2026 Renault Master E-Tech Reviews

Design head Laurens van den Acker says his job involves giving the company a cohesive visual style across the 26 models it sells around the globe. “Clio is more than the launch of a car, it’s the launch of a brand,” he notes. “The reality is the last couple of years the Renault image has degraded, so I think creating a stronger face will help us to fight back. “I want everything that comes out of our studio to be recognised as a Renault. “The Clio is definitely younger and the headlights are a little bit bigger - like a younger member of the family - but the more higher up (the range) we go, the more serious they will get.” He says the hot-hatch Clio RS model is visually more muted than the model it replaces. “I have a feeling we might attract more customers because of that,” he says. “I would be more interested in a Clio RS with four doors and more performance than a car that makes me look like I have a mid-life crisis.” The same logic applies to moving away from the traditional RenaultSport approach of fitting its cars with naturally aspirated engines and manual gearboxes. The new Clio will have a turbo 1.6-litre engine mated to a dual-clutch automatic and van den Acker points out an auto will give the car broader appeal. “The RenaultSport guys have assured me the performance of the Clio 4 will be much better than Clio 3 and that in the end is the most important thing.” Van den Acker adds that Renault is also planning a range of crossovers and is looking at pickups, based on platforms from its partner, Nissan. “We are in the midst of creating a full line-up of crossovers. Unfortunately we are many years too late, so the only hope I have is we come in late but we learn from all the others’ mistakes and come up with a very strong line-up,” he says. “The B-sgement SUV will be based on the Modus platform (a compact people-mover Renault sells in Europe), but on the other versions of the line-up we will work closely with Nissan. We’re forced to look for more synergies, it’s economy of scale that demands us to find ways to produce more derivatives.”  

Class-leading handling and ride will jumpstart the Renault Clio’s launch in the light-car market next year. A lack of airbags may deflate some of that edge, at least among potential buyers who want the maximium protection for rear-seat passengers. It’s still a five-star car, though, and one of the best driving vehicles in the light car segment.VALUEPrices haven’t been set for the Clio - it doesn’t go on sale until midway through next year - but Carsguide predicts it will be around $16,500. That’s based on Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar’s assertion the car will be priced between the top-selling Japanese model (the $15,790 Mazda2) and the best-selling Euro vehicle (the $16,990 Volkswagen Polo).Specification likewise hasn’t been set for the local cars, but expect the base model - a 900cc turbocharged three-cylinder - to come with cruise control, keyless entry, daytime running lights and possibly even satnav as standard gear.TECHNOLOGYThe optional R-Link seven-inch touchscreen is an Android-powered system developed by Renault and TomTom. It is a multimedia interface with satnav and an embedded SIM that lets it connect to the internet and download apps that (in Europe) range from alerting drivers to the nearest and/or cheapest fuel, provide speed camera warnings and prioritise internet radio stations based on users’ previous preferences.A dual-clutch automated manual transmission will be available on the mid-range petrol engine - likely the 1.2-litre turbo - and the top-end turbo diesel. All models should have engine idle stop/start.Outputs for the turbocharged 1.5-litre diesel aren't huge -- 66kW/220Nm -- but it has impressive economy at 3.4L/100km, making the diesel Clio the most fuel-efficient engine in its class. In Australia it will only be sold with the EDC dual-clutch transmission, so expect around a $4000 premium over the base price.STYLINGA compact, classy package with plenty of interior space should put the Clio on a lot of short lists. The 300-litre boot takes two big suitcases with ease and there’s room for two adults in the back without the front occupants having to keep their seats forward. The materials look and feel good and the only complaint is the seat is made for a bigger butt than mine.Even then, the fabric has good grip but I’d prefer the side bolsters to have thicker padding to offset cornering forces. The front end is dominated by the big Renault badge set on a piano-black horizontal stripe across the bonnet that gives the car road presence. The scalloped door panels don’t hurt either, while the rear of the five-door hatch is solid, if not sensational.SAFETYIt will be interesting to see if ANCAP adopts the five-star rating EuroNCAP has given the Clio. The light car comes with four airbags, meaning the rear passengers aren’t cushioned in a side-crash, much like the VW Up!.Renault admits the decision was price-driven but argues the structural strength and dual-stage seatbelt pretensioners provide more than enough protection for back-seat passengers. Software includes the expected ABS with stability control and hill-start assist.DRIVINGThe Clio has the capacity to surprise, at least not when it comes to the 900cc engine that is expected to be the entry point for the range in Australia. The lightweight engine isn’t the quickest cab in the field off the lights but once underway it is hard to fault, pulling cleanly from low revs right up to redline.The Ford Fiesta was Renault’s benchmark for ride and handling and they’ve come very close to bettering it, though a definitive test will have to wait until the Clio lands here. The car’s poise through corners shames much more expensive models and changes of direction are taken in its stride. Understeer eventually appears but a tiny lift off the throttle will have the car tracking true again.The electric steering is light around town and adds effort as the pace picks up. The good news is it’s pinpoint precise at any speed. The suspension coped with rural Italy’s patched-up roads with barely a shake and while larger bumps at speed could momentarily unsettle the torsion-beam rear, it is something most owners won’t feel.A brief stint in the diesel shows it is on a par with the best oilburners coming out of Europe, with on-the-go performance that impresses. Like the 900cc petrol, the engine is functional ahead of frisky, with low-down torque that happily copes with third gear roll-on acceleration from 30km/h.VERDICTThis is the best regular Renault on the market. It drives as well as it looks and, airbags aside, will rate as one of the smarter choices in the light car pack. 

And Renault is promising the same cutting-edge approach to Clio pricing to finally give it a serious light car contender. A full Renault Clio range presumably including the SportsTourer wagon recently spied testing in Europe will go on sale in Australia midway through next year, replacing the existing Renault Clio Sport, which was the only model of the third-generation car offered here.The new Renault Clio adopts the styling of the widely-praised DeZir concept car. As a result, it sits lower and wider on the road. The gap between the tyres and the flared wheel arches has also been reduced to improve its profile and the combined changes make it one of the best-looking light cars on the road.Renault is following the Mini and Audi A1 lead in having a huge range of exterior colour options for the Clio, which will come with LED daytime running lights and scalloped doors with chrome-highlighted lower inserts. The same customization will apply inside with options for the air vent surrounds, gear-shift base, door panels and dash.The interior picks up the seven-inch tablet-style display screen, set in an otherwise uncluttered dash. Renault Australia spokeswoman Emily Ambrosy says the company is working hard to ensure the touchscreen’s optional “R-Link” applications-based functionality comes on line soon.The R-Link launches in Europe with around 50 apps that be downloaded from within the car (using a connected Bluetooth smartphone) or loaded via PC. “We want R-Link. It’s the latest in-car technology and works off the steering wheel controls or with voice recognition, but we need to verify which apps will be available in Australia,” Ambrosy says. “We’re likely to launch with (the basic) MediaNav system, but expect to see R-Link sooner rather than later.”Renault Australia has yet to confirm which engines we’ll take, but the likely candidates are the three new engines announced for the car which will be officially unveiled at this week’s Paris Motor Show. The entry point is a 900cc triple-cylinder with 68kW/135Nm that uses a meagre 4.3L/100km, followed by a direct-injection turbo 1.2-litre four-cylinder that ups the power ante to 90kW/190Nm and will come with the option of a dual-clutch automated manual transmission.The headline act at least in terms of fuel use is a 1.5-litre turbo diesel that in European spec is said to use just 3.2L/100km while generating 68kW/220Nm. The hot-hatch RS version will follow late in 2013 and is expected to use a 150kW turbo 1.6-litre engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. If existing Renault Sport models such as the Megane RS 265 are any example, expect it to be one of the best driving cars in the class. 

The Zoe electric light car is copping a pounding by Renault Australia's beancounters as they work to build a business case for the vehicle. Company spokeswoman Emily Ambrosy says the five-door city car is aimed at private buyers, unlike the fleet-focused Fluence sedan. "This is the next generation electric car for us and we think it will work with city-based families," she notes. The Zoe is powered by a 65kW/220Nm motor and uses regenerative braking, a heat-pump and special Michelin tyres to extend its range to 80-100km of freeway driving or 100-150km of city commuting. The added city range comes from the lower speeds and the extra "recharge" provided during the constant braking in urban environments. In another first, the Zoe has a "voice" that alerts pedestrians to its presence at speeds from 1-30km/h. The voice has three different notes or can be optionally switched off. The car will sell in Europe for 20,000 euros — or around $25,000. That's without the battery, which Euroepan customers will lease from energy provider Better Place for around 80 euros a month. Significantly, the car also qualifies for EU government rebates of up to 7000 euro, depending on the country.  

...the first designed by former Mazda ace Laurens Van den Acker. Dig the “sweetly coke-bottled side profile”. Carparazzi says the inside story is one of elegance and quality. Some things are better done yourself.

Factory closures are becoming increasingly probable after European car registrations fell to their lowest level in 22 years last month. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) notes the sales slowdown is accelerating and now predicts a slump of up to 10 per cent for the year.In all, just 688,168 new vehicles were registered in August, the lowest total for the month since the EU data was first compiled in 1990. With some factories already running at 50 per cent of capacity, there is talk of Fiat, Ford and Opel closing the doors on some of their most unprofitable production lines.“Something needs to give,” Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said last week, adding that Fiat will outline a blueprint for the “European challenge” when it releases third quarter results later this year. Ford was the biggest loser in August with sales down by almost a third on the previous year, a fact it attributes to a decision not to match rivals discounts during what is traditionally the slowest car sales month on the EU calendar. “There was a lot of short-cycle business and heavy incentives that we decided largely to refrain from, Ford of Europe's marketing chief Roelant de Waard says. The Volkswagen Group's massive product portfolio made it one of the few carmakers to increase sales, led by Audi increasing its share of the luxury car segment. In contrast, Opel/Vauxhall saw a 19 per cent fall in registrations, Fiat was down 18 per cent and both Renault and Peugeot/Citroen were hit with 13 per cent drops. Registrations by country largely reflect those hurting worst from the sovereign debt crisis. Greece and Portugal lead the way with falls of 40 per cent year-to-date, Italy is down by almost 20 per cent and Spanish registrations fell by 8.5 per cent. Ominously for France, registrations this year are down 13.4 per cent, while Germany, which accounts for one in three of all cars sold in Europe, has seen its market contract by 0.6 per cent. The French Government has fiercely resisted factory closures on its turf and criticised Peugeot last month when it announced it would shed up to 10,000 jobs and close a factory in the north of the country. That's not an option for Renault, with the government holding a controlling stake in the French carmaker. 

Cairns auto chief Greg Eastment has joined forces with Townsville car dealer John Doolan to buy the Parry Nissan, Suzuki and Renault dealership in Townsville.The two men's family trust companies, as major shareholders in a new venture, have formed NQ Auto Group to acquire Parry Nissan in a multimillion-dollar deal. The purchase of the business's Sturt St property formed part of the deal.Mr Eastment is a shareholder and the managing director and dealer principal of Pacific Toyota Cairns and Lexus of Cairns. Mr Doolan is a long-time employee of Parry Nissan, including as general manager of the business for the past four years.Mr Eastment has become managing director of Parry Nissan, with Mr Doolan taking the position of dealer principal. The sale settled on August 31. The Parry family, led by Alan and brother John, founded the business in 1979. Mr Eastment said he was very pleased to have secured such a well-respected business in a vibrant city such as Townsville.“I believe that Townsville is probably the strongest and most stable provincial centre north of Brisbane,” he said. “With significant investment happening in and around the centre, this trend is set to continue. “Under the control of a very experienced dealer principal in John Doolan and with the support of Parry Nissan's long-serving staff, we feel optimistic that the business will continue to thrive as it has under the Parry family.”Mr Doolan, born in the Burdekin district and having lived much of his life in Townsville, said he started his sales career with Parry Nissan about 17 years ago. “Alan and John Parry were ready to go and I have been actively trying to get involved in the ownership of the business,” he said. “I think Townsville is a great place. This is where I want to be.” Both men did not reveal a sale price but it was obviously considerable involving the Sturt St site, which comprises an entire block of prime commercial land leading into the CBD.Mr Eastment said the deal was private, involving the family trust companies of both men and did not include the Pacific Toyota group. He said Mr Doolan would be in charge of the day-to-day running of Parry Nissan, while he would provide a strategic role. Mr Eastment said the dealership was one of the biggest Nissan franchises in the state, with Navara dual cab utes the largest seller. 

French police specifications have turned Renault's best into a record-breaker. They shopped local when they chose to upgrade recently. In Europe, with more corners, autobahns and Italian drivers, the police are in an arms race. They won't catch a Porsche unless they're packing heat themselves.So some lucky rozzers get to sample serious metal. German cops do get Porsches. Exotic brands such as Lamborghini and Ferrari loan out their supercars, with British and Italian plod both beneficiaries in the past.Renault has form here, going back to its Alpine A110 rally star of the 1960s and beyond. The requirements for the gendarmerie rapid response vehicle were specific: 265hp (195kW if you drive in metric), the same as the Subaru WRXs it already runs. Nothing from Renault qualified, although it did have something close.VALUEIt’s priced from $42,640 for the Cup and climbs up to $51,640 for the Trophy+ plus on-road costs. The upgraded RS does include a set of driving data screens, including a g-meter, and five different throttle response settings, with track work in mind.The top-spec car's kit levels are generous, but there's also an enticing special edition called 8.08 after the car's Nurburgring time which looks like the pick of the bunch. Australia's appetite for the RS250 is second only to France and Germany's, with 262 sold so far this year. And of course French orders are swelled not just by national pride but the demands of the gendarmerie, which has 80 and ordered 20 more. What chance of seeing a couple in our own highway patrols?DESIGNThe cabin has a more premium feel, with a soft carbon weave lookalike fabric in the doors and shiny black plastic around the centre console. The radio controls have been improved but the buttons are still too tiny. While I'm picking nits, the gearshift action isn't my favourite and the clutch take-up is a bit high. It's partly a case of finding the correct seating position, which can be a little elusive.TECHNOLOGYIts Megane RS250 has 250 horses under the bonnet and a reputation as the best-handling hatchback you can buy. All it needed was more power. The answer: turn up the spin cycle on the twin-scroll turbocharger pumping air into the car's 2.0-litre four-cylinder. The extra horsepower meets the gendarmerie's specifications and gives the RS265, as it's now known, even more of an edge. Torque increases as well, by 20Nm, with 80 per cent of that available from 1900rpm.The result is a marginal but worthwhile improvement in acceleration to 100km/h by one-tenth to 6.0 seconds. Top speed on the RS265 rises 5km/h to 255km/h while fuel consumption drops a little to 8.2 litres per 100km. Which is helpful when it’s slurping 98 RON. Like the previous version, it comes only with a six-speed manual.Full power is accessed via a Dynamic Management system, which delivers the extra oomph when the sport button is pressed. This also lowers the intervention threshold for electronic stability control, which can be turned off completely for track days.As before, power goes only to the front wheels and Renault tackles the problems of using them for traction and direction with a limited slip differential that proportions torque to the wheels in response to their grip levels. It's mechanical, so there's no loss of power. Renault's sophisticated front suspension set-up also separates the steering and dampers, reducing torque steer -- tugging at the wheel under hard acceleration. DRIVINGTo test the RS265, Renault went to the home of rear-wheel-drive performance cars that cost two or three times as much: the Nurburgring track in Germany. It came away with more than an impressive lap time for the twisty 21km. It set a record for a front-wheel-drive car of 8 minutes and 8 seconds. On the drive program in Queensland, a challenging road reminded me why I liked the previous model so much. Few cars could stay with the RS265 around corners. It eats them up with relish and then licks its lips. The 18-inch wheels on the entry model will protest a bit but their grip levels are exemplary and to make this car understeer on a public road you'd need to go bonkers. You can upgrade to even stickier 19-inchers with only a slight degradation in the ride quality. The ride quality feels sophisticated on either set of alloys and the car's overall composure is superb. Nothing rattles it -- challenging surfaces, rapid changes of direction and road camber, or all at once.It just confidently holds its line and the steering, although electric, is precise and absorbs problems that would shake other cars off course or shudder their steering wheels. This electric steering is among the best I've sampled and torque steer is so negligible as to be effectively absent. It didn't lack power as the RS250, but you'll want all 265 horses to make the most of its dynamic ability. There's a decent spread of turbocharged oomph, forceful from low-revs and linear to the limiter. The turbo spools up smoothly, too, so power doesn't drop off a cliff and it's more flexible uphill in high gears than I expected.Issues are niggles, not deal-breakers: it would be more potent with scope to rev the engine a little higher and although the exhaust has been tweaked, the sound could be more exciting. It's at its best revving up and down through tight twisties, when you get a bit of over-run. Find it, and everything's sweet. On a racetrack, the brakes would probably be the limiting factor.VERDICT The RS265 deserves to be every bit as popular as the model it’s replacing.Renault Megane RS265Price: from $42,640
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km
Service interval: 12 months/10,000km
Safety rating: not tested
Spare: space saver
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged 4cylinder; 195kW/360Nm.
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body: 2-door coupe
Weight: 1374kg
Thirst: 8.2L/100km, 190g/km CO2

Mercedes-Benz has announced that its new compact Citan has the best fuel efficiency in the class. The Citan is based on the Renault Kangoo mini hauler and the engine is also soured from the French brand. However, the Citan is available with Mercedes Blue Efficiency features that trim the official fuel economy figure to a remarkable 4.3 litres per 100km for the leanest engine in the range. The fuel saving measures include electric power steering, a controlled oil pump, smart alternator and stop/start technology that kills the engine at idle to save fuel. A clever system recovers some braking energy to reduce the amount of time the alternator needs to run in order to top up the battery. Mercedes has introduced rolling resistance tyres on some models to drive down the consumption. The company revealed the best efficiency figure of its new Citan ahead of its coming out at the Hannover Truck Show later this month. The new van has been confirmed for Australian sale, although it is not yet clear which engine options will be available for the local models. A diesel and a petrol unit are available for the Citan in Europe. There are three different output options for the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. The entry-level unit makes 55kW and 180Nm of torque, the second manages 66kW and 200Nm and the range-topper produces 81kW and 240Nm. There is also a 1.2-litre petrol four-cylinder turbo unit that generates 84kW and 190Nm. A five-speed manual gearbox is used for the two lower output diesels, while the petrol Citan and the higher output diesels are fitted with a six-speed manual. There is no word of an automatic version. Both manual transmissions come with a shift indicator system that advises the driver when to make changes and shows arrows to indicate whether an up-change or down-change is required.  

French carmaker Renault has presented His Holiness Benedict XVI with two specially modified electric Kangoo Maxi ZE (zero emissions) vans. Modifications include an opening roof, electric folding door steps, removable rear side windows and “particularly comfortable” separate seats in the rear as the ageing Pope prefers to sit rather than stand. One will be used by the Pope for travelling at his summer residence and the other by the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City for the Pope's security. The Pope's “green'' van is white with the Papal coat of arms on the doors while the other has white and yellow livery. The new Pope Mobile is powered by a 44kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery with a range of 170km. Over the years Pope Mobiles have been based on a variety of vehicles including Mercedes-Benz SUVs, a Seat Panda and a big GMC pick-up truck. Some have been open air, but most have bulletproof glass since the Ali Agca assassination attempt in 1981. Some allow the Pope to sit, while others are designed to accommodate the pope standing. In Australia, Renault is introducing a range of electric vehicles over the next few years starting with the Turkish-made Fluence ZE expected to arrive later this year at under $40,000 plus the cost of leasing a battery.