► Renault Clio E-Tech full hybrid
► Culmination of 32 years’ innovation
► Result? Same love, new energy
PROMOTIONAL POST In association with Renault
Renault has developed smart, sassy small cars for more than three decades. With the arrival this autumn of new Clio E-Tech full hybrid with a fresh design, we investigate its cutting-edge tech and take a look back at 32 years of innovation.
It’s clear where the 2023 Clio draws its inspiration: times may change, but its ancestors have always been distinguished by chic styling, clever technology and a laser-focused attention on real owners’ needs and desires. New Clio starts at £17,795. New Clio E-Tech full hybrid starts at £21,295.
Join us as we look back through the Clio bloodline.
Visit renault.co.uk to learn more
1) The new 2023 Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid offers up to 550* miles on one tank
Since 1996, Renault Clio has been the bestselling French car in the UK. Now new Clio E-Tech full hybrid takes the chic city car to the next level. There’s an advanced petrol-electric engine good for up to 550* miles of range on one tank of fuel, cutting-edge in-car tech and the sharp looks to match.
2) Full hybrid for same love, new energy
Renault’s full hybrid system is a best-of-both solution that combines petrol power with an efficient electric motor. E-Tech with full hybrid is your ticket to sparky 145hp performance with up to 67.5mpg** – and because it is self-charging, there is no need to plug in and charge.
3) The latest Clio connects seamlessly to your digital life
Cutting-edge infotainment and safety systems add to new Clio’s appeal. Renault EasyLink unlocks wireless smartphone connection and there’s a digital dashboard too. Driver-assist safeguards include adaptive cruise control***, traffic sign recognition and automatic emergency braking, as part of up to 17 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).****
4) It’s a chic and stylish supermini
Clio E-Tech full hybrid’s design mirrors its high-tech engineering. New signature LED lighting, a chequered grille and brushed-satin Renault logo inject extra precision, and there’s a richly elegant and eco-friendly interior to match. Choose the sporty new esprit Alpine trim for 17-inch alloys, full LED front lights and distinctive red, white and blue stitching on the steering wheel.
Visit renault.co.uk to learn more
New Clio E-Tech full hybrid has come a long way since the Clio’s British debut in 1991. Join us on a trip down memory lane, as we look back at the key moments and milestones that’ve made it a city car celebrity…
5) The Renault Clio is born in 1990, resets the class standard
The original Clio (above) wows crowds at the Paris Motor Show. It’s a replacement for the Renault 5 supermini but moves upmarket. Clio name is taken from one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology.
6) UK debut in 1991 – the year it wins European Car of the Year gong
Renault’s new city car launches in Britain, with buyers offered three- and five-door hatchbacks and a range of petrol and diesel engines. Winning European Car of the Year quickly puts Clio in the spotlight.
7) Nicole and Papa: those famous car ads
The first Nicole and Papa advert (above). Nicole nips off in a Clio to see a love interest while Papa pretends to doze. Papa suddenly ‘wakes’ when she’s gone, then drives to see his own mysterious paramour.
Renault wastes no time creating a successor to the 5 GT Turbo with the Clio RSi and 16V hot hatches. Both are powered by a perky 1.8-litre four cylinder and lay foundations for legendary Clio Williams to come.
9) A touch of luxury, too: the 1991 Renault Clio Baccara
It’s not all go-faster specials. Clio Baccara (above) debuts with posh leather and wood trim, helping underpin Clio’s classless cred. Modest performance from 92bhp engine but it’s lively enough for a car weighing under a tonne.
10) From catwalk to high street: how the Clio ended up influencing dress sales at Selfridges
Contemporary Nicole and Papa TV ads proved such a hit that Selfridges introduced a dress modelled on Nicole’s. Yours for £40.
11) It’s 1993 and we’re falling head over heels for the Renault Clio Williams
Now we’re talking. Renault’s motorsport tie-up with Williams in both F1 and British Touring Cars leads to the Clio Williams collab (above). Metallic blue paint, gold Speedline rims and 145bhp performance from punchy 2.0-litre 16-valve lump. An all-time great. Renault also created F1 Team editions in 2007 to celebrate its F1 world championship victories with Fernando Alonso.
12) Fast-forward to 1995 and there’s more va-va-voom as the Clio goes racing
The Clio Williams Maxi enters rallying’s Kit-Car category with its pumped-up bodywork and 2.0-litre engine tuned to around 250bhp. Driven by legends Robbie Head, Philippe Bugalski and Jean Ragnotti.
13) Electric cars? There was a Clio EV back in 1995…
The new Clio E-Tech full hybrid isn’t the first electrified model in the Clio range. In 1995 the Clio Electrique (above) offered up to 62 miles of zero-emissions driving and could be charged in eight hours from a household socket. An early plug-in pioneer.
14) How the Clio ended up on the F1 circuit in 1996
A Clio Williams was the official Formula 1 Safety Car for the 1996 F1 season – the very same year Damon Hill won the drivers’ title driving for Williams-Renault, who also bagged the constructors’ championship.
15) It’s 1998 and we bid a sad farewell to Nicole and Papa
Nicole and Papa’s final advert coincided with the end of Mk1 Clio production. Riffing on The Graduate, Nicole leaves Vic Reeves at the altar to run off with his comedy side-kick Bob Mortimer. Nicole! TV viewers voted the campaign the best car ads ever.
16) The second-generation Clio launches: more spacious and more economical
The second-gen Clio (above) debuts with a curvier style, plastic front wings and a 6cm longer body to unlock more space. Despite growing up, fuel consumption and emissions go down, improving by up to 15%. Clio II also introduced the most iconic Renaultsport versions: Clio 172, Clio 182 and Clio 182 Trophy.
17) Renault cements its reputation for safe cars with Clio II
Renault makes a big safety push with Clio II. It comes with optional ABS anti-lock brakes and front side airbags, rare features for a supermini.
18) The legendary 2001 Renault Clio V6 mixes supercar creds with supermini packaging
Renault shows off its wild side with the Clio V6 (above), an inspired throwback to the Renault 5 Turbo rally car. Built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, it features a 3.0-litre Laguna V6 stuck where the rear seats once lived.
19) The final Clio V6 arrives in 2003
Clio V6 refreshed as Renault takes production in-house in Dieppe. It’s still wild, but not quite so wayward as before, thanks to a slightly longer wheelbase and uprated chassis.
20) Earning its stripes: 2003’s Gordini
Renault revives the spirit of earlier Gordini sports models with racing stripes available as an option on sporting versions. Cue distinctive blue paint and a pair of white no-overtaking lines running nose-to-tail.
21) The third chapter: Renault Clio III arrives in 2005
Clio III debuts (above), stretches its legs further upmarket and becomes first-in-class to bag a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
22) Credit cards for keys
Renault democratises the hands-free key card in 2005. First launched with the Laguna II a few years before, the key card is barely bigger than a credit card but automatically unlocks the Clio as you stroll up to it. Normal now, radical back then.
23) Winning Car of the Year… for the second time
Clio wins European Car of the Year yet again in 2006, with 58 journalists ranking it above 28 new rivals. Blimey.
24) It’s 2011 and Lewis Hamilton’s younger brother races a Clio
Younger brother of Lewis and a talented racer in his own right, Nicolas Hamilton (above) joins the Clio Cup grid – the series that’s taken many racers into the British Touring Car Championship, Nicolas included.
25) The fourth-gen Clio arrives in 2012
The Clio IV (above) debuts as a five-door hatch with trick hidden rear door handles to amp up its coupe look (it’s 45mm lower than before). Still affordable, now even posher, there’s even an optional panoramic roof.
26) Downsized engines bring thrift without losing the oomph
Clio fuel efficiency takes another leap thanks to Renault’s first three-cylinder engine – a thrusty 1.0-litre turbo dubbed Energy TCe90, which reduces fuel consumption and C02 emissions.
27) Thierry Henry adds some sporting creds to the new Clio
Another smash ad series, this time with Arsenal footballer Thierry Henry (above) musing on what is Va Va Voom featuring red-hot chilis, poodles… and a cowboy in underpants. Va Va Voom was first broadcast earlier in the 2000s, but was brought back in 2018 for Sky Sports idents.
28) Clio syncs seamlessly with your smartphone
R-Link infotainment system makes its world premiere on the 2012 Clio and its all-electric Zoe sibling. Features a 7.0-inch touchscreen that ‘floats’ over the dashboard.
29) Still a hot-hatch pioneer: the 2013 Clio Renaultsport
It’s all change for the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo (above), which – yep – goes turbo for the first time and chucks in a new dual-clutch paddle-shift gearbox, too.
30) Bestselling chart topper: 13 million Clios and counting
By the time the fourth gen is facelifted in 2016, more than 13 million Clios have found homes in 115 countries. Wow.
31) All change – as the Clio V arrives in 2019
Today’s fifth-generation Clio debuts at the Geneva Motor Show (above), ushering in a stunning new design, Smart Cockpit digital infotainment system and the promise of hybrid tech to come…
32) The dawn of the hybrid age
The first-ever hybrid Clio arrives in 2020 with Renault Clio E-Tech. An economical but fun city car, it lays foundations for today’s Renault Clio E-Tech full hybrid, priced from £21,295.*****
The Renault Clio bloodline continues with the new 2023 range. The latest Clio E-Tech (above) ushers in a fresh, assertive design, a sporty new esprit Alpine trim and an impressively long-legged range with up to 550* miles on one tank.
Visit renault.co.uk to learn more
* Internal Renault source: based on a full tank on Clio Esprit Alpine vs WLTP fuel consumption. Real-world driving results may vary
** WLTP test data. Real-world driving results may vary
*** Available on esprit Alpine version
**** It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Driver-assistance features have speed and other limitations and should not be solely relied on
***** Manufacturer’s recommended retail price (MRRP). Model shown new Clio E-Tech full hybrid esprit Alpine at £24,095 excluding metallic paint