Introduced onto it's home market of France in 1990, the chic Renault Clio was the successor to the much loved Renault 5. The 'Five' more or less started the small car craze in Europe back in the early 70's, being one of the most versatile, tough and stylish of them all.

However, Clio followed in it's footsteps, and was an instant success. The use of a name rather than a number to identify the new car was the first of a new generation of Renaults, the next in the naming process being the Laguna. The Clio was renowned for it's comfort, handling, and in particular, the way it rode and 'felt' like a much bigger car, and until recently (now achieved by the Renault Megane range) was the biggest selling car that Renault has sold in the UK. It has been a huge success in Europe in particular, having won the coveted 'European Car Of The Year' in 1991. The Clio is also built in South America, and Belgium, with cars being sold as far away as China and Japan.

Typically French, the suspension is soft, with a long travel, but the car is great fun to drive - the steering is very accurate, it corners tidily and the well designed chassis gives the driver a good idea of what the tyres are up to, and even the smallest 1.1 litre engine can give a good turn of speed essential for any car destined to battle it out on the 'Periferiques' around Paris!