Yahoo Autos Renault Clio E-Tech Hybrid 2024 long-term test
Why we’re running it: To see if the Clio is the heir apparent to the Ford Fiesta’s ‘default buy’ throne
Month 1 - Month 2 - Month 3 - Month 4 - Specs
Life with a Renault Clio hybrid: Month 5
We aren’t the only happy ‘owners’ of this affordable hybrid supermini - 24 April
I'm always pleased to receive readers' letters (unless they're nasty...), and recently one arrived from a fellow Clio E-Tech driver.
Jeremy and his wife live in rural southern France (oh, if only) and she's a habitual buyer of Renaults. Having traded in her Kadjar, she got a new petrol Clio, thanks in part to Autocar's commendations, then traded that for a hybrid model. She's very happy with it, I'm told, not least because of its larger touchscreen.
Funnily enough, it was the matt feel of the smaller touchscreen that bothered me, not its size, whereas the colleague with whom I swapped Clios opined exactly the opposite.But I digress. Jeremy continued:
"Both the 1.0-litre and the hybrid are fine for our relatively short journeys around our area. Both were slightly out of their depth on the autoroute, especially the 1.0. It needed a sixth gear. The hybrid is fine if pushed gently, but when the engine kicks in and it changes down, it's gruff. It changes down a lot - only four gears, for goodness sake! However, for the money the hybrid is great value, refined and nicely appointed."
I was surprised by his comments about suitability for 80mph driving not least because the petrol Clio I tried did actually have six gears. It turns out there's a boggo five-speed SCe 65 sold in France that, with no turbo helping its three cylinders, makes just 64bhp.
Hitting 60mph takes 15sec, so I don't think we're missing out. (I note there's also an LPG-fuelled version of the 1.0 TCe and a 1.5 diesel four in France. If the former piques your interest, Dacia offers it here in the related Sandero.)
The 89bhp 1.0 TCe was acceptable for my motorway commutes, if not able to nip into a gap in the outside-lane stream and get up to speed before triggering German SUVs' LED full beams. The 141bhp hybrid, meanwhile, can do that with ease, thanks in part to the instant torque of its strong electric motor.
One more thing from Jeremy: "I'm 6ft lin tall, and this is the only car we've had, including the original Ford Ka and Fiat 500, where my head brushes the door frame on entering. Oh, and the front pillars are so big that visibility round the numerous tight bends is restricted."
I have no trouble getting in, at 5ft 9in. On balance, I'd still rather be 6ft, but I guess we can count that as a rare win for the 'short kings'.
Love it
Gone for good
I switched off the lane keeping ‘assistance’ on day one and it has never returned. How it should be.
Loathe it
Annoying noises
I hate cars reprimanding me, so off went the sensitive speed alert warning too. I can put up with the speed camera warnings, though.
Mileage: 8402
We compare a range-topping hybrid with an entry-level manual petrol - 10 April
Over the extended Easter weekend, I swapped my Shadow Grey Clio for a Valencia Orange Clio - and the very next day, the grey rain clouds pictured below dissipated to reveal a warm spring sky. 'My world got a whole lot brighter' it's tempting to say, but I like my little Renault so much that such a pathetic fallacy would read too much like criticism.
The reason for the change was that a What Car? colleague, Jonty Renk, recently started running the cheapest Clio you can get, the TCe 90 Evolution, whereas my car is the dearest, the E-Tech Full Hybrid Esprit Alpine, and we both wanted to know how the other half live.
Priced from just £17,995, the basic Clio has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine sending 89bhp and 118lb ft of torque through a six-speed manual gearbox. By Alpine cars get a 9.3in infotainment touchscreen, Evolution and Techno models get a 7.0in one.
However, that difference appears greater than it sounds, due to the change to landscape orientation. It also lacks some features, but I didn't care, because it still has wireless Apple CarPlay to provide sat-nav, audio streaming and digital radio (there's Android Auto too if that's your thing), while the controls for the climate are ideal twisty dials whichever version you go for. Plus, wouldn't you agree that the smaller screen gives the dashboard a smarter, cleaner design?
The digital gauge display also contracts, from 10.0in and 70in, and becomes far less customisable. There are only a few display options and not one replicates traditional dials, which seems a trick missed. But then in this nation of constant surveillance, I prefer a numerical speedo anyhow.
I also liked how the horizontal tacho has not just a red zone but also a green zone representing optimum operation in each gear - a simple yet great concept that I haven't seen before.That gearbox itself impressed too, with a clearly defined biting point, no notchiness and an easy throw - which made the driving experience all the more fun.
While it obviously lacks the instant electric shove of the hybrid and has poorer rolling acceleration, I would actually prefer this powertrain for a cross-country blast. Automatics just don't give me enough to think about, nor that satisfaction of nailing planning and execution.
The compromise is fuel economy. From its latest tank, my hybrid achieved 51.2mpg, while in the 713 miles that Jonty and I have so far covered in his petrol, it has done 48.0mpg. Note that in both instances, a more sedate driver could achieve another 10mpg or so, at least according to the official test.
I already thought the Clio was one of the best affordable cars, and a joyous weekend in a version that was £5000 cheaper than mine yet in which I couldn't find one flaw has really strengthened that conviction.
Love it
Sweet simplicity
When it’s done well, there’s still so much good to be had from the traditional combination of a small fossil-burner and a stick-shifter
Loathe it
Slip and hide
It’s not just klutzes like me who drop and lose the Clio’s card-style key: Jonty has gone so far as to tape an Apple Airtag onto his.
Mileage: 7697
Life with a Renault Clio hybrid: Month 4
It's not all perfect! - 6 March
Recently Renault’s software failed to detect when a few phone calls had ended, despite Apple CarPlay having done so, leaving me with no way to get any audio back. Then the parking sensors went into a continuous beep when I fired up in the work car park and stayed like that until I reached a red light and so could turn the car off and on again. At least that glitch left me laughing, rather than bored.
Mileage: 6262
Life with a Renault Clio Hybrid: Month 3
Its Alpine badges aren’t quite as gratuitous as you might think - 21 February
In my initial report on our Clio, I was pretty dismissive about its sporting credentials, disappointed as I was that its Alpine badging wasn't matched by chassis or powertrain alterations.
This disappointment stemmed from several sources. First, it's just so lame when things appear to be what they patently are not. Fake exhausts and fake air intakes do not make your BMW X1 an M1.
Second, the Alpine brand has enough cachet these days that a good number of people will know what the blue A stickers on the sides are meant to imply: Formula 1, Le Mans hypercars and delightful little sports coupés.
Third, I have countless times read and watched motoring journalists struggling to maintain their composure when talking about hot Clios - first the Williams and then the Renaultsport series. In tact, many see those as among the best hot hatches of all.
However, the point I want to make here is that actually my Clio is sporty enough anyway that the sporty makeover brought by Esprit Alpine trim doesn't make me feel like a twit, at least not in the way that it would if I were driving an Austral or, for goodness sake, a bloody Espace.
And yes, this even though it is an outstandingly economical electrified automatic (at least if you don't habitually use revomaniac Sport driving mode).
Part of this is because it's pretty quick for what it is. The E-Tech Full Hybrid powertrain makes 143bhp and 106lb ft of torque, sending it to 62mph in 9.3sec, but it feels quicker than that in reality, because initial acceleration is by the electric motor, so it can really scarper away from junctions and into gaps in motor way traffic.
Go back two decades and the most revered Clio RS of all had 181bhp, making it 2sec quicker in the standard sprint. The regular 1.6-litre turbo petrol auto, meanwhile, had 109bhp for 0-62mph in 12.2sec. Makes ya think.
Look, I'm not naive enough to be making any direct comparison. The RS 182 Trophy is another world from this Clio. But I do continually find myself revelling in how nimble my car feels, how it will faithfully fling itself into a tight arc at speed without complaint, the way it rides flatly and firmly yet not nastily.
And when I did once cross the point of taking the mick, it signalled clearly that it was starting to understeer and was easy to rein back in. Hot hatch? Nah. Warm hatch? Maybe not even. But a fun hatch? Absolutely. Which is really saying something when it's also a comfy one and a fuel-saving one.
It just makes me wish that the regulatory wisdom of recent years hadn't rendered affordable hot hatches unviable, because I have no doubt that Renault could easily make an outstanding one with the fifth-generation Clio as its basis.
I really hope that the public recognise qualities like this in the Clio and so flock to it like never before. I have little faith in my fellow countrymen, but one good thing they have done was make the Ford Fiesta the best-selling car year after year, and I don't think that was entirely because it was simply the most convenient and familiar option within budget.
No, I think it was because, whether or not they understood why, they knew that particular hatch felt better than other cars to drive. Please, people: don't start settling for less.
Love it
Pub tonight?
I’m really noticing the high MPG in my bank balance. Some relief during the cost of living crisis.
Loathe it
Grubby fingers
The boot release button sits on the ledge overhanging the plate, which isn’t really the ideal place.
Mileage: 5309
The Clio's ergonomics are impressive - 14 February
I love that the Clio has a dash rocker for adjusting the brightness of the digital dials and touchscreen in sync, rather than making me prod around to find two sliders. I just wish I could keep ‘night mode’ after the system belatedly realises it’s light outside. Talking of strained eyes, reader Stewart notes that, contrary to my 31 January update, auto hold doesn’t activate the brake lights. Never take common sense for granted…
Life with a Renault Clio hybrid: Month 2
Auto-hold makes for simpler driving - 31 January
I’ve come to really appreciate the Clio’s auto-hold because it lets me drive in traffic without having to shift between P and D every two seconds or annoy people behind by keeping my foot on the brake pedal. This is a common feature on autos, but my old Peugeot 408 lacked it. Although I did turn it off by accident and then fail to locate the button for two days
Mileage: 4487
Dry January? Don’t know about that, but it certainly is warm - 24 January
Oh, am I glad to have an Esprit Alpine version of the Clio. Not because it means I can enjoy back roads to a higher degree, though.
Actually, the 'sporty' one handles no more sharply than the others, and nor does it have a more powerful engine. Instead, I'm rosy-cheeked as this trim adds heated seats and a heated steering wheel (which aren't even options lower down the range).
In deepest winter, even when I'm wearing my coat that makes people think I'm off to audition for a Michelin advert, I'm always delighted to be warmed by elements rather than engine-cooked air..
It's beneficial to my wallet, too, because a car can achieve the same level of warming with far less energy. That's why most electric cars have them - and why heated armrests, doors and seatbelts are now all real things.
I had wondered whether, being a hybrid with the emphasis firmly on the electric side, my Clio would be annoying on winter mornings.
I had worried that I wouldn't be able to warm it up conventionally before leaving, because the bizarre workings of the E-Tech powertrain can result in the engine firing up at random times and running to incomprehensible revs.
But the four-pot does fire up when I stick the air-con on full blast, and by the time I've sprayed every window with de-icer, the car is happy to head for the motorway.
By contrast, my parents have a Hyundai Kona Electric, and driving that recently was a pain, as it took ages to defog its windscreen and then needed constant blasting of heat-pumped air to keep it clear.
My one winter worry in the Clio is minor: the silver trim on the steering wheel. I can't work out if it's plastic or metal, because it looks like the former imitating the latter but, on cold mornings, is convincing in a physical way too. Thumb freezing wouldn't be an issue if you default to the ten-to-two position, mind.
The only other annoyance I've had was a rattle emanating from somewhere in the dashboard. My pot of chewing gum? No. My keys? Something in the glovebox? The gearlever surround? No, no, no.
Then, after a few days, I shoved the panel on which the air-con controls sit upwards and the noise stopped. I hope it doesn't return, because the Clio is now perfect again.
Love it
Easy listening
I love being able to simply ask aloud for an artist or playlist from Spotify, or something nerdy from Podcasts, and Siri almost always gets it right.
Loathe it
What a racket
Sometimes it bongs at me but I don’t know why. Ugh, I’m going to have to read a manual, aren’t I…
Mileage: 4152
Life with a Renault Clio hybrid: Month 1
Welcoming the Clio to the fleet - 20 December 2023
For so many years, the Ford Fiesta was the 'default' British car buy. Now that it's dead and buried, which affordable small hatchback should take its place?
Although the Vauxhall Corsa has since scaled the sales charts, it isn't fun like the Fiesta was. Likewise Europe's favourite car, the Peugeot 208.
The Volkswagen Polo? Even the GTI version leaves me cold. Skoda Fabia? Dacia Sandero? Worthy but, like the Corsa, dull. Seat Ibiza? Hyundai i20? They're strong contenders - as is the Renault Clio.
Despite having been around for decades, the Clio always seems to get a bit forgotten for some reason, despite being, in its 2019-born fifth generation, very talented. It can be great value for money too: Autocar's editor got an astounding finance deal on his one (see second opinion below).
His entry-level version, priced from £17,795, has an 89bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine - which Renault reintroduced to UK showrooms a few months ago "in order to meet the needs of some customers in a difficult economic climate". Massive respect for that.
In contrast, my new long-termer has the E-Tech Full Hybrid powertrain, priced from £22,695, which comprises a 1.6-litre four-cylinder atmospheric petrol engine, a 24bhp integrated starter-generator (ISG), a 48bhp electric motor, a small 1.2kWh drive battery and an off-the-wall transmission.
How the DiscoLocoBox (great name!) came to be is a fascinating story that started way back in 2010 with a Renault engineer keeping himself entertained over the Christmas holidays with a load of Lego Technic pieces.
You can read it online by clicking here, but in a nutshell there's a four-speed gearbox with dog rings instead of synchros and no clutch, so the engine is put into neutral and then rev-matched by the ISG; two gears can be engaged at the same time, one to the engine and one to the motor; and so the E-Tech has 14 modes of powertrain operation.
My initial reaction was "why wouldn't they just use a CVT like everybody else?", but apparently this transmission, despite its huge complexity, feels more natural and allows for an engaging drive - while offering advantages of cost, size and versatility to the manufacturer.
I'm told that some of the system's technology came from Renault's Alpine Formula 1 team, so I don't feel quite so embarrassed about the blue As on the fake side vents of my Clio as I did initially.
You see, as part of the Clio's mid-life facelift, Renault has added a range-topping Esprit Alpine trim level, which also brings Alpine-branded sports seats and unique alloy wheels with blue centrepieces - but no power boost or any dynamic enhancements.
I've always felt uneasy about such things: if Renault really wants to make Alpine into "the French Ferrari", surely sticking its branding willy-nilly on a hybrid Clio or, for goodness sake, an Espace 1sn t the way to build brand equity. I can't imagine Maranello endorsing a Fiat 600... but then every Mercedes-Benz is an AMG Line and every BMW is an M Sport now, so who knows?
In any case, really like how this facelifted, Alpine-spirited Clio looks. Compact, confident, not over-detailed and with cool new LED lighting patterns at the front. It's just a shame that it's finished in dreary Shadow Grey; I definitely would have paid another £100 for the Flame Red, Valencia Orange or especially the Iron Blue.
The interior, I really must say, is fantastic in the context of today. Yes, it has succumbed to the trend of having a large infotainment touchscreen totally dominating the environment, but its unusual portrait orientation leads to less stretching away from the wheel and, crucially, there's still plenty of physical switchgear.
Underneath the screen is a dial each for the heat, fan speed and air direction, just as it should be, as well as buttons for the heated seats, EV mode and driving mode selection. Then over to my right is an absolute treat: not just buttons for the heated steering wheel and lane-keeping assistance but also up-down toggles for the angle of the headlights and the brightness of the two screens. (The instruments are, of course, fully digital and customisable.)
The bar is on the floor these days, but Renault is leaping high anyway. Alpine spec also puts sustainable fabric on those sports seats, as well as synthetic leather, which features on the steering wheel too, complemented by blue stitching and blue lining on the seatbelts - small details that I really like.
I noticed an enormous difference in my bank account when moving from an antiquated diesel Toyota Land Cruiser to a modern turbo petrol Peugeot 408 fastback earlier this year, and I'm hoping that this innovative hybrid supermini will yield a similar improvement.
My Clio promises a fabulous 65.7mpg (compared with 53.3mpg for the equivalent petrol), and in these inflationary times that's a prospect that really has got me enthused.
Second Opinion
Yes, I’ve bought myself a new Clio – not the hybrid but the pure-petrol model, for a mere £29 per month. I’ve been a serial Ford Fiesta buyer, but with that gone, the Clio is the heir to its throne as the best small car you can buy. I look forward to swapping notes with Kris.
Mark Tisshaw
Renault Clio E-Tech Hybrid Esprit Alpine specification
Specs: Price New £24,095 Price as tested £24,695 Options Shadow Grey metallic paint £600
Test Data: Engine 1.6-litre petrol engine, plus electric motor, 1.2kWh battery Power 143bhp Torque 118lb ft Kerb weight 1103 Top speed 108bhp 0-62mph 9.3sec Fuel economy 65.7mpg CO2 xxxg/km Faults None Expenses None
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