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Already hard at
work on the imminent arrival of
its Z.E. (**Zero Emission) range
and latest downsized engine,
Energy 1.6 dCi 130 with
Stop-Start, Renault is
accelerating its programme of
reducing the environmental
impact of its vehicles even
further with an improved
low-emission Clio, producing
only 94 g/km CO2.
Building on the
success of the former 98g/km
Clio, the latest versions of the
1.5-litre diesel-engined
supermini now offer even lower
emissions and greater fuel
economy, thanks to a raft of
enhancements.
The new 94g/km
versions come courtesy of an
‘Eco Pack’ which can be
specified as a £250 option on
Expression trim level versions
of Clio 3- and 5-door. Prices
for the standard model, prior to
adding the optional pack, are
£12,200 and £12,800 on-the-road.
Costing only
£12,450 with the optional pack
included, the three-door Clio is
the cheapest sub-100g/km
supermini in the UK, a full
£1,445 less than the equivalent
low-emission *Ford Fiesta
Econetic (£13,895 OTR) and a
considerable £2,410 less than
the *Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion
(£14,860 OTR).
With diesel now
costing over £1.40 per litre,
thankfully owners of its latest
fuel-sipping Renault eco2
model won’t have to visit the
dreaded pumps very often, with a
wallet-friendly 949 miles on
offer between fill-ups.
Bolstering the
cost savings of running’s the
French marque’s latest ‘green’
model, it also benefits from
zero Vehicle Excise Duty, London
Congestion Charge exemption, and
for business customers, 100%
Capital Write Down Allowance and
low benefit-in-kind rating of
only 13%.
Indeed, the sums
for its users in the English
capital, resident or not, really
add up. London residents will be
able to more than recoup the
cost of the optional £250 pack
in less than a year, based on
exemption from £244 worth of
Congestion Charge after
including 90% residents’
discount and £10 registration
fee, plus £110 on improved fuel
economy compared to the standard
dCi 88 over 12,000 miles.
Non-residents would be better
off to the tune of almost
£2,500, based on the same fuel
cost saving and exemption from
the £9 Auto Pay weekday charge.
Improving the new
Clio range addition’s fuel
economy by a further 2.1 mpg
than before to 78.4 (on the
combined cycle) and lowering
emissions by 4g/km to 94 has
come as a result of its
comprehensive specification. On
top of the engineering tweaks
under the bonnet, the optional
‘Eco Pack’ offers 15” Aero wheel
trims with body-coloured Aero
rear spoiler and ultra-low
resistance tyres.
The standard
Expression versions come highly
equipped with 4x20W RDS radio CD
with aux input and fingertip
remote control, front fog lights
and electric front windows and
door mirrors. Several options
are available, including air
conditioning, extra tinted
windows and tailgate and fully
integrated Carminat TomTom Live
satellite navigation.
In addition to
the improvements to the
low-emission Clio, there have
also been some others to the
rest of the range. Entry-level
Expression now benefits from the
soft-touch dashboard of more
luxurious models, as well as
satin chrome touches and new
‘Sport’ upholstery, while the
best-selling Dynamique TomTom
ushers in several enhancements
of its own. These include a
stylish new gloss black finish
for the centre console, dash
inserts and air vent surrounds,
plus, gunmetal 16” Solonia
alloys from the top-of-the-range
GT Line TomTom, together with
co-ordinating door mirrors.
The new 94 g/km
Clio Expression Eco can be
ordered now, priced from £12,450
including the optional pack. |
