Renault Clio 4 breaks cover

A day after images of Renault’s all-new fourth-generation Clio have leaked onto the internet, the company has officially unveiled its all-new light car, with a new three-cylinder engine and dual clutch gearbox a couple of the headline features.

Presenting a sleek and sporty European hatch, it's clear that former Mazda design chief and now Renault design kingpin, Laurens van den Acker, has earned his keep.

Some might argue the car even has a touch of Mazda about it...

Lower, wider and more aggressively styled than its predecessor, the new Clio is an altogether sportier proposition and features like LED driving lights indicated this is a brand new model. A range of new four-cylinder turbo petrol and diesel engines will also be offered, as well as Renault's first three-cylinder engine. 

A new six-speed dual-clutch 'EDC' automatic gearbox also provides the car with a snappier, more economical way to shift gears.

The interior has been thrust into the modern era, showing off a funky instrument cluster split with a digital speedometer. Taking a leaf out of the MINI marketing handbook, both the interior and exterior will be fully customisable too, with a range of colour options and sticker kits available.

"New Clio is set to make a real mark," said Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, Renault. "In addition to an unprecedented package of innovations, its design marks a major shift from that of previous models."

The highly anticipated compact French hatchback will makes its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, and Renault Australia will import a full range of Clio models here for the first time in mid 2013, with the high performance Clio RS arriving six months later around the end of next year.

In recent years Renault has offered the Clio only in range-topping RS (RenaultSport) form, but Renault Australia Corporate Communications Manager Emily Ambrosy said a full range of petrol and diesel models will arrive here in mid-2013, sporting a range of new technologies including a dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

The EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) transmission will be offered across the range and though Ms Ambrosy said it was too early to talk about pricing, she confirmed the new Clio five-door will rival cars beyond the Peugeot 208 and Volkswagen Polo, suggesting there could be a price-leading model on the cards to take on Japanese and Korean light-car competitors.

Some of the new interior features include Renault Bass Reflex, designed to deliver thumping bass from relatively small door speakers.

The all-new Clio 4 will also debut the French company's new in-car infotainment system called R-Link, which uses a large colour 'tablet' that drivers and passengers can use to play music and even download Apps from a dedicated store. While the tablet itself is not removable, it is being termed as such because it has similar functionality to an iPad.

Asked if R-Link would be offered on Australian Renault Clio, Ms Ambrosy said there were a few hurdles to jump. "We have to ascertain whether it passes Australian regulations before we confirm it."

The new Clio RS will hit the streets here late in 2013, roughly six months after the garden-variety model arrives, and will not be offered with a manual transmission.

Renault’s hottest Clio will be sold exclusively with the EDC twin-clutch auto, which will be paired to a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine that’s expected to increase in power output from 147 to 155kW.

Renault will offer a range of new engines for the fourth generation Clio, some of them with stop-start functionality, including a frugal 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine. This 899cc unit outputs 66kW/135Nm and has a claimed fuel economy of just 4.3L/100km - better than some hybrid cars.

There's also a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine outputting 88kW/190Nm, which is the most likely candidate for Australian models, and a 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine outputting 220Nm and using just 3.2L/100km.

Another interesting twist in the Clio 4 story is that it will only be built as a five-door model, with no three-door hatch derivative planned - not even for the RS hot-hatch model.

Ms Ambrosy explained that buyers are shifting away from three-door hatches on a global scale, and that the five-door models have hidden rear door-handles to "provide the impression of a three-door but with the practicality of a five-door hatch".

Renault continues to rebuild its brand in Australia and has plans to launch more new models in 2013, but Ms Ambrosy said the new Clio will "absolutely be our best-selling car" when it arrives in Australia next year, thanks to a full complement of model grades and engine options.

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