Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
After many months of speculation and a few weeks of knowing what the car looks like but not what it has under the hood, Renault finally dropped the specs for the all-new Clio.
As we often like to point out, the Clio is the second most popular car in Europe after the Golf and sits at the top of its segment. Part of that has to do with the styling, so it's understandable that Renault didn't want to rock the boat.
Thus, the 2020 Clio looks like a mild facelift of the older model, with Megane-inspired headlights and 3D taillights. However, this is a new hatchback, and it's 12mm shorter. Despite this, cargo capacity has gone up to a very impressive 391 liters.
Brand new engines have also been added, bucking the downsizing trend. At the bottom of the range sits the 1.0-liter SCe, which is a naturally aspirated 3-cylinder shared with Dacia and available with either 65 or 75 HP, matched to a 5-speed manual in both cases.
However, we think the 1.0 TCe is going to be the most popular choice. This replaces the 0.9 TCe, offering 100 HP and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft), noticeably more than before, but not as impressive as the best turbo 1-liters from Ford or VW.
Interestingly, its automatic gearbox option is X-Tronic. So while the Nissan Qashqai switched to DCT, Renault went for a CVT. If you want to avoid this configuration, a twin-clutch auto is going to be available on the 1.3 TCe, making 130 HP and 240 Nm of torque.
Finally, two versions of the 1.5 dCi diesel are going to offer either 85 HP and 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) or 115 HP and 260 Nm (191 lb-ft). While Peugeot opted to have a pure electric e-208 supermini, the Renault alternative is a hybrid.
It's called the Clio E-Tech and uses a combination of a 1.6-liter, a 1.2 kWh battery, and the usual dual electric motors. This should, according to Renault, give you 40% better fuel economy around town.
Thus, the 2020 Clio looks like a mild facelift of the older model, with Megane-inspired headlights and 3D taillights. However, this is a new hatchback, and it's 12mm shorter. Despite this, cargo capacity has gone up to a very impressive 391 liters.
Brand new engines have also been added, bucking the downsizing trend. At the bottom of the range sits the 1.0-liter SCe, which is a naturally aspirated 3-cylinder shared with Dacia and available with either 65 or 75 HP, matched to a 5-speed manual in both cases.
However, we think the 1.0 TCe is going to be the most popular choice. This replaces the 0.9 TCe, offering 100 HP and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft), noticeably more than before, but not as impressive as the best turbo 1-liters from Ford or VW.
Interestingly, its automatic gearbox option is X-Tronic. So while the Nissan Qashqai switched to DCT, Renault went for a CVT. If you want to avoid this configuration, a twin-clutch auto is going to be available on the 1.3 TCe, making 130 HP and 240 Nm of torque.
Finally, two versions of the 1.5 dCi diesel are going to offer either 85 HP and 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) or 115 HP and 260 Nm (191 lb-ft). While Peugeot opted to have a pure electric e-208 supermini, the Renault alternative is a hybrid.
It's called the Clio E-Tech and uses a combination of a 1.6-liter, a 1.2 kWh battery, and the usual dual electric motors. This should, according to Renault, give you 40% better fuel economy around town.
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