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RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe Review

OUR TEST CAR: 2013 RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe 90 HP Dynamique Energy

 
The Background
RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe - Page - 1
To say that the new Renault Clio has a difficult mission would be an understatement. Even the segment where the Clio belongs sounds difficult. Seriously, these days it’s not enough to be a small car, you have to be a “supermini”.

In front of this challenge, the Clio did what every cool guy in the world would do. Display a playful mood and salute everybody with a big smile.

We all love smiley faces, we’re programmed to, so we invited the new Clio to spend a few days with us. This would be enough to see if this car’s new-found identity is as true as some Facebook profile photos or if, on the contrary, the Clio has what it takes to make you want to stay with it for longer than that.

There were things from the Clio’s past that we wanted to see translated here and there were also problems that we hoped had disappeared. There was something about the first two generations that made you feel young and a bit crazy (crazy good, that is) when driving them.

Alas, the Clio III lost some of that charisma. Sure the Renault Clio RS was a blast, but you couldn’t simply rejoice behind the wheel of a 1.2-liter version like in the good ol’ days. It wasn’t necessarily the model’s fault, as the market started asking more and more from small cars like it. However, perhaps Renault could’ve found a better way to integrate this without affecting the car’s personality.

The French did just that with the second-generation Twingo, which was an enjoyable car to drive with or without the facelift. Thus, we knew there were enough chances for the new Clio to let us have our cake and eat it.

Downsizing! Downsizing! This is all you hear these days, so downsizing we did. We chose the 0.9-liter, three-cylinder TCe engine, an unit we first met on the Dacia Logan. Some would probably say that the Jaune Eclair hue of our test car is trying to compensate for the small engine, but we found this rather appealing as we set off for our drive.
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79user rating 157 votes
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Photo gallery (60)
2013 RENAULT Clio2013 RENAULT Clio accelerating in city2013 RENAULT Clio TCe 90 HP city driving2013 RENAULT Clio TC3 eCO in city2013 RENAULT Clio city driving2013 RENAULT Clio TCe city driving2013 RENAULT Clio 2013 RENAULT Clio TCe driving2013 RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe eCO2013 RENAULT Clio TCe at speed2013 RENAULT Clio2013 RENAULT Clio TCe speeding2013 RENAULT Clio acceleration2013 RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe 90 HP driving2013 RENAULT Clio speeding2013 RENAULT Clio highway drivingRENAULT Clio 42013 RENAULT Clio size2013 RENAULT Clio TCe 90 HP2013 RENAULT Clio frontRENAULT Clio 4 in city2013 RENAULT Clio alloy wheels2013 RENAULT Clio rear wheel2013 RENAULT Clio door handle2013 RENAULT Clio profile2013 RENAULT Clio and girl2013 RENAULT Clio side view2013 RENAULT Clio in city2013 RENAULT Clio rear2013 RENAULT Clio TCeRENAULT badge on 2013 Clio front fascia2013 RENAULT Clio TCe 90 HP fuel filler cap2013 RENAULT Clio taillight2013 RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe open road driving2013 RENAULT Clio off the road2013 RENAULT Clio wheels2013 RENAULT Clio HDR2013 RENAULT Clio 0.9 TCe handling2013 RENAULT Clio driving2013 RENAULT Clio rear seat space2013 RENAULT Clio 4 rear seats2013 RENAULT Clio central rear seatbelt2013 RENAULT Clio rear seats2013 RENAULT Clio 4 interiorRENAULT Clio Media Nav menu2013 RENAULT Clio navigation system2013 RENAULT Clio steering wheel2013 RENAULT Clio bass reflex audio2013 RENAULT Clio door fascia2013 RENAULT Clio parking sensors button2013 RENAULT Clio dashboard air vent2013 RENAULT Clio steering wheel2013 RENAULT Clio interior2013 RENAULT Clio front seats2013 RENAULT Clio front seat space2013 RENAULT Clio gear shifter2013 RENAULT Clio navigation console2013 RENAULT Clio speedometer and rev counterRENAULT Clio  Media Nav2013 RENAULT Clio audio controls