Kelly has had enough of manual transmissions. Lets hear her out.
I am over manual cars. Truly I am. There was once a time when I’d rather chew off my arm than concede in this manner. There were appearances that needed to be kept up. But I’m over that, too. I want an easy life. Free of drama. Free of the shackles of a manual vehicle. And yes, I too see the irony in my saying I want a life free of drama only to be overly dramatic in this opening paragraph. Anyway, you get my drift. I will only ever choose an automatic car for the rest of my life. Something easy, comfortable and something I actually enjoy driving no matter what traffic situation life throws my way. However, were I forced into choosing a manual car for whatever reason, I’d seriously consider this Renault Clio.
Previously, what I’d look for in a vehicle- or what I’d tell people I’m looking for, at least – is something spicy. Maybe a hot hatch. Maybe something with high kW and loads of torque at low revs. I’d try to convince people that I quicker is better. How pretentious. Honestly, what everyone wants in their everyday car is something reliable, comfortable and full of treats. And this Clio is all that and more.
Since I used so much of the start of this story speaking about transmissions, let’s jump in there.
The Renault Clio comes fitted with a five-speed manual transmission. There is no auto option in SA at the moment. Together with a soft clutch operation, changing of gears is a breeze. There’s an ease to it all. Which is a relief seeing as I spent quite a bit of time in traffic with this hatchback.
Under the bonnet lies a 1,0-litre turbopetrol unit with 74 kW and 160 N.m of torque. It’s not a performance vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s not why any potential owner would buy this anyway. It’s certainly capable of quick overtaking maneuvers and it can cruise quite easily at the national speed limit. With fuel currently sitting above R20/litre, fuel efficiency is more important than ever. Renault claims that the Clio consumes an average of 5.7 litres/100km. You can probably expect a real-world figure closer to 6.7 litres/100km, depending on your driving style.
Standard features on the entry-level Life version includes Renault’s Easy Link system that comes with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. There is an extensive list of other standard features including, air conditioning, one-touch electric windows at the front, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and so much more. On the safety front there’s peace of mind in the form of four airbags (six on higher spec models), isofix anchorages, ABS, EBA and hill start assist to name a few.
The Clio has come a long way. It’s grown up in all the right ways. Previously you’d imagine it to be a car for wannabe boy racers. Today it can easily be a comfortable family vehicle. Not our family, of course. We’re five humans and two dogs. But it’s perfect as a starter family car or the stylish car of a young, successful millennial or Gen Z. If they have R309 900, of course. That’s for the Life version. The higher spec model that we had on test costs R349 900.
And I think this cost the problem with b-segment and c-segment cars these days. It used to be that many people could aspire to own one. It could be in the plan. These days we can barely afford fuel nevermind a whole car. But that’s a story for another time.
For now, if you have the money and you’re in the market for a b-segment vehicle, by all means check out the Renault Clio. Or wait for the auto that I suspect is coming later this year.
