By Lee Sibbald 14 October 2010
As long as you don’t have strong hankerings to own a racy Clio Cup, then the relatively pedestrian performance of the 86hp 1.5 dCi shouldn’t disappoint. Its 0-62mph time of 12.7 seconds won’t win any prizes, but the diesel engine’s 200Nm (147lb/ft) of torque at a lowly 1,900rpm enables decent progress and allows for reasonably brisk overtaking between speed cameras. This isn’t a revvy engine, and it neither sounds exciting nor responds particularly enthusiastically if you do rev it, but, with a quoted top speed of 109mph, maintaining the national speed limit and the some is easy enough.
Again, as long as you don’t harbour any strong boy-racer urges then this Clio won’t disappoint. Its ride remains compliant and comfortable even over poor surfaces, while its variable assistance electric power steering is light when it needs to be at low speed but weights up nicely and feels reassuring at higher speeds. As suggested and as could be expected, this particular Clio doesn’t provide a thrilling drive, but it’s predictable, competent and indeed safe in the areas that matter, ie. ride, handling, steering and braking.
Read the full Renault Clio Eco2 1.5 dCi 86 3-dr Extreme AC road test
The road test was originally published on RoadTestReports.co.uk.
Categories: RoadTestReports.co.uk , Renault
