Renault Clio (91-98) - Review

The standard Clio range starts with the 1.2 engine (60 bhp) (although the ‘Night and Day’ edition used a 1.1 unit from the old Renault 5) and goes up to the 1.8 16-Valve (137 bhp) and classic Clio 2.0 Williams (150 bhp). Good compromises between performance and economy come with the 1.4 or the 1.8 RT and RSi engines (95 and 110 bhp), and there’s also a 1.9D diesel. All except the basic 1.2 RL/Prima, 1.2 Campus or basic special editions (four-speed) have a five-speed manual ’box as standard; three-speed or four-speed automatic transmission is available, and the 1.2 RN Zoom has five-speed ‘Easy’ clutchless manual transmission. Specification levels start with the basic RL, then the RN, with just a sunroof to note; the RT has fog lamps. The 1.8 16-Valve has a close-ratio gearbox and uprated suspension; the RSi has uprated brakes and alloy wheels. Top of the range for luxury are Baccara models, with metallic paint, fully colour-coded exterior, front fog lights, alloy wheels, leather seats and wood trim. The range was revised in March 94, getting a new grille, better soundproofing and new seats, and further revisions in May 96 brought a new bonnet, grille and headlamps, body-colour bumpers (not RL), a stronger bodyshell with better side impact protection, and uprated equipment. The RSi gained a body-coloured spoiler. Another sporty-looking model was the 1.4 S Maxim, with sports specification, alloy wheels, spoiler and fog lamps.