Faults:

So far as I am aware, there have been, and still are, no problems with the car, although I do tend to use a lot of tyres (this may be my driving).

General Comments:

Despite having traveled over 45000 miles in this vehicle, and considering that I tend to throw it all over the road, I am amazed that I have had no problems whatsoever with it.

I drive over 250 miles per week to work during the rush hour traffic. This consumes a very respectable 67 mpg (confirmed by my own records). It is possible, and I have recorded, on trips of over three hundred miles, to raise this to well over 80 mpg. I must admit that this is almost entirely on motorways, keeping to around 56 mph, but it (coincidentally?) equated to exactly one thousand miles to the tank if I had kept it up.

When I'm in a hurry, not many average cars on the road will out-accelerate it, and, despite the official figures, the car will travel at well over 100 mph if required.

I was very impressed with the interior and accessories. I spent a little extra on the climate control and metallic paint, but the garage threw in the alloy wheels and the 1 years free insurance. The front seats adjust adequately for comfort, and the back seats fold down neatly for that extra luggage space. Students will love that they can get everything that they need when moving out into the back, get one passenger in AND see through the rear view mirror.

The car sticks to the road under most circumstances, and the 'sports' suspension is a joy over rough terrain or through potholes on the road. Even I haven't managed to slide or lose control yet.

Overall, a joy to drive, passenger, or just to sit in! I would definitely buy another one; I just need to wait until it finally breaks down!

Faults:

Very little has actually gone wrong with the car, which is rather a relief.

1. Car stalling/cutting out whilst driving, followed by a refusal to re-start for about 3 minutes. 'Solved' by getting Renault to re-programme the injection system.

2. Rough idling.

3. Rattle on sunroof. Apparently fixed by modification to handle, but the rattle came back.

4. Poorly fitting glove-box.

General Comments:

The Renault Clio is an extremely well specified and comfortable car, available on some very attractive deals which make obtaining an attractive car relatively cheap.

On the Dynamique spec, the sports seats, leather steering wheel, and leather gearknob give the car a luxury feel and even journeys of 300 miles can be completed in relative comfort.

The 1.2 16v engine is fairly quick and has enough power in reserve to get out of trouble on the motorway. It is however, a little noisy at 70mph or when cold and this can get tiresome.

Although our problems have been few, and all have been fixed under warranty, there are some issues. Build quality is not what it should be - the boot doesn't always shut easily and much of the plastic feels like it has come from biscuit packaging. The rattles are irritating and shouldn't happen on such a young car - sunroofs are a particular problem on Renault cars.

Problems with cutting out and rough idling are common on Clios and do spoil the car somewhat. Although they are fixable, it does damage your confidence when the car cuts out in a flow of traffic - something which makes all that safety equipment seem pointless.

Although service intervals are long, you don't actually save any money because Clio services are expensive when you reach them. Average price for the 3-year/36,000 mile service is a whopping £325, whilst the camblet service at 72,000 miles would cost an average of £900 at a dealership.

If you are interested in buying one, don't discount it, but (particularly if used) make sure that you give it a thorough test drive in a variety of roads and conditions. Also make sure that you get a decent warranty - you may need it.