Renault Clio News

How can the same car score five stars for crash safety in Europe and only four stars in Australia?

The company recognises that passenger car dealerships can have different priorities when it comes to working with customers buying a work van."We understand that van customers have very different needs to passenger car customers," says Renault spokeswoman Emily Fadeyev.The van-focused Renault Pro+ outlets are attached to existing Renault dealerships but the spaces are separate."The Pro+ dealerships have different hours for service and for sales than regular Renault dealerships, reflecting the customer needs," Fadeyev says.Renault Australia aims to have eight Pro+ dealerships up and running by the end of the yearThe dealerships feature the Renault range of vans, with examples of fitout options such as racks and bulkheads. Previously, customers could see these items only in a brochure or online gallery. The van space also allows customers to get a good look at the haulers. In regular dealerships, the vans are sometimes squeezed into corners out of the way of star attraction passenger models.The first three Pro+ dealerships are at Brighton Renault in Victoria, Main North Renault in Adelaide and Sunshine Renault on the Gold Coast.Renault Australia aims to have eight Pro+ dealerships up and running by the end of the year, doubling that by the end of 2016.Commercial vehicles are important to Renault Australia and Vfacts figures show vans accounted for more than one third of the brand's sales tally in 2014.In that year, the Trafic van was Renault Australia's third bestseller, with 1643 sales, trailing the Koleos SUV with 1709 and Clio with 2611.Renault expects to see a boost in its commercial sales this year thanks to a recently arrived face-lifted Master van and a new Trafic, which has just arrived.

Aimed at those who want the looks, but not the engine performance - or expense - of the spectacular Renault Clio RS 200, a new model called the Renault Clio GT 120 will be introduced to Australia in April.The numbers in the Clios' names indicate their engine output in horsepower - the Europeans don't use kilowatts, probably because hp gives bigger numbers than kW.The drop in power from the 200hp (147kW) of the RS to 120hp (90kW) by the use of a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine in the GT in place of the 1.6 turbo-petrol in the RS will obviously have a significant effect on performance.It's not all bad news, though, because the suspension has been worked over Renault Sport Technologies. The front springs and dampers are respectively 40 per cent and 30 per cent stiffer, while the bump stops have been adapted accordingly. Sounds nice, but we won't have a chance to drive and comment on the new Clio for a couple of months. Stand by for our report immediately afterwards.The Clio GT 120 uses a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Drivers can choose between a number of power steering calibrations and accelerator pedal and dual-clutch automatic transmission mappings. In 'Sport' mode, acceleration is more responsive and gearshifts are sharper.Renault Clio GT 120's body changes see it get a front bumper incorporating LED lights, a sportier rear bumper shape highlighting twin exhaust tailpipes, body-coloured side mouldings with dark metal inserts, dark metal door mirror housings, and extra-tinted rear glass.  There's GT badging beneath the Renault logo at the front and rear. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels.Inside, the sport seats have specific upholstery with GT-branded headrests. The upper part of the dashboard features a speckled grey finish, as well as grey trim highlights. The two fixed gearshift paddles are mounted behind the leather-trimmed sports steering wheel.Justin Hocevar, the managing director of Renault Australia, says, "We have been delighted by the successful launch of the award-winning Clio in Australia and we are confident the Clio GT will add a new and very appealing dimension to the range."The Megane range was the first in Australia to introduce the Renault Sport-created GT versions and they have already developed a loyal following. Australia is a strong market for sporty models and the new Clio GT is aimed at a customer looking for a slightly sportier driving experience than the standard Clio," said Hocevar.The new Renault Clio GT will go on sale in April 2014 and full pricing and specifications will be released at that time.Also watch the GT's big brother Clio RS 200 EDC in action on our desktop site. 

A member of the 2013 Australia's Best Cars judging panel says motorists are spoilt for choice right now. Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania general manager of roadside and technical Darren Moody -- who sits on the panel with judges from motorist clubs around Australia -- says new car buyers have access to record low interest rates and are still getting great value for money, despite a recent dip in the value of the Australian dollar.He and the 11 other judges from around the country had been trying to make life even easier for buyers, testing 50 vehicles in 15 categories for the 2013 best car awards.The awards, run by the Australian Automobile Association, involved all the state auto clubs. In October Mr Moody and the other judges spent six days at the Australian Automobile Research Centre at Anglesea in Victoria testing all the vehicles.The judges' choice this year was the Mazda6 Touring, winner of the category for best medium car under $50,000. "It brings premium features to the category," Mr Moody said. There was no winner in the people mover category this year. AAA chief executive Andrew McKellar said it was the first time in the 13 years of the program that an award has been withheld."It's unfortunate that not one vehicle in that class meets the expectations of an Australia's Best Car," he said.Australia's Best Cars 2013Judges' choice: Mazda6 TouringBest light car: Renault Clio Expression TCe 120Best small car under $35,000: Hyundai i30 ActiveBest small car over $35,000: Audi A3 Sportback TFSI CoDBest medium car under $50,000: Mazda6 TouringBest medium car over $50,000: BMW 320iBest large car under $60,000: Holden Commodore VF SV6Best large car over $60,000: Lexus GS350 F SportBest people mover: Award withheldBest sports car under $50,000: Volkswagen Golf GTIBest sports car $50,000-$100,000: BMW M135iBest SUV under $45,000: Subaru Forester 2.5iBest SUV $45,000-$65,000: Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander CRDiBest Luxury SUV over $65,000: Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDIBest all-terrain 4WD under $100,000: Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6Best 4x4 Dual Cab Ute: Ford Ranger XLRead the full story here. 

You know you're getting old when car comfort is more important than a stoplight sprint. Either that or, like me, you've recently spent too much time with doctors and comfort suddenly becomes the single most important thing in your driving day.I love the Ferrari 458, but right now I would hobble straight past the rip-snorter Italian thoroughbred on the way to a cushy Jaguar XJ limo. It would be the same situation for my first-choice funster, the Porsche Cayman.I've recently driven a race-prepared Fiat 500 Abarth and the pain was almost - almost - worse than the pleasure of romping the pocket rocket around the high-speed swoops and curves of Phillip Island. I was more than happy to slide back into the cushiness of a Chrysler 300 for the drive home, even if the seats in the motown monster don't give as much support as I normally like.The ride back to the airport got me thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of a number of vehicles that have recently passed through the Carsguide garage, focusing on how they make you feel in the body instead of in the head. Every week there are emails to CarsGuide from people of age, asking about upgrading - from a conventional passenger car into something in the SUV style that's easier on the hips and legs at mounting and dismounting time.An SUV can look like a good idea on the comfort front, but lots have bench-flat seats, crappy ergonomics and nowhere near enough suspension compliance. The Subaru Forester has a nice ride, but I prefer the seats in the Toyota RAV4. On the car front, the new Nissan Pulsar has seats that do nothing for me, but the Renault Clio is surprisingly comfy for a little, affordable car.My top favourite seat is a Recaro racing bucket that is almost shrink-wrapped to my shape, like a bathtub full of jelly that provides perfect support. But it's just about the toughest seat to get into or away from. So, right now, the first-choice comfort car is a Range Rover. It's stupidly expensive, but everything works for me, from a body that drops down on its air springs for easy access to beautifully-shaped front buckets finished in lovely leather and even a user-friendly automatic gearbox that means my left leg never has to move out of its comfort zone.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Here's a great reason to prioritise good handling when buying your next car. Not only would it be immense fun to spend the odd weekend perfecting laptimes at your favourite track, but it could save you from having a crash.Imagine a big top-heavy SUV trying to avoid this accident. We're not sure if it would have slammed in the back of the Renault Clio, the side parapet or ended up offroad -- but it surely would have made it much harder to avoid trouble.Watch the Porsche close call thanks to slick driving video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @VladCARS 

The tiny tearaway of the Renault Sport family has been given an early clearance for Australia. The  Clio RS 200 was originally set for touchdown by March 2014, but the first of the French pocket rockets will now become early Christmas presents with a starting price of $28,790. They have been rushed through the system at Renault Sport in Dieppe in a reflection of Australia's second place in the RS world - only beaten by the home team.The Clio 200 made an impressive impact during a Carsguide preview drive in France at the start of this year, where it emerged as a mini Godzilla, and also during track laps at Sandown in Melbourne when F1 ace Mark Webber took the wheel. The turbocharged tot even shares the aluminium shift paddles for its double-clutch gearbox with the rampaging Nissan GT-R.The Christmas confirmation comes this week as Renault Australia continues its run of success with RS Megane models, which have now been delivered to 393 owners through the end of September. "We've cut six months out of the waiting times. Renault Sport has been very supportive and we've managed to get our cars early," says Emily Ambrosy, spokesperson for Renault Australia."Supplies will be modest at first but we'll be looking to ramp things up early in the new year." The RS 200 EDC takes its name from its 200-horsepower engine - that's 147 kiloWatts, matched by 240 Newton-metres - and its six-speed Electronic Double Clutch gearbox. It also gets a taut tweaking of the basic fourth-generation Clio chassis, brakes from the V6 Laguna model, larger alloys and a leather-wrapped cabin.The original plan was to take the car with the track-tuned Cup chassis settings, but Renault Australia has decided to also take the less-extreme Sport set-up. It's a contrast to the Megane, where customer demand means there is only a Cup car. "We believe the Sport is a good drive. Yes, it is the softer option. We've talked to customers and looked at some of the competitors and believe it has a place," says Ambrosy. The last time there was a Sport chassis in the local Renault Sport lineup was back in the days of the Clio 197, in 2010.The starting price is well below the $35,000 target set earlier this year, when Renault was aiming to slightly undercut the Volkswagen Polo GTi and Skoda Fabia RS it sees as the car's toughest opposition. The $28,790 sticker applies to a Sport chassis model, with the five-door body and EDC, with details on the rest of the lineup still to be confirmed. Ambrosy believes the RS 200 will be an early sellout, based on the reaction following the preview drives this year. "We certainly have had some very strong expressions of interest, but we only open the order book this week." 

The French brand is beginning with its latest Clio and the Captur crossover. It has already set the direction with show cars and is now translating them into production models, while also focussing on a new SUV direction and its Alpine sports brand.Kia has proven that design can provide significant showroom bait in the 21st century, winning with its Optima and new Rio range, and Renault's design chief Laurens van den Acker is focussed on bringing people back to the French carmaker."The goal is to make people fall in love again with the Renault brand," says van den Acker. "Renault is a very human brand, so we must let our cars be emotional, be French."He admits it's a tough challenge, but believes he has the design team and management backing to win. "If it was easy, everybody would do it. You should try hard things, because then you separate yourselves from the rest."Van den Acker arrived at Renault after 15 years in the USA and Japan, including time at Mazda, and has a smart way of describing the latest French lineup. "The Clio is like a university student, young and full of ideas," he says."The Megane is a student that has just started working, in the first three years. He is looking up and wants to become his boss. The Laguna is the managing director. The car needs to have status and seriousness."But van den Acker - who is known throughout the car world for his collection of crazy shoes - sees an opening for Renault. "While we are getting more Latin … and emotional … I see a lot of brands becoming more Germanic. I think we can find a more open space."We're closer in spirit to the old Ferraris of the 1960s." He says Renault is developing an iconic 'face', something all brands now want, as well as translating his design direction into SUVs."I think a good identity is an identity you can recognise without a badge. That's the sign of a good face." Van den Acker has visited Australia many times and knows Renault needs to leverage some of its upscale European appeal."Australia plays a lot more on the Renault Sport image. It gives us credibility. It gives us the link with Formula One, which is considered premium worldwide." He also knows that, in a showroom scene where Audi sets the cabin standard and even Holden is following with its VF upgrade, Renault is playing catch-up."I would still rate us as OK. We've become more fun in the interior, especially with Clio. But I think we still have a long way to go in perceived quality. It wasn't our first priority. We first had to get ourselves in the showrooms with a good looking car."For van den Acker, there is a surprising parallel between good design and romance, right up to the Alpine sports car currently being developed at Renault. "A concept car is like a one-night stand. Then you need to create a good marriage for a production car. The exterior needs to seduce and the interior is where you live. You want it to be a good quality life."What, then about Alpine?"It's a quickie," he laughs. The bottom line for Renault design is an all-new line, starting with a couple of show cars that will break cover later this year. "You will see some fun show cars from us this year. I look at concept cars to sell the direction. The design is going to make a difference."There is a sense of revolution at present. What I like, coming to Renault, is you can do anything you want. And find an intellectual reason to get away with it. I think anybody could use a bit of craziness. And god knows Renault can use it." 

The new French pocket rocket is accelerating into the gap between Renault's cooking cars and its runaway Renault Sport heroes. The Clio GT is already confirmed for Australia and is set for a similar job to the Commodore SS, which covers the space between regular Holdens including the SV6 and the true hotrods from Holden Special Vehicles. The Renault is officially the Clio GT 120 EDC, a name that reflects 120 horsepower - or 88 kiloWatts - from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and its electronic dual-clutch transmission. Renault claims the car will set a new standard for affordable hot hatches, although it has yet to even hint about prices down under. Still, the car is coming as part of the rollout of the four-generation Clio and for the first time there will be a Renault Sport model in the baby boomer with five doors. "This GT is a first for us," the managing director of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, tells Carsguide. "It bridges the gap between our Clio Renault Sport and the rest of the range. Anything that brings the RS performance closer to the rest of the range is good. "Renault Sport cars are not for everyone. They are quite extreme cars. This will be more accessible. "With extra doors and transmission types it opens the door for many more people than the Renault Sport cars." The Clio GT is also coming as a wagon in Europe, but that version might not make it to Australia after a call for right-hand driver in the hauler was unsuccessful in France. "We're unlikely to see a right-hand drive version of the wagon. We have expressed interest but, sadly, the biggest right-hand drive market (Britain) didn't place much value on the vehicle," says Hocevar. Renault Sport's projects and product program director, Christophe Besseau, describes the Clio GT as a "warm" hatch. It picks up obvious RS cues including the grille, bumpers, 17-inch alloys and twin chromed exhaust tips. The car can also be ordered with special Malta Blue bodywork. The cabin, with grey trim and chromed highlights, has sports seats and steering wheel, gearshift paddles and special treatment for the dials. Standard equipment runs from touch-screen navigation with Renault's latest R-Link infotainment system, Bluetooth connectivity, a reversing camera and automatic aircon. Mechanically, the engine is a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol package with direct injection and the dual-clutch six-speed transmission has multiple driving modes. The chassis has GT suspension settings, not as extreme as a Clio RS. On the economy front, Renault says the car runs at 5.2 litres/100 kilometres with CO2 emissions of 120 grams/kilometre. Hocevar is not setting a launch date or price yet but is hoping for an early arrival following Renault Australia's success with its RS models. "Last year we jumped from second to fifth in global Renault Sport sales, behind France but ahead of Germany, the UK and Japan. We've expressed good volume ambitions for other Renault Sport vehicles." And Hocevar says the Clio GT could be a pointer to a similar car in the Megane lineup. "I think a GT version in the Megane range, one day, would be quite good," he tells Carsguide. This reporter is one Twitter @paulwardgover