Renault appears to have at last remembered why people buy its small cars: their styling. The new Clio 4 is thus as fresh and interesting as the old one was forgettable and dreary. The firm’s known this for a while, which is why it bought in new designer Laurens van den Acker to overhaul its styling department – the Clio 4 is the first car he’s designed from scratch.
Look closely, too. Spot the rear doors? Thought not: they’ve been cleverly disguised, so much so that Renault is only selling the Clio 4 in five-door guise. With its low roof line, sculpted tail and shallow side glass, the firm is hoping styling indeed sells – but it’s thrown new engines and new interior features at it too, so the substance is also there.