Renault Clio Reviews

Everyone loves a sale. It could be Target or Myer or even your health-food store luring you with the promise of special prices for a limited time. In the car world, companies also like to create their own "sale" events.Sometimes it's to give a short-term boost to their results — Toyota customarily targeted the end of the final year for its biggest push. In other cases it's part of an annual branding package or a means to counter their rivals, the way Holden is doing with its "100-hour sale" this weekend. In any case, it's good news for shoppers.Renault is currently running its Diamond Event — a name chosen to reflect the shape of the brand's badge — and it's throwing everything into the mix, from drive-away pricing to free fuel vouchers. "It's the first time we've tried it. We wanted to see how it would go," says Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar.He reckons it's not just a short-term splash to clear 2013 stock and says it's about building more support for the French brand."We wanted to develop an annual branded event as a sale period for Renault. We're hoping to see about a 15 per cent spike in sales," Hocevar says. "A lot of our competitors do it.Mazda does its M Days, Audi has Openhaus, others have different deals. "It's so hard to build visibility for some of our cars, like the Koleos, but we think this will work. There is drive-away pricing and, depending on the model, low interest rates. There are also $500 fuel cards across the board."The sale pricing starts from the baby Clio at $16,990 drive-away and runs up the range with a variety of packages. Hocevar is touting plenty of good news but it's not so good on the Captur.It was expected in the middle of the year but strong European demand means the local on-sale date has slipped by a couple of months. Price: from $16,990 drive-awayEngine: 900cc 3-cyl, 66kW/135NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, FWDThirst: 4.5L/100km  {C}The Clio was a serious contender for last year's Car of the Year award and the latest Diamond pricing also makes it good buying from $17,000 on the road.It's composed and comfy, safe even without rear airbags, and a real looker. As for the Clio RS ...it's a belter. Price: from $25,990Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 126kW/226Nm;Transmission: 6-speed manual, FWD/AWDThirst: 9.5L/100km  This is a hidden gem, with a Nissan X-Trail mechanical package draped in Renault bodywork and riding on cushy French suspension. It is well priced as a suburban SUV and can be surprisingly good in the bush if you go for the upscale mechanical package with four-wheel drive. Price: Low-$20,000 (est)Engine: 900cc 3-cyl, 66kW/135NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, FWDThirst: N/A  It's not here yet, which means no confirmation of price or base engine or fuel economy but the Captur will be worth the wait. It's one of the funkiest of the new breed of mini SUVs and is aimed straight at gen-Y buyers with great colour SECOND-HANDRenault Megane Sport DCI 175 turbodieselThe first Megane to reach Australia in the early 2000s was nothing special. It had questionable looks and quality and came from a brand that was getting a renewed kick in Australia thanks to the global tie-up with Nissan, which meant low start-up costs here.But things changed massively, and positively, with the arrival of the mid‒decade update and its headline models, the RS and Cabriolet. The latter Meganes are the right choice for second-hand shoppers, with solid quality, pretty good performance and a shape that was dubbed the "J-Lo butt" after Jennifer Lopez's hindquarters. It is a car that still runs pretty strongly and has good packaging. It is backed by new-style Renault management that gives good support to dealers and owners.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

The Renault Clio RS 200 is almost five years old - is it still the benchmark for fast, fun-loving Australians with a penchant for French products?

Hardly anyone knows the Renault Clio exists. But the Clio Zen has that French zing about the way it looks. Its's also well-equipped, fun to drive, and has a good after-sales package.

Carsguide picks the best new and used performance cars for your money right now. As this month draws to a close, the new-car focus is on bargain buying but there are other segments with a quite healthy sales pulse, showing that Australians still like -- no, love -- cars that go.When Volvo decided to get serious about a Polestar performance push it chose Australia as the launching pad. Its Polestar S60 is already winning in V8 Supercar racing and the road-going version, after an early update and a recent price cut for Australia, is about to be rolled out around the world.The local brands are also doing great business, as Holden keeps cranking its SS Commodores, HSV does the top- end thing with the best Holden of all time, and Ford has a sellout success with its final GT 351 Falcon. Holden says its go-faster cars — the SS, SS-V and Redline — currently draw 23 per cent of buyers and a whacking 37 per cent of VF Commodore buyers want a V8 under the bonnet.But European companies such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even Renault are converting this need for speed, as much as you can in 2014, into driving enjoyment and hot rod hero cars for Australian drivers.There is a waiting list at BMW dealerships for the impressive new M3 and M4 we have just tested in Europe, and Audi has never had more S and RS models, but the showroom support for Renault Sport RS and Mercedes-AMG has made them much more than just spin-off divisions.In fact, RS and AMG cars are more likely to get buyers excited than any of the regular Renault or Benz machines. "Motorsport is at the heart of Renault's DNA and the Renault Sport brand enables us to transfer this racing pedigree to our passenger vehicles." In 2013, Australia was the second highest selling country in the world for the Megane RS 265," says Renault Australia spokeswoman Emilie Fadeyev. "The Renault Sport brand was first seen in Australia with the second-generation Clio RS introduced in 2001," she says. "Today, with the expansion of the Renault Sport range and the growing popularity within the Australian market, Renault Sport represents approximately 14 per cent of our total sales." The story is similar at Mercedes-Benz, where AMG is a sales winner for Australia. "We are consistently in the top five worldwide for penetration and, 2013, Australia-New Zealand was No. 1 worldwide," says Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy. "So far this year, AMG models account for about 9 per cent of sales locally, which is a new high. Total demand continues to outstrip supply." HOLDEN COMMODORE SS - From $42,490 Rating: 4/5 Engine: 6.0-litre V8, 270kW/530Nm Transmission: 6-speed man/auto; RWD Thirst: 12.3L/100km The V8-powered Holden hero is a long-term favourite in Australia and has never been better for quality, comfort or driving enjoyment. It's also a relative bargain and taps everything from links to V8 Supercar racing to Holden's history as the country's favourite brand. MERCEDES-BENZ A45 AMG - From $74,900 Rating: 4/5 Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo, 265kW/450Nm Transmission: 7-speed auto; AWDThirst: 6.9L/100km The only thing against the A45 is the price. It's a genuine pocket rocket that was developed by AMG, one of the world's most sophisticated and experience hot-shops. It runs against the grain with all-wheel drive and turbo engine but is a rorty little funster. RENAULT CLIO RS 200 - From $29,290 Rating: 4/5 Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo, 147kW/240Nm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch man; FWD Thirst: 6.3L/100km When people think of Renault Sport they usually think of the Megane, but it's the Clio that sets the new standard for fun. It's a car that's sharply focused, tweaked with the right sort of go-faster gear and is affordable for anyone who craves a car that's more than just an econobox.SECOND HAND: BMW M3 It's not gone yet, but the arrival of a new twin-turbo, six-cylinder M3 means the outgoing V8-powered car is going to become a classic. The new car is set to be an M3 landmark — the same goes for the M4 coupe — but there is still something special about a luxury compact with a thumping V8 in the nose.There are already people snapping up the last of the superseded M5 sedans with a V10, not the new-age turbo V8, and we're expecting the same thing for the M3 V8. It's a car that has incredible charisma and packs the one thing that every homegrown Aussie muscle car since the 1980s has been built around: a V8 with a rumbling exhaust note and a smile-making combination of power and torque.

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