Renault Clio 2013

The new Renault Clio 4 has made its premiere at the Paris motor show.

The first production Renault to have been designed entirely by Laurens van den Acker, the Clio 4 aims to be more instantly recognisable, more upmarket and more desirable than its predecessor, which never achieved the sales success of the first- and second-generation models: Renault UK sold 21,000 Clios in 2011, compared to 86,000 in 2002.

Longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, the new car sits on an updated version of the existing platform, meaning torsion beam rear and MacPherson strut front suspension.

The architecture is 'heavily upgraded' according to Benoit Bochard, Renault's program director for small cars, with altered wheelbase, tracks, and notably a revised electrically-assisted steering system set-up to bring 'a lot more steering precision, for a real upgraded driving sensation'.

The five-door only Clio 4's exterior design is a deliberate departure from its predecessor. It is the first model in the range to get the new corporate face, bearing a bigger Renault badge and sleeker, integrated grille and headlights.

Prominent rear wheel-arches are inspired by the Renault DeZir concept, and go a long way to providing elements of the 'sexiness and sportiness' that Van den Acker is keen to promote.

The rear door handles are hidden in the C-pillars. Bouchard maintains that the Clio 4's design 'offers enough desirability to satisfy those who might have bought a three-door'.

With price being such a make-or-break element in this class, Renault has taken the decision to drop the entry price of the Clio 4 by around '1000, bringing the base three-cylinder car in at under '10,500, in order to be more competitive with the Peugeot 208.

A broad range of personalisation features will allow buyers to select different coloured body accents, including varying colours of side strip and diffuse, decals, and interior colour panels.

Crucially, the cabin is a dramatically more upmarket affair. All trim levels will get the same dash architecture (the Clio 3 was criticised for having cheaper dash layouts in the base model), which will include a 7-inch colour touch screen as standard in the mid- and higher-spec cars.

Thanks to: Autocar