Clio II - keep on driving, Nicole
June 1998
How in God's name did you find yourself so close to disaster? I mean, that loser you went as far as the altar rails with (he WAS a loser ... we could tell from the way he stamped his feet on the floral posy). And he wasn't the one you had all those assignations with since 1991 ...
It's a good job Bob saw The Graduate on TV the day before the wedding, and knew what to do.
And a good job he picked the right getaway car ...
Ah yes, the car. Clio Mk II. My very first meeting with the new Clio could have been a disaster. It was too short to be satisfying. We might never have had a relationship worth speaking of, until ...... until I had to drive it to Ballina.
The 150 miles or so before breakfast brought us very close. Particularly when the guys working the lights on the roadworks north of Mullingar got things on the blink and ended up with two opposing lines of stalled traffic on a single lane of road. If there was to be a tantrum, it would have been then.
But there wasn't. Clio was sweet and comfortable, making all the right sounds and holding me the way a long-distance driver should be held. Looking very svelte in its new dashboard and soft grey quality trim. Not a peep of complaint.
In its second age Clio has blossomed into a really good-looking model indeed, with matured smiling eyes (oops, lights) and a nicely-rounded rump setting it well apart from the crowd.
And I suppose it was on the long run back from the West that I really began to appreciate Clio II. It was more experienced than the last time I knew it, and it showed in the way the car controlled things, how it could absorb the unexpected when the road edge or camber wasn't what it should be, or how a sudden need to brake didn't cause intemperate squeals.
In every way, Clio II has a sweet disposition. Its 1.2-litre engine goes all the way from low-rev amiability to high-speed enthusiasm without carping. Its steering is tidy without sharpness and gently powered for parking. The suspension has been improved too, and though still not quite up with the class-leading Fiesta it has less squish and more control than is apparent in many French cars. The gearshift is exceptionally pleasant.
The driver's environment is a whole ton ahead of what was in Clio I, with more of the look and feel we've come to respect in Megane and Laguna bigger siblings. The steering wheel is nicely chunky and access to main switches and controls is good. In the pedal department there's adequate room, particularly for a left foot on idle, though the review car had less-than-smooth accelerator linkage initially (it was a very new car) which seemed to sort itself out with mileage.
The radio controls on the steering wheel are an increasingly popular safety feature and work in this car very well. Though I found the radio itself a bit finicky to sort ... without the remote controls it would have been 5/10 marks, but advances to 7/10 because of them. Instruments are clear and unobstructed and the binnacle is discreetly rimmed with all required warning lights. An idiosyncrasy for which I cannot deduce logic is the fuel gauge needle's reversion to the 'full' position when the ignition is switched off.
Visibility fore and sideways is very good, but the rear view is somewhat obstructed by the widish C-pillars and the rear head-restraints - though there's a safety trade-off here and I'd prefer that the restraints were there than not. The wipers were not repositioned for RHD cars, probably because the linkage system used is a very expensive scissor-type. Anyway, I didn't find the matter a problem.
Headroom all around is good, but knee-room behind a tall driver is inadequate for any but a child. With a shorter driver it's OK for a similarly-sized adult and overall the deeply-outcurved rear window the claustrophobic feeling which some others in this class engender.
(I complained about the rear legroom to a veteran colleague and he surprised me by saying it was because 'research showed that most drivers in this class don't often carry rear passengers'. That's not the point ... a car SHOULD be designed so that when a front seat is back to its limit that there IS enough legroom behind.)
Stowage is a little less than good inside, with nowhere to put the mobile accessibly out of the way except the empty passenger seat. There is a lockable glove compartment and a shelf under it. Boot's good, with more depth than you'd expect.
I was impressed particularly by the soundproofing and the overall civilised attitude of this car. And also by the good manners of the engine, which, while no stormer, is flexible and uncomplaining. The high specification included electric front windows and infra-red remote locking as well as an interior door lock switch. There's also a passenger air bag. Starting at £9,995 plus dealer charges (the 5-door reviewed is the RN spec for £1,000 more) that's not bad by Irish value standards.
Given the kind of driving it was put up to during the review period, I left this new Clio back believing that I could easily live with it as my only family car and not feel I was slumming.
If Nicole and Bob ever settle down, they might find that out too ...
- Brian Byrne.
