The heavily facelifted fifth-generation Renault Clio is now on sale in Ireland, with prices starting from €24,845. There’s a choice of two powertrains and three trim levels of the French supermini, which debuts the marque’s new corporate styling language for the first time.
A sales success
With almost 60,000 examples of the current Clio sold here prior to the facelift, you might think Renault wouldn’t be too drastic with what appears to be a winning supermini formula. Yet the company has selected the Clio to debut the distinctive new design features of all Renaults going forward, including sleek headlight units, large grilles and air apertures, and ‘taut lines for an overtly sporty look’. It works well and keeps the Clio looking fresh, even if it has been on sale since 2019, while the interior is given a shot in the arm in terms of its sustainable materials - there’s no leather inside any more, for instance, cowhide replaced by TEP, a grained, coated fabric made of bio-sourced and recycled polythene fibres - and also its quality, always a strong point of the Clio MkV. The two powertrain choices are also familiar. Renault is keen to play up the E-Tech 145 hybrid model, which comes with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, clever six-speed automatic transmission and electrical assistance for a combined 145hp. The company cites a range of 880km, courtesy of fuel consumption rated at just 4.2 litres/100km with 96g/km of CO2 to accompany that. Renault says the Clio E-Tech can run on its electric motor up to 80 per cent of the time when in urban areas, reducing fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent compared to a conventional petrol engine, but if you’re still a fan of such things then you’ll be happy to know that the Clio also comes with the TCe 90 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder unit if you prefer, complete with a six-speed manual gearbox. Expect 5.2 litres/100km and 118g/km of CO2 from this powertrain.
Lots of kit as standard
Specifications for the new Clio run Evolution, Techno and then Esprit Alpine. Standard spec on the Evolution includes 16-inch diamond-cut alloys, keyless entry and go, automatic air conditioning, full LED head- and taillights, a seven-inch Easy Link touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, a seven-inch digital driver’s display, and rear parking sensors, among more. Techno adds to that with larger 17-inch alloys, front parking sensors to go with the rear items, a reversing camera, wireless smartphone charging, Multisense ambient interior lighting, and a shark-fin antenna. Top-grade Esprit Alpine, a specification which debuted on the Austral SUV, brings in a unique ‘Alpine’-embossed design for the alloy wheels, bucket front seats with blue stitching and Alpine details, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats, a larger 10-inch driver’s digital display and a 9.3-inch touchscreen for the infotainment, a Matte Shadow Grey front blade on the Renault’s exterior, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert. Indeed, at its most generously equipped, the facelifted Clio MkV has 17 advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) to help with safety on the move. Available to order now, the TCe 90 costs €24,845 as an Evolution, €26,545 as a Techno and €28,345 in top Esprit Alpine format. The E-Tech is a little more, starting at €30,545 as an Evolution, rising to €32,245 in mid-grade Techno spec and then topping out as the flagship of the Clio’s line-up at €34,045 as an Esprit Alpine. The new Clio MkV is available to order now from Renault dealers across the country, and if you need a bit of help making up your mind about it before buying, read our review of the E-Tech 145 right here.