Cliogoesbacktobasics
THE spirit of Nicole and Papa really does live on in the frugal new manifestation of the evergreen Renault Clio. And that’s especially the case with the value-for-money 1-litre petrol TCe 90 that I’ve been driving after the model was quietly reintroduced into the Clio range.
For younger readers, the archetypally French pair Nicole and Papa were the face of the Renault Clio for seven years between 1991 and 1998, thanks to a series of clever, cheeky and charming TV adverts charting their adventures with the hatchback.
Renault believes there’s still a market for affordable cars that aren’t electric, have manual gears (this Clio has six) and pproperp buttons and dials. It’s right. While Renault has an ambitious electric car programme, sales of pure EVs to private buyers are stalling.
It was refreshing to get into a purely internal combustion engine car that offered joyful, engaged motoring.
I drove the top-of-the-range Clio Espritp Alpinep TCe 90 with sporty seats and trim that doffs a cap to the Alpine racing heritage of its Renault Group sibling. It costs £21,295 (including the optional, fetching £700 Iron Blue metallic paint).
But the entry-level Evolution trim TCe 90 starts from £17,995 OTR (around £3,500 cheaper than the hybrid version), with the techno version costing from £19,395 OTR.
True, with 90 horsepower it’s not powerful. But it’s fun, nippy and nimble and accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 12.2 seconds. Top speed is 112mph and its 120g/km CO2 emissions mean its first year of road tax is £210. Nicole and Papa would love it.