After making its global debut in 2019, the Renault Clio V has finally launched in South Africa.
The Clio will be available in three versions, the Life, the Zen, and the Intens – with all three models featuring the same 1.0-litre turbo engine.
With a competitive local hatchback market, the Clio will have to contend with the likes of the VW Polo, Hyundai i20, and Ford Fiesta if it wants to succeed.
Below, we look at what you get when buying the base model, the Renault Clio V Turbo Life, for R309,900.
Styling
Visually, the Clio V’s design remains similar to its predecessor – with a few changes to give the new model a sleeker, more up-market look.
The side panels have been extended, the roofline has been lowered, and the grill is more prominent, which all help to give the new model a sportier look.
The car features integrated turn signals on its side mirrors, too, and comes with c-shaped LED daytime-running lights at the front.
Equipment
Renault talked a lot about its “smart cockpit” approach to the car’s interior design, and this shows with its standard feature list higher up the range.
The base model features fabric seats, manual air conditioning and heating, and a six-speaker Bluetooth sound system.
The dashboard comes with analogue dials, a customizable digital driver screen, a wireless phone charging port, and a 7-inch multimedia display with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Clio’s boot capacity has then been improved, bringing the total storage capacity up to 391 litres.
The top-of-the-range Intens model comes with a host of additional luxuries, such as climate control, four electric windows, a hands-free keycard system in place of a traditional key, and an optional 9.3 inch display in the centre console.
All versions of the car come with ABS, ESC, parking assist, cruise control, and front and side airbags as standard.
You can find a full breakdown of the equipment differences between the three models here.
Performance
The Clio’s 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine has a power output of 74kW and 160Nm, with an average fuel consumption of 5.7 litres per 100km.
The car is then front-wheel drive – sitting on 16-inch mags – and comes with a five-speed manual gearbox.
This provides a 0-100km/h time of 11.8 seconds and a top speed of 187km/h.
Price
The Clio V Life has a starting price of R309,900 – with the higher-end Zen and Intens models selling for R324,900 and R349,900, respectively.
All versions of the Renault Clio V come with a 5-year/150,000km warranty and 2-year/30,000km service plan.
Keyword: New entry-level Renault Clio – What you get for R309,900