Fridae

A decade ago Renault threatened to change the shape of automobiles with the Avantime, Vel Satis and the previous-generation hot-arse Megane. They were cutting edge in form and were able to spark off some sort of reaction from just about everyone; including those that know nothing about cars.

What’s up with the French automobile giant Renault these days? The once créateur d’automobile is sort of in a hibernation stage, plotting for world domination once again via amassing showrooms full of EV (electric vehicle) -to be ready as soon as 2011. These sorts of revolution would take plenty of guts and time. Let’s pray for the part state-owned manufacturer not to get this one wrong – and no other car maker is gambling on EVs to such an extent – because failure will quite possibly cost its existence.

For now, Renault has just launched a facelifted version of its Clio supermini. It has been three years since the French car was launched, so Renault has given it a thorough mid-life makeover to bring the Clio in line with the latest looks of the Megane range.

The refreshed Clio means a prominent new front bumper/spoiler arrangement, with reshaped headlamps and a very slim, pencil-thin grille just below the diamond badge. At the rear, only the repositioned, triangular foglamps in the corners of the rear valance are the noticeable change.

In short, the Clio sports a cleaner and more zen-like appearance. Thankfully the facelift has not gone down the typical Korean route. (Oddly, the Koreans are great at sorting out human faces, but not so great with cars.)

Mechanically, there’s nothing new to shout about. Singapore Clio spots the same as before 1.6 litre engine that pushes out 110 bhp and 151 Nm of torque and comes mated with a rather dated four-speed automatic gearbox; helping the Clio to reach 100 km/h from standstill in 12.2 seconds.

Perhaps Renault should consider bringing the new turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine with 128bhp available only in Europe. This is to justify the Clio's good chassis; its game enough to hang on the twisty stuff and the ride quality is in check while cruising. Though the electric power steering system still isn't great on feel, the Clio changes direction pretty swiftly, so there's fun to be had here.

The layout of the Clio III’s interior is neat and logical. Space is adequate, but it certainly lacks some sparks when compared with newer rivals like the Ford Fiesta or the perceived quality of the forecoming Volkswagen Polo. But there shouldn’t be any complaints from folks that are trading in their Japanese econ-boxes.

Our press car was a 5-door in this kermit the frog green, almost cute!

As typical of all modern Renaults, the Clio has a Euro NCAP five-point rating and all local cars come with six airbags as standard. Priced at S$63,999, the facelifted Clio represents pretty good value if you consider this as an entry to continental motoring.

And why would anyone get a typical 4-door sedan over the Clio is simply beyond me. Singapore’s most popular Toyota Corolla Altis commands a S$10K premium over the Clio; why would anyone pick the Thai made sedan over the Clio?