The Lower Spec Clios....Any Good?

MYT205

MYT205

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Fellow Frogger
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After toying around with different car options etc the Mrs and I have decided to replace her 94 4cyl Camry with a cheap small car that is fuel efficient but not a total pile of poo to drive. Hence my question here. :)

What are the Privilege and Expressions like? Is the 1.4 a reasonable performer or is the 1.6 really the only option? Are they comfortable to do approx 150km a day, going to and from work, in? Do they have no guts when the air con is switched on?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

:cheers:

Darren
 
Darren,

You are nearly as bad as I am when it comes to choosing a car :)

Renault recently released a 1.6 litre 3 door Clio. I went in to Rick Damelians on the weekend briefly on the way home from work to have look at one. The salespeople seemed pretty preoccupied with the AFL, shocking service.

Anyway...I don't think they are selling all that well so you could probably get a ripper deal on them.

Check out used ClioSports too. You should be able to get a 2002 model (under warranty still!) for 20-25K. Anyone that asks more is kidding themselves.

I'd forget about the 1.4's. They make power but it's only due to revs.

One of the many downers of the Clio is terrible rear accomodation. I reckon the Citroen C2 has better legroom, and thats telling!
 
The best way to find out what it's like is to test drive one for yourself.

I've got a Clio Privilege and I'm pretty happy with it. Have done 2 trips back & forth to Brissy and it was pretty good. The Clio has some nice comfortable seats which comes in handy making those long trips.

My only complaint is I wish the engine would put out more power like another 5-10kw. Was driving an s14 200sx before so that might explain the need for more power.:headbang:

I feel the air-con doesn't hinder the car's performance cause I quite regularly use the air-con.
 
Brendan's right about the 1.4L Renault engine - it's nice and powerful, but only due to revs. I drove my sister's car a reasonable amount and never thought it was underpowered though.

On the plus side, I think the Renault 1.6L engine is a really good one. Plenty of power, and very tractable for a 16 valve small capacity engine. I did close to 3000km in a Megane Cabrio with that engine, and was very very impressed. Fuel economy was excellent in the Megane so it'd be even better in the Clio.

The Clio has all its safety features as a big benefit as well ;) I don't know any other car with drum rear brakes that'll pull up so hard.

Derek.
 
Brenno.

This is decision time. It looks like I'll be getting a V6 dualcab Rodeo and she gets the runabout. Its a matter of what runabout though. The Barina SRi is an option I'm going to look at. As is a ClioSport. That would be a bonus if I could manage to get her into one of those.
 
Darren, I'd check out the Ford Fiesta too. That's getting some wicked reviews overseas and seems to be priced well here, too.

What about 206? A couple year old 1.6 version is decent fun.
 
A new Fiesta is an option as well. I was looking at some in a dealer at lunch today. They look rather cool with those alloys. One of the best factory mags I've seen for a long time.

Deearna said no to a Pug. For no other reason than we can't have 2. :roflmao:
 
MYT205 said:
Deearna said no to a Pug. For no other reason than we can't have 2. :roflmao:
Click to expand...

Dude.....you are totally whipped!

I know Forg was joking about the SP20, but I reckon it's a good idea :)
 
Yeah. It is worth looking at. But replacing one for another, when it has been superceded, seems a bit of a no brainer. :confused:

Now all I have to do is try and sell my car. They offered me $17k as a trade on the Rodeo I'm thinking of buying.

Any offers higher than that? :roflmao:
 
Privilege 1.6

Hello Darren

I purchased a Clio Privilege 1.6 only 10 months ago (Cherry Red bulit 2003). After test driving both Expression (1.4) and Privilege (1.6), i found the 1.6 to be a better car overall. It has heaps more torque and is good for everyday traffic. Also i guess you can say its the "luxury" model Clio for that range, as it has all the necessary features including comfy seats.
It also has a sportier look and feel. The profiles are lower than the 1.4 and the wheels are 16 inch.

Go to Autospeed.com.au for a review on the Privilege, and check out Drive.com.au also.

By the way i'm selling mine, if you're interested give me a call - 0417 91 44 61

I have decided to buy my first sports car and splurge now before i get too old and end up settling down with kids and have to buy a bloody 4wd or something : )

Does anyone know when the 182 is due out? If so how much and what specs we are getting?

Regards

Robot
 
howz it goin Darren.....

If ur gonna spend 20-25k on a clio sport by all means do so..... but their is a lot of cars second and new in that price bracket.....
A really nice car for the ladies is a Mitsubishi FTO..., very slick and im sure every gal would luv IT when they see it.... But thats just the first car that came to my head....
My misses drives a Hyundai Coupe, great cars.... looks good goes good... and great on fuel too... My mate has a white one that got some work done to it.... U probably seen the car at the CREEK Darren... Another option for u.... and the price on those r really good....
Anywayz i hope i have broaden ur scopes... good luck with the HUnt ;)
 
Not sure about quality but the "cheaper" ones arent built in France (some might be???), i head that some are built in Slovenia!
 
Get the wife a scooter Daz! Nice little aprilia stroker will get her from A to B
 
I like the look of the new Fiesta, and the ad on TV ad the moment is great too. My only comment would be make sure you budget for a pair of Recaro's as this thing has the worst seats of any recent car that comes to mind. No lateral support, felt like sitting on a padded milk crate..... :2cents:
 
Spot on Matt205 with the Fiesta seating - very un comfortable even on short trips - if buying a small Ford definitely pay a few $$'s more and go for a base focus - tested a Fiesta Ghia for a friend (among many other cars) - preferred to base model Focus to it - incidentally I also felt that the current French offerings in the class compare very well - :renplak:
 
I get 600-650km from the 40L tank country driving in my 1.4 Clio manual.
 
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