We test the new Renault Clio 1.0 TCe: are 100 hp and 3 cylinders enough?

We have already tried the new Renault Clio at the international press presentation held in Portugal. A car that was unveiled to the public at the Geneva Motor Show, and that we later also saw in person at the Barcelona Motor Show.

Now we have taken its controls. And in this brief first contact, while awaiting a future full road test, we focused on covering kilometres and living with what, at first glance, seems to us the most interesting version in the range: the Renault Clio with the new 1.0 TCe 3-cylinder engine and 100 hp.

An overview of what the new Renault Clio brings

Before we begin, let us review what this fifth generation of the Renault Clio brings. A real bestseller, of which as many as 15 million units of the previous four generations have already been sold, 1 million of them in Spain.

And yes, we are talking about the fifth generation, because this is not a simple facelift, although its design may seem rather familiar. The fact is that at Renault they could not avoid it, and the new Clio bears a tremendous resemblance… to its bigger brother, the Mégane! Especially when seen from the front.

But let us move on to the technical side… and the practical one. Because as far as looks go, the prospective buyers have already spoken, at least in Spain: the Clio stands out from the competition precisely because design is one of its primary reasons for purchase, ahead of price. To whet your appetite, you can see it in action in this video

https://youtu.be/o79fxbKvDls

And the most important thing of all is that the 2019 Renault Clio debuts a completely new modular platform. Internally it is called CMF-B; it is stiffer, lighter, allows better use of space… and is prepared for electrification.

This is another key point, because by 2020 Renault will launch a hybrid version, the Renault Clio E-TECH. It will combine a new 1.6 petrol engine with two electric motors: a main one capable of driving the wheels, and a secondary one that acts as the starter motor, operates a also novel multimode gearbox, and can recover energy. With a 1.2 kWh battery, Renault claims that it can cover up to 5 km in EV mode, which will allow fuel savings of up to 40% in urban driving.

Externally, beyond the new design, it is striking that the Renault Clio has not grown substantially, except in width, where it gains 7 cm. In fact, it reduces its length slightly to 4.05 metres, and is 1 cm lower. An interesting choice is the full LED headlights, with a range far superior to that of conventional halogen units. We will see whether they are standard across the range in Spain.

Compact outside, spacious inside

And inside? Do not worry, this restraint in exterior size has not cost a single centimetre of habitability. Quite the opposite. The new platform, together with the design of the dashboard and seats, among other things, allows the Clio to remain a car with a very well-used interior for its exterior size.

The boot also deserves special mention. It offers 391 litres, some 60 more than the outgoing Clio when measured by the same criteria. It is among the best in its category, although the new Peugeot 208 surpasses it by a very small margin. It is worth highlighting that it has very regular shapes and a solid, easy-to-handle removable floor that allows a double floor to be configured and the loading surface to sit flush with the edge, or be placed at its lowest position. The loading lip is now clearly higher, which is due to the design chosen by Renault for the rear. The bumper reaches much higher, so that in the event of a rear-end collision there is less chance of damage to the tailgate. In some markets this is an advantage when taking out an insurance policy.

We will not dwell too much on the interior. Here you can see in detail what the interior of the new Renault Clio looks like. But now that we have been able to drive it, it is worth noting that the sense of quality and the feel of the materials is very good, with a predominance of soft, padded plastics over hard-to-the-touch materials. We also liked the new seat design very much, with larger and more comfortable cushions and good support. It is worth noting that despite having a multimedia screen that can measure up to 9.3 inches (7 inches on the basic versions), at Renault they have decided not to entrust everything to touch controls, with a row of easy-to-use buttons for the main functions, and with all the climate controls grouped at the bottom of the central console.

It is worth mentioning here the huge advance in connectivity, with the Renault EASY LINK multimedia system. Both with the 7-inch and the 9.3-inch screen it is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The connectivity module installed in the vehicle allows features such as automatic updating of the navigation maps, or services such as those offered by TomTom (navigation) and Coyote (radar alerts).

Another novelty that elevates the Clio, inherited from its siblings in the range, is the Multi-Sense system. It lets you choose between three programmes, ECO, Sport and MySense, which modify various parameters to personalise the driving experience. Among them are the ambient lighting, the steering feel, the engine response… or the presentation of the digital instrumentation. For now, the “simple” variant, with 7 inches, will be offered as an alternative to the analogue instrumentation of the base versions. Later a 10-inch unit will arrive in the purest style of the “digital cockpit” of Volkswagen, with the possibility of even integrating full-screen navigation. You can see a preview in this video.

Renault Clio 1.0 TCe: an engine that really impresses

In Spain, Renault will offer the new Clio with three petrol engines and two diesels. The range starts with the naturally aspirated 3-cylinder SCe, which produces 75 hp and 95 Nm of torque. An engine aimed mainly at fleets, which will be paired with the two lower trims.

It will be followed by the new 1.0 TCe, with 100 hp and 160 Nm of torque, coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox, although an X-TRONIC automatic gearbox will also be offered later on. The most powerful petrol version is already a 4-cylinder, the 1.3 TCe of 130 hp used in the Renault Captur and Mégane, as well as in the Scénic and the Kadjar. In the Clio it is paired with a 7-speed EDC dual-clutch gearbox.

At Renault they have not set aside diesels, and the 1.5 Blue dCi will continue to be offered, in 85 and 115 hp versions, aimed mainly at those who use the car to cover many kilometres, which is when diesel still makes sense.

Of the five engines in the range, the 1-litre three-cylinder with 100 hp has every chance of becoming the best seller. At least we find it the most recommendable, for several reasons.

To begin with, this engine offers a level of dynamism and performance superior to that of the Clio TCe it replaces. Here you have the road test of the 90 hp Clio TCe. And without consuming more fuel. Quite the contrary, since in real use, having more thrust, you can drive longer in high gears. This Clio 1.0 TCe claims a top speed of 187 km/h, with a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration of 11.8 seconds. It is therefore an engine with more than enough dynamism, which will not make you miss more power unless you are looking for an engine that matches in feel and performance the sportiness conveyed by the new R.S. Line trim. Only then should you look towards the 130 hp 1.3. Although if you settle for the 1.0 and do not want to give up a sporty look, you should know that the R.S. Line trim will also be offered with the small engine.

The official average consumption is 4.4 l/100 km on the NEDC cycle. This compares with the 5.2 l/100 km officially quoted for the 130 hp 4-cylinder, which we also drove during the first contact with the new Clio. In real use, the difference in consumption between the two can be put at around 1.5 l/100 km, or more, which is why here you have one of the first arguments for this small three-cylinder: its efficiency.

The other is the pleasure of driving it provides. It pulls well from low revs, without it feeling like you are driving a three-cylinder engine. It copes both when moving around town with restrained consumption, and when tackling longer journeys even with the car loaded. The gear lever is there for that, now with a better feel. If the power the 1.0 is capable of delivering is needed, it is simply a matter of using its ability to rev high.

More reasons to choose the 1.0: the price. We have already said that it goes a long way and spends little, so if the price difference announced for the range in France is maintained, it will be hard to recoup the 1,500 euros more that the 85 hp dCi costs, which clearly has lower performance. And even more so the 2,800 euros that the 115 hp dCi costs, which sits in performance between the 1.0 and the 1.3 petrol, and with an unbeatable consumption.

Another reason to choose the 1.0 if you do not cover many kilometres a year has to do with maintenance and breakdowns. Diesels are not very fond of urban routes; they need to get out onto the open road. And more so if, as is the case with the new Blue dCi, they have particulate filters and now also need the AdBlue additive. In addition, the 1.0 petrol has a chain-driven timing system that requires no maintenance, unlike the dCi’s timing belt, which does need replacing.

To conclude this first contact, it is worth highlighting the sense of composure and solidity that the new Clio offers as the kilometres go by. The new platform has indeed greatly improved precision and the balance between agility and comfort. And now, with the possibility of enjoying new driving aids that were not previously available on the Clio, such as the 360-degree camera and the active emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection (it works with a radar and a video camera).

Later on, already in 2020, the new Clio will also feature a system called “Highway & Traffic Jam Companion”, which we were also able to try during the first contact. This motorway and dense-traffic driving assistant means introducing level 2 piloted driving into the Clio. It will only be offered in combination with the 130 hp Clio TCe and automatic gearbox. To explain how it works, nothing beats a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3LtGmcgBK4

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackRenault Clio20 versions · from 16,390 €