticeable improvement in the interior of the machine you will not go far. And here the Renovites decided not to trifle. And although many details are already familiar with other Renault models, a few original details are made with taste and are quite individual.
It is enough to look, for example, at ventilation deflectors. A massive central console with a liquid crystal display is also striking. The seats became even more convenient, and the large ranges of adjustments will be quite arranged even by the tall driver. At the same time, the new Clio is no worse than the same Megane in terms of decoration. And on what other car of this class there are xenon headlights, smart wipers (the wave frequency changes depending on the speed of movement) or the quality sensor with automatic inclusion of the recirculation mode? It seems that Renault Clio wants to become the most packed city hatchback.
For a long time, the Renault skate has become security. And in this sense, Clio III is all right - he is the eighth car of the company, which was assessed by the estimates of 5 stars at the EURONCAP crash tests. In addition, he distinguished himself, having received the maximum assessment - 4 stars - for children's safety. The programmed zones of body deformation, stiffeners and numerous aerial tapes can be devoted to separate material, but ... it is better to add that in the serial configuration the ABS Bosch 8.0 unit with an electronic brake distributor (EBV) and an emergency braking device (AFU). And as an option, you can get a target stability system (ESP), which includes the anti -boom function (ASR), control of controllability when turning (CSV) and regulation of braking by the engine when switching to lower gear (MSR). Similar sets are not always found on adult cars.
It’s good, of course, to sit in the salon of the new Clio, to feel a torpedo and read a list of its electronic systems, but it would be nice to ride a car. And such an opportunity introduced itself. It was even possible to test on the go almost all versions that will be delivered to Russia. This is Clio III with 16-valve engines with a volume of 1.2 liters (75 hp), 1.4 l (100 hp) and 1.6 l (110 hp). There are also 1.5 DCI diesel engines in three versions of different capacities (70, 85 and 105 hp), but this is not for our fellow citizens. Although it was the diesel five -door Clio III that left a lot of positive emotions (it was impossible to abandon the proposal to ride precisely this version). Two gearboxes are choice - mechanics and automatic. Naturally, the latter is proposed only for the most powerful modification, and for the 1.2 -liter motor, there is also a robotic KP with steering wheel controls - the premiere of Renault.
At the parking lot, where the Clio III test cars stood, a bright red three-door with a 1.6 liter engine and a manual box attracted attention. Moreover, on it almost the entire ceiling is glass (area - 3.3 m2), and even with a hatch. For testing, Renault has prepared not just roads, but mountain serpentine. It was in such conditions that the abilities of the new Clio should have appeared. So, in fact, it happened. On steep turns, if you turn the steering wheel a little more energetically or drop the gas, Clio III went on the skins on the move. And equally sharply restored the course stability. Moreover, the low -profile 15 -inch tires did not say anything to the last - the piercing screech was heard already at the exit of the turn. The motor turned out to be cheerful, but the desire to make a bush quickly beat off ... the steering wheel power power. Excessive rotation spoiled the whole picture. The reactive force was not enough either straight or on turns. However, in the maximum turn of Clio, he behaved like a standard front -wheel drive car: added gas - it shifted out, threw it off - screwed into a turn. With a machine gun, the owner can generally relax - a great choice of a citizen, and even more so citizens.
The next trial race is on a 1.4-liter 5-door version of Clio III. The equipment of the car is no worse, although not as civilian as that of a red beauty. The conclusion is enough for everyday life. There is enough power and comfort, and does not provoke unnecessary movements (so as not to be afraid of reactions on the steering wheel). After the average version, it seemed that there was nothing to wait for from the 1.2-liter version. But no, the car confidently pursued the more powerful Clio III, which was driven by my colleague. True, on the rise, the motor had to be twisted so as not to lag behind. By the way, despite the manufacturer’s assurances about the work to improve sound insulation, all three versions of Clio III seemed too loud during the speed of speed. However, this is characteristic of many cars of this class equipped with motors of such a working volume. It is the weakest option that is considered basic, and therefore the decoration of the salon is simpler, including a modest central console with lamb control of air conditioning and other things.
However, for Russians, the Renault Clio III will, of course, will be a decisive factor in favor of the purchase of Renault Clio. In the meantime, there are only European prices, although, according to representatives of the French company, the new CLIO in the basic version will be cheaper than the predecessor of dollars for 500 (of course, the sophisticated equipment will be noticeably more expensive). Take the price list on the second clio and estimate ...
Text: Andrey Konstantinov

Source: Mkobil magazine [19.09.2005]