This week Nicholas reviews the Renault Clio Sport Tourer. Read Nicholas’ other reviews. Ed
Driving this Renault Clio Sport Tourer has had me reassessing what makes a cool car.
The Sport Tourer is an estate version of a little hatchback, providing more space for families, dogs or bags of cement, while still offering value for money. Be still my beating heart. But rather than being a duller version of a car built for nothing more than A to B transport, the Sport Tourer really does offer something to the ‘cool’ youth of today.
Solid design
Firstly, it doesn’t try too hard. Everything from the heater controls to the exterior styling is simple to use or easy on the eye. It’s clear nobody in the designing stage stood up and shouted ‘Eureka’, before suggesting integrating the stereo controls into the rear view mirror to make it ‘funky’. And it’s all the better for it.
Secondly, despite the extra length, the Clio remains a small car. It’s narrow and easy to place on the road, and it’s light enough to make do with a small, turbocharged 1.2 engine.
The engine isn’t quite at the cutting edge of technology, lacking a start-stop system, but it’s really quiet, smooth and able to pull high gears at low speeds without fuss. Renault claim 52.6 mpg from this engine, although I only saw a 34mpg average on the slow Island roads.
Drives with verve and agility
The rest of the cars appeal lies in its balance of small car chuck-ability and load lugging capacity. It’s a perfect summer car, with space for mates, a BBQ and even a kayak on the roof. Yet for all its space it’s not a confusing ‘crossover coupe’ or a big 4×4, and it drives with verve and agility.
The car I drove was a Dynamic TomTom spec, with soft touch materials for the dashboard and a satellite navigation unit poking out the dash, and it costs £14,700 – about the same as its main rival, the Skoda Fabia Estate.
It’s not perfect. The gearshift is a bit soggy and the steering column seems a bit weak (the wheel shakes over bumps and ridges, perhaps a side product of the extra length and weight in the wheelbase), which both take away from the driving pleasure on back roads.
Summary
It’s easy to drive, usefully smaller than a Megane (the next car up in the range), yet with more space than a regular Clio. A well-rounded and balanced car, a great score hampered by the pitter patter through the steering. 7/10
Many thanks to Harwoods Renault for the loan of the vehicle.
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