Renault Clio Sport Tourer 2016 Review

Renault Clio Sport Tourer Dynamique 1.5 DCI
Busman's Holiday
Portugal

Road tests and new-car launches are often like a lab experiment – with the motoring journalist feeling like he or she might be the white mouse, rather than the white-coated boffin testing a car.

But a self-drive family holiday takes all the concern out of testing a new car. There's no pressure to meet deadlines, and no lingering suspicion the car you're driving has been hyped way beyond its actual capability.

A week-long sojourn to Portugal recently delivered that kind of opportunity. The car 'tested' (or 'rented', to put it in the right context) was a Renault Clio Sport Tourer Dynamique with 1.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder driving through a five-speed manual transmission to the front wheels.

If this particular Clio variant sounds unfamiliar, it's because it's not available in Australia. Not as a wagon, nor as a diesel.

Australians don't buy wagons, they buy SUVs. And Renault Australia already has a wagon that's more appropriate to the needs of local consumers – the larger Megane.

Throw a diesel engine into a light wagon like the Clio, specify the almost mandatory automatic transmission (or dual-clutch in this case), and the price begins to climb for such a small car with very limited market appeal.

In France the asking price is €19,800 for the car we rented – and then add €1400 for the 'auto' for a total of €21,200. A direct conversion of that number would top out at A$31,676, although Renault Australia would likely fiddle with specification and haggle with the factory for a significantly lower retail price.

The Clio looked a marginal proposition for transporting a family of four and luggage for a week. While the boot was under pressure, it did squeeze in four small suitcases and four backpacks with the cargo blind in place, protecting our gear from the sun and the attention of the light-fingered.

And with enough room inside, the Clio was also small enough outside, with a surprisingly tight turning circle that was ideal for negotiating the tight laneways and narrow roads originally mapped out by Romans on horseback.

Over the course of our week in Portugal the little diesel wagon plugged away at speeds frequently above 120km/h on the tollways, all the while averaging 5.4L/100km with the air-conditioning running constantly and four out of the five seats occupied… and not forgetting that full boot.

Unlike other diesel engines of 1.6 litres' displacement or less, the Clio's powerplant wasn't peaky and delivered honest performance in the lower gears for driving around town. At 66kW/220Nm, its output wasn't startling, but as with other Renault diesels it could haul all the way up to the 5000rpm redline.

The engine required a few seconds to start from cold, but the idle-stop system would fire up the oiler immediately the clutch pedal was pushed in to select first gear, and all with little bump and grind.

In fifth gear at 100km/h the diesel was running at around 1800rpm. First gear was a high ratio for standing starts, and negotiating standard street corners in second gear held the engine at very low revs.

In Portugal there are fewer traffic lights per square kilometre than in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. More roundabouts in Portugal's urban areas allowed the Clio to keep on the move without needing low gearing and high torque to blast away from intersections.

The clutch take-up and the transmission's shift quality were good partners in the Clio. It was difficult to muck up gear changes, even shifting from the 'wrong' side of the car. The Clio's manual shift was light and precise, with zero notchiness and no remote, rubbery feel.

With just five forward ratios, spread to take advantage of the engine's efficiency across a range of speeds, the Clio was often at the mercy of gravity, even on freeways. On the run from Viseu in Portugal's north down through mountain passes to Porto on the coast the Clio's speed would rise 10km/h downhill, and then drop back 20km/h on the way back up.

Portuguese tollways are also a bit twisty. Unlike gently winding Teutonic autobahns, on the Portuguese roads the car was actually cornering at speeds of 120km/h or higher. The little wagon turned in neatly and handled deftly. Steering lacked feel on centre, making it harder to hold straight, but that could be explained by the car's payload and weight distribution.

Ride comfort was commendable for a car on the low side of the prestige threshold. The Clio ironed out smaller bumps at higher speeds without feeling too soft. Around town the Clio rode better still. At cruising speeds the Clio was quiet inside, although the 16-inch Continental tyres were audible on coarser-grade bitumen.

The driving position was excellent. Like the rest of Europe, the Portuguese drive on the right and the steering wheel was on the left side of the car. The Clio was as easy to drive from the 'sinister' side of the car as it is from the 'right' side. I grew so accustomed to the Renault's driving position that upon our return to Australia I found myself fishing around for the gearshift lever with my right hand while driving home from the airport – in a right-hand drive car.

It was odd that the Clio, designed from the outset for left-hand drive markets, featured a handbrake located closer to the front passenger – in the right-front seat. After all these years of complaining about the handbrake being located too far from the driver in right-hand drive cars, it seems like inappropriate handbrake placement is not a design conspiracy to confound drivers of right-hook cars after all.

The front seats were unbelievably comfortable on a long trip, very well shaped and nicely cushioned to envelop the occupant. There was a massive footrest (on the left side of the footwell in this LHD car) and the steering column reach could be adjusted for ideal length from the pedals and the wheel for someone of average height.

The Clio in this level of trim featured a digital speedo in the centre of the instrument binnacle, below the trip computer readout and flanked by a tachometer on the left and a massive fuel gauge on the right. It's all very easy to read at a glance, but the constantly changing speeds displayed highlighted the Clio's power delivery and gearing issues.

Four of the Clio's five seats were occupied by people who were essentially adult-sized, yet there was plenty of legroom for all. Headroom in the rear was also quite generous. The one problem there was the lack of adjustable vents for the passengers. Only by setting the air-conditioning to blow air on the feet did the rear-seat passengers feel any warmth or cooling from the ducts under the front seats.

An obvious point of difference between Portugal and Australia is driver behaviour. Portuguese drivers are very disciplined. Drivers new to the country might think otherwise, with the locals blasting by in the fast lane at speeds of 40km/h or more above the posted speed limit. The non-native driver sticking to the speed limit in the right lane may feel like the locals are taking the mickey, as they practically dive into the right lane as soon as they've overtaken.

It's not some passive/aggressive way of telling the tourist: 'You're driving too slowly'. Portuguese drivers, even more so than Germans, stay out of each other's way. They always ensure the overtaking lane remains clear – even without fast-moving BMW or Mercedes spearing up from behind.

The Portuguese also practise sensible behaviour as soon as the heavens open. At the first sign of rain they back off to the actual indicated speed limit. Unlike Aussies…

In the rain the Clio felt surefooted. It was safe and secure – probably in part because it wasn't overly endowed with power and torque to break traction or steer the wheels in the wrong direction. The brakes were up to the task of quickly hauling the Renault down from higher speeds without drama, even in the wet, and halted the Clio softly at the traffic lights. It's not certain how the brakes would fare in more demanding circumstances, however. The rear-drum set-up comprises very fancy drums with finned alloy castings, but they're drums nonetheless.

For finding our way around the country we became very dependent on the Clio's satellite navigation unit, which can be configured to provide route instructions in English, with an Aussie accent even... and the choice of male or female speakers.

Finding ways of programming waypoints, or selecting a previous destination became an entertaining game of trial and error, prodding graphic datapoints labelled in Portuguese on the screen and then pushing the 'back button' until the desired outcome was achieved.

It's a credit to the Clio system's user friendliness that we managed to program it despite the language barrier.

Kudos goes to the Clio also for a safe, faultless and comfortable journey around Portugal, notching up over 1400km without putting a foot wrong.

What to see in Portugal
The best time of year to visit Portugal is during the peak season, but even during the early months of spring the country is verdant and sunny.

Visitors will love the scenery – including the Atlantic. The country's capital, Lisbon, is on the coast, as is the historic city of Porto, further to the north. Both cities – and the township of Evora – boast plenty of must-see history.

Although Lisbon has retained a lot of its older buildings, the 'old city' is on the east side, away from the part of the city that was devastated by an earthquake in 1755. Among the buildings of note in the old city is the Castelo de Sao Jorge, a Moorish castle built on the site of a community dating back hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and remaining an active archaeological dig to this day.

Portugal has a long history as a colonial power, and its maritime museum in one wing of an old but grand monastery in Lisbon frequently touches on the country's military actions to keep its subjugated minions in check.

The nearby cultural centre incorporates a museum of modern and contemporary art, with an interesting section devoted to pop art.

Lisbon is also a city with its own tram network, but the train system, which runs underground is much more impressive for its modernity and efficiency.

To the north, Porto is the city that gave us the eponymous fortified wine. It's a city of great beauty and historic importance. Both Porto and Lisbon can be seen from the upper deck of the country's 'yellow buses'. While it's kind of daggy, it's still the best way of seeing Lisbon in a short space of time; if time is at a premium.

There's a tourist tram that runs through the old city of Lisbon, but can be jam-packed – and holds little of real novelty value for Aussie tourists from Melbourne. Lisbon also has funicular trams – trams designed to run up the steep hills and back down.

Evora is a much smaller town and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has its own museum, which features fascinating exhibits from the Roman era, as well as the iron and stone ages, with some artefacts dating back 6000 years. The museum also houses an extensive range of paintings and sculptures.

An old Roman temple in ruins remains standing in the centre of Evora, which is enclosed within old fortifications and any of the sights to see can be reached on foot within half an hour.

Why visit Portugal?
There's the history of course, and the fabulous beach of Praia da Rocha at Portimao, plus the food. Try the Francesinha for instance, a tasty but quite unhealthy Portuguese delicacy.

On top of all that, Portugal is well serviced by a modern road system and clean, fast public transport. The natives speak English with a high degree of fluency and were friendly and receptive during our stay.

It's also one of the more affordable holiday destinations in Europe currently. There's a downside to that of course; due to the economic hardship in Portugal at the moment there is a lot of street begging going on in any major urban centre.

The locals warn visitors too that pick-pocketing is rife, especially targeting cashed-up tourists on the trams in Lisbon. Another little money-spinner is helping visitors find a parking spot in the cities and towns. The down-on-their-luck 'parking attendants' will guide you into a spot and then hang around for a tip.

But take the obvious precautions and Portugal is a great place to visit and witness history that predates the European settlement of Australia.