Renault has announced the pricing and specs for its iconic supermini and France’s best-selling car, the new Clio E-Tech, which now comes as a full hybrid and has received a sleek and stylish facelift.
The car, which has sold over 1.1 million examples in the UK, has undergone a new reinvention and features a completely redesigned face with slimmer, full LED headlights and a wider checkerboard grille. The taut lines mark a more ‘elegant and assertive’ exterior, too, according to the company.
It all screams very sporty from Renault, which seems to be leaning harder than ever before on its Alpine line. We saw it first with the Austral E-Tech, the first Renault to feature the esprit Alpine label, and then to some extent with the Rafale, with its Alpine blue paint job.
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The Clio E-Tech is also set to sport the esprit Alpine as one of its top-of-the-range trims, fusing the Alpine brand’s sporting hallmarks and Renault’s new style. The other two versions are the evolution and techno, starting from £21,295 and £22,695 respectively, while the esprit Alpine will be priced from £24,095 and feature unique Alpine emboss and details in the interior, while some other smart tech features like adaptive cruise control and blind spot warning.
Speaking about the powertrain, it’s fairly standard but impressive stuff. The petrol/electric hybrid produces 145hp for a strong performance and offers a range of up to 550 miles. It emits as little as 96g/km CO2 and returns as much as 67.3mpg combined (WLTP).
Notably, the latest Clio can use the electric motor up to 80 per cent of the time in cities – cutting fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent compared to a conventional petrol engine – with the benefits of near silent running and no need to plug in to charge the battery.
Clio, known for its chic elegance ever since its introduction in 1991, keeps up the tradition not only on the exterior but also on the inside. It improves on the previous version with a more sophisticated feel but, additionally, it is more sustainable and environment-friendly, too.
Renault says that there is no leather: instead, the surfaces are covered in TEP, a grained-coated fabric made of bio-sourced and recycled polyethylene fibres. Each version features its own unique trim, with the techno and esprit Alpine both featuring the new synthetic leather.
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Additionally, the seats, door panels, and dashboard of the techno trim are clad in a specially developed sustainable fabric. The French automaker also claims that the new Clio E-Tech is not only the first car that features this bio-based cellulosic fibre, but it is also the first time these sustainable fibres have been used extensively in a vehicle.
Guillaume Sicard, Country Head UK & Managing Director Renault Brand UK, said: “Clio is at the very heart of Renault, being one of our most well-loved and successful models, and the New Clio E-Tech full hybrid is a milestone in the model’s long-running story.
“It combines the Clio’s trademark attributes with the efficient technology that supports our customers as they transition to a car that offers a significant level of electrification, making the model more relevant than ever.”
The new Clio E-Tech full hybrid is available to order from today.
