The Renault Clio has been an uninterrupted hit since its launch in 1990 – and 16 million of them have been sold worldwide so far! It has been named France’s favourite car, become an international bestseller and won two Car of the Year awards in Europe. It has been one of the most emblematic city cars in the market for five generations. And it has now reinvented itself, becoming a perfect illustration of the Renault brand’s “Nouvelle Vague” brimming with its latest breakthroughs.
Its new style is even more compelling and elegant, and its chic and distinguished interior is ushering in a new cycle with the first rendering of the brand’s new design language. The new technical front radiates vigour, the light signature has been completely revamped and channels the brand’s identity, and the new taut, exact and efficient lines give this New Clio a more striking character and make it a vibrant status symbol with a more emotional feel. New Clio has also updated its technology, for instance including a digital dashboard in all its trims. It comes with a wider choice of powertrains than any other car in its category, so everyone can choose the configuration that best matches their needs. The highlight is the 145 hp E-Tech full hybrid combining driving pleasure with savings.
New Clio will come in a choice of trims including the new Esprit Alpine trim. The latter’s one-of-a-kind sporty, techy and classy looks add intensity to a vehicle that encapsulates everything the Renaulution stands for.
“Clio has enjoyed constant success. It is the world’s best-selling French car and a category leader in Europe. The New Clio underscores its modern edge as it unveils a new, expressive front end. The E-Tech full hybrid powertrain under the bonnet is a pleasure to drive, emits less, and has greater range: 145 HP, as little as 93g CO2 / km and 4.1 L / 100 km*. Ideal technology for customers seeking to renew their diesel vehicles”, said Fabrice Cambolive, CEO, Renault Brand.
A New, More Modern, More Assertive Style
New Clio was crafted to mirrorthe Renault brand’s new human-centric and tech-centric design. The newRenault logo atthe centre of the completely redesigned front face adds expression.This revamp captures the brand’s aim to build more modern, more distinctive and more sustainable cars for life and living grounded in its time-honoured values. The new signature lighting – which will reach all Renault vehicles in future – blends into this new style and conveys two of its hallmarks: precision and character. The universe inside has been reinvented: the new upholstery and new bio-sourced materials make it an up-to-theminute vehicle and significantly enhance its quality and the experience on board. The Esprit Alpine trim is sporty and classy inside and out, and is the version that best encapsulates New Clio’s new era.
New Exterior Design: More Assertive
A status-symbol front
New Clio’s front face has been completely redesigned: its sculpted, tauter and groovier contour adds a modern vibe and verve. The enlarged chequered grille adds strength and a sporty feel. The colour scale – darker near the logo, lighter towards the edges – gives it depth and a technical edge. This universe of effects has radically overhauled New Clio’s design, adding allure.
A distinctive logo
The brushed-satin chrome Nouvel’R logo at the front honours the brand’s heritage. Its geometry is simple, meaningful, and as a result timeless. The symbiosis between the two diamonds, and the optical effect interlocking them, adds a sense of complementarity and continuous motion. This logo conveys New Clio’s identity more categorically than ever.
A chiselled aerodynamic blade
The Techno and Esprit Alpine trims come with an airfoil directly inspired by the motorsports universe beneath the grille. The sculpted shapes and tautgrooves enhance and invigorate the car’s face. The blade is the same colour as the body in the Techno trim, and Matte Shale Grey in the Esprit Alpine version.
The new signature lighting ushers in an all-new visual identity
New Clio is the first vehicle in Renault’s “Nouvelle Vague” to feature the new signature lighting at the front. It is inspired by the logo: the LED daytime running lights on either side, for instance, each form one half of an upright rhombus, underscoring the face’s pulsating, sparkling mien and making the line-up’s design more consistent with the brand’s image.
The slender full-LED headlamps, included in all the trims, point to precision and technical savvy, and sharpen the car’s look. They are more compact and combine up to five high-tech beams (three in the past) that automatically adapt light distribution between the high and dipped beams.
A livelier rear face
The rear bumper has also had a makeover: the aerodynamic scoops visually enlarge the rear, add ground grip and bolster the car’s technical prowess. The lower edge is Matte Black in the first two trims, Glossy Black in the Techno version and Matte Shale Grey in the Esprit Alpine version. According to the trim, the tailpipes remain visible or is hidden by the diffuser.
The modernised rear lights now include crystal-clear covers providing a glimpse of the inside – again adding to the technical, up-to-the-minute feel. The rear lights’ bright outer edges mirror the lighting pattern at the front.
Classy colours and distinctive rims
New Clio is available in seven elegant body colours: Glacier White, Star Black, Shale Grey, Iron Blue, Flame Red, Valencia Orange and Rafale Grey, a new triple-layer coating that looks solid from a distance and pearlescent from close-up.
Enhancing the car’s imposing allure, the distinctive wheels are up to 17 inches in diameter. There are six choices in total including four aluminium alloy wheels available with the various trims. The Techno trim, for instance, comes with 16 inch diamond-cut black aluminium wheels. They all have the new Renault logo, in brushed aluminium, at the centre.
The other versions have Star Black wing-mirror covers and the Techno and Esprit Alpine versions feature shark-fin antennas
The same dimensions
Notwithstanding all the changes inside, New Clio is the same size as the previous version: 4,053 mm long, 1,988 mm wide and 1,439 mm high.
An Elegant And Sustainable Interior
The experience inside New Clio is even better now: the passenger compartment is more welcoming and cosier. As soon as you open the door, you see the nobler and more sustainable materials and feel the quality leap. Spaciousness and ergonomics are still the vehicle’s key strengths, treating everyone inside to unrivalled comfort. All the technology is there to enhance the user experience and blends into a universe of connected services and applications that help the driver and passengers relax and enjoy the journey.
More responsible fabrics
New Clio’s Techno trim seats, door panels and dashboard are clad in a specially developed sustainable fabric that comprises of up to 60% TENCEL branded modal fibres, a bio-based cellulosic fibre manufactured by the Lenzing Group. Contributing to the Renault brand’s decarbonization strategy, the New Clio is not only the first car that features TENCEL Modal fibres. It is also the first time these sustainable fibres are used extensively inside a vehicle. Renowned for exceptional softness, the fibres are made from a renewable resource – natural wood that are sourced from sustainably managed semi-natural forests in Europe. These semi-natural forests absorb large amounts of CO2 and do not require any chemical fertilizers nor artificial irrigation. TENCEL Modal fibres are produced using renewable energy and have been certified with the EU Ecolabel, an environmental excellence label that is awarded to products and services meeting high environmental standards throughout their life cycle.
Also importantly, there is no leather in New Clio: instead, the surfaces are covered in TEP, a grained coated fabric made of bio-sourced and polyester fibres. One advantage is that it takes less water and energy to dye TEP than to dye fibres the conventional way. These two choices stem from the brand’s sustainability values.
A choice of sophisticated seats
New Clio’s seats exude class and sportiness. They wrap around you, their thick layer of foam is enticing, and the headrests are ergonomic, slim and stylish. The universe – seat and back colours, overstitching and decoration – is different in each trim. The Esprit Alpine trim comes with specific seats.
An upgraded and updated dashboard
New Clio’s new dashboard includes an edgeless digital display, spanning 7 to 10 inches diagonally according to the trim. Depending on the country and version, New Clio can also come with a radio and R&GO or the Renault Easy Link multimedia system. The Nouvel’R logo on the steering wheel adds an elegant touch to the cockpit.
The Esprit Alpine Trim For Added Intensity
After Austral – the first Renault model to include anEsprit Alpine version in its line-up – then All-new Espace, this sporty, techy and elegant variant is now available for New Clio. It intertwines the Alpine brand’s hallmarks and Renault’s new style playbook, and takes New Clio’s intensity to new heights.
Sporty outside
The grille at the front underscores New Clio’s sporty edge and assertive design. It is hot-stamped and ranges from dark at the centre to glossy chrome by the edges, adding depth and power to the car. A Glossy Black line cuts across it horizontally and stretches to the headlights. The logo has also been recast and its exclusive Ice Black brushed aluminium finish now accentuates the vehicle’s technical edge. A specific Esprit Alpine badge has been added to the front wing.
The Matte Shale Grey blade at the front conjures up racing cars and the motor-sports universe that this model symbolises. The rocker panels and rear bumper diffusers are the same tone. These aerodynamic scoops on the bumper visually enlarge the rear to give it a sportier look.
The Esprit Alpine trim also comes with 17 inch aluminium wheels that radiate Alpine DNA: they are diamond-cut, black with smoky grey varnish, around blue or grey centres (depending on the body colour), pumping up the car’s dynamic, refined and technical feel. The Clio badge at the back is Deep Glossy Black.
Elegant inside
The interior design is also specific to this trim – and its sportiness and elegance are in a class by themselves. The seat shapes are more enveloping to provide more lateral supportand added comfort. The materials are exclusive, and lighter grey in the middle of the seat and back to underline the sporty vibe. The sides are covered in a thicker material. There are specific technical features in all the details, including a Y-shaped pattern over the seats, and is reminiscent of athletes’ sports shirts. Blue overstitching and the Alpine brand’s letter A heat-welded onto the back of the seat complete this sporty version. A red, white and blue flag, symbolising France, is stitched onto the side.
The Esprit Alpine trim’s seats are also made of sustainable materials, including a fabric that is 72% recycled PET (polyethylene) on the seat and back and a 13% recycled grained coated textile on the seat sides.
Other details and enhancements complete this trim’s interior. The steering wheel, for instance, was designed especially to capture the Alpine spirit: the red, white and blue double overstitching, perforated material and Deep Glossy Black background for the Ice Black logo in the centre entice you to start the engine. The dashboard also features an embroidered French flag, the seatbelts at the front and back have distinctive blue edges (except the one in the middle), the pedals are aluminium and the front door sills are exclusive to the trim.
When you sit in the driver’s seat, the Renault Easy Link screen lights up and displays a welcome message with a sequence featuring the Alpine brand’s hallmarks.
Intuitive And Fun
New Clio treats everyone inside it to even more convenience with streamlined, quality-enhancing technologies for the driver as well as the passengers. Its Renault Easy Link multimedia system, combined with the MULTI-SENSE settings and twenty available driver assistance systems add up to an eminently intuitive experience in a car made for life and living.
Tech For All
Digital displays across the range
The new services and top-of-the-line connectivity make New Clio even more intuitive for users. All the trims come with a 7 inch or 10 inch digital dashboard. The 10 inch one replicates navigation maps and adapts to the driving mode and MULTI-SENSE setting.
Wireless smartphone connection
New Clio feature Renault Easy Link, a multimedia gateway to a full array of applications including navigation, proactive maintenance and infotainment. Renault Easy Link now includes two versions that connect wirelessly via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay: –
- A 7 inch screen;
- A 9.3 inch screen with built-in navigation (which comes as standard with the Esprit Alpine trim)
Driver assistance systems that customers appreciate
New Clio has 20 advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) for easier and safer driving than ever. They are divided into three families: Driving, Parking and Safety. The main ones include Active Driver Assist, the 360° camera and active emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian sensors. This comprehensive set of driver assistance systems ranks New Clio among the safest cars in its category.
Active Driver Assist is one of the main features for stress-free driving and top-of-the-line safety. This ADAS combines adaptive cruise control, Stop & Go and lane centring assist, which equate to level-2 autonomous driving and considerably simplify driving on motorways and in traffic jams. Active emergency braking, which is also available in New Clio as standard, maximises safety by warning the driver of any dangerous situations. If the driver does not react, the system brakes the car automatically.
New Clio also has a number of systems to make parking easy, including hands-free parking and a 360° Vision Camera feature providing a bird’s eye view combining four feeds to situate and view all the obstacles around the vehicle.
A Car For Life And Living For Everyone In It
The automatic air conditioning, hands-free card key and wireless smartphone charger are only three of the many amenities that make driving and travelling in New Clio more versatile and enjoyable than ever. The others include a height-adjustable passenger seat in the front and a central armrest starting with the Techno version. All this while offering rear passenger space in terms of accessibility and knee radius and a boot holding up to 391 litres that ranks New Clio among the best in its class.
New Clio’s MULTI-SENSE technology opens the door to explore a new world of experiences by adjusting lighting settings on the dashboard and centre console. It is high-tech, fine-tuneable, classy, and treats everyone to a fantastic in-car experience.
The Most Comprehensive Choice Of Powertrains In The Segment
New Clio has a range of powertrains using different sources of energy including the 145 hp E-Tech full hybrid at the cutting edge of technology. It puts the pleasure of electric driving in cities within everyone’s reach and at the same time lowers fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The other options – petrol, diesel and petrol/LPG – cover an array of power ratings and add up to the most comprehensive choice across the board. Every driver, in other words, will be able to choose the configuration that best suits their habits and requirements.
An eco-driving assistant for all the powertrain options advises the driver on the best ways to save fuel and thus reduce exhaust CO2 emissions.
E-Tech full hybrid 145: more fun with less fuel
Renault started building E-Tech full hybrid technology into its cars – including Clio – in 2020. It is naturally available on New Clio, in the 145 hp E-Tech full hybrid version.
This E-Tech full hybrid technology is packed with more than 150 patents as well as expertise that Renault has amassed on Formula 1 tracks – especially energy recovery and regeneration. It makes New Clio more dynamic and at the same time more efficient. Its series-parallel architecture combines two electric motors (a 36 kW motor and an 18 KW high-voltage starter generator) with a 4 cylinder, 1.6 litre 69 kW (94 hp) IC engine, an intelligent multimode clutch-less dog box and a 1.2 kWh battery.
The IC engine’s transmission has four gear ratios and the main electric motor has two. The E-Tech full hybrid powertrain can combine input for the IC engine and electric motor in up to 14 different ways to optimise energy efficiency.
The car is invariably powered by the electric motor when it starts, and can use the electric motor up to 80% of the time in cities – cutting consumption by up to 40% compared to a conventional petrol engine. New Clio’s battery capacity in urban areas is the highest in the hybrid city car segment. Thanks to its efficient powertrain, CO2 emissions are limited, starting at 93 g/km, which is outstanding in the category. That is in addition to the silence you enjoy in electric cars and the fact that you don’t have to stop to charge the battery.
TCe 100 LPG: a multipurpose car with low running costs
The TCe 100 LPG three-cylinder turbo engine is also available on New Clio. This twin-fuel system improves performance while reducing consumption and lowering CO2 emissions (8% less CO2 than a comparable petrol-only engine). And it performs nicely: it reaches its maximum torque, 170 Nm, at 2,000 rpm, making it more versatile. With its two tanks full, the car can drive more than 1,000 km in total. This system has been tried and tested, is simple to use, affordable and saves money in use. The LPG systems are factory-built into the cars.
TCe 90: a well-balanced powertrain
This 3-cylinder turbocharged 90 hp petrol engine with 160 Nm of torque and a 6-speed manual gearbox is smooth to use, and its consumption is among the best in its class.
SCe 65: economical and ideal for cities
Drivers looking for an economical urban and suburban car will find that the 1.0 SCe (atmospheric 3- cylinder) engine is perfect for them. It has a 5-speed gearbox, 65 hp of power and 95 Nm of torque, so it is very smooth to drive in and around cities.
Blue dCi 100: high performance and low consumption
This 100 hp and 260 Nm engine is perfect for intensive use and company fleets. It is frugal and efficient, and comes with a 6-speed gearbox that lowers the engine’s rpm at 110 km/h and higher speeds. New Clio Blue dCi is especially efficient on highways and motorways. It also meets the latest emissions standards with its built-in selective catalytic reduction system, which is considered the most effective postcombustion process to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx).