First Generation
The first generation was introduced in 1990 to replace the popular Renault 5 supermini that had been really popular in the 70’s and 80’s. The Clio was introduced at the Paris Motor Show and was almost immediately awarded the European Car of The Year before it even reached UK shores in 1991. The first generation was available with a wide array of engine options from a 1.1 petrol, all the way up to 1.9 diesels, and even a hot hatch version, the 16V which could propel the Clio to 130mph. The first generation was available in two body styles, 3 and 5 doors, which gave customers to choose between function or style.
The first generation was incredibly popular and remained consistently in the bestselling vehicles list throughout its production history. This was thanks to some iconic advertising campaigns including the ‘va va voom’ campaign, which was used again on newer generations.
Second Generation
The first generation remained in production for 8 years before being replaced by the second generation which debuted more contemporary styling, with smoother, curvy edges rather than the blockier first generation. It also grew in size and included features as standard such as ABS, which was quite a big deal for the time.
This generation of Clio is arguably the most iconic in the history of the Clio thanks to the various models it spawned, most notably the V6, which was a mid engined, 3.2 litre supercar of sorts, with a Clio body. This car lacked back seats, but didn’t lack performance, with up to 252 bhp, helping the V6 Clio to reach 60mph in 5.6 seconds, which even by modern standards, for a car of this size is insane.
The second generation was so popular that it was sold alongside the third generation Clio as the Clio Campus, with a few minor revisions.
Third generation
The third generation Clio was introduced in 2005 and again like the first generation was immediately crowned European Car of the Year. This generation of Clio was sold as a 3 and 5 door, like it’s predecessors but it was also sold as an estate which was introduced in 2008 when the Clio was facelifted. This generation of Clio took a number of the safety features from other Renaults including plenty of airbags, 8 in fact, to help secure a 5 star Euro NCAP rating. This helped the Clio win the European Car of the Year again in 2006, the first time a car had won two years in a row.
The third generation Clio brought with it even more variants, including a new RS variant, as well as new features for the supermini class, including GPS Navigation, Cruise Control and Keyless Start.
Fourth Generation
Building on the success of the third generation Clio, the fourth generation brought with it a new look and a unified bodystyle, as the Clio was now only available as a 5 door, no estate or 3 door, instead the rear door handles were now moved to the rear pillar to hide them, so you could have the look of a 3 door, but the practicality of a 5 door. The wheels on the Clio were now also moved as close to the corners as possible to give it a wheelbase closer to that of cars in the class above, which helped increase interior space.
The fourth generation developed a number of the features from the third and the GPS Navigation from the third generation was now upgraded with the R-Link Media tablet, that was a touchscreen infotainment unit that was simple to use, and a huge upgrade from the buttons of the past.
Fifth Generation
The current generation of Clio was unveiled in 2019, and it comes with a design that represents an evolution between the previous generation, retaining the ‘hidden’ door handle. The latest Clio comes with a stylish and premium interior, and an array of standard features.
The latest Clio comes with a number of different powertrains including a Hybrid model, which uses a 1.6 litre engine and two electric motors to guarantee smooth and seamless performance, and incredible efficiency, a first for the Clio. The latest Clio is designed to be more premium than ever before, including equipment such as Adaptive Cruise Control and 360 degree parking cameras, that you wouldn’t expect in a car in this class.
The Future
Renault has unveiled a range of new concept cars in the last few years, to show the future of their models and they all share a common theme, and that is electrification, the Morphoz, Scenic Vision and Renault 5 concepts are all focussed around being fully electric. This is part of Renault’s ‘renaulution’ to grow their business and move towards electrification. The Renault 5, the Clio’s predecessor is set for a revival in 2024, with Renault having already previewed the concept for it so there is a potential that it could replace the Clio. Regardless, the latest Clio has only been around a few years so it won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
Discover our range of Renault Clios available right now!
