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Nicole and Dad’s spirit truly lives on in the new, frugal manifestation of the evergreen Renault Clio.
And that’s especially the case with the value-for-money 1-litre petrol TCe 90 I’ve been driving after the model was quietly reintroduced into the Clio range.
For younger readers, archetypal French couple Nicole and Papa were the face of the Renault Clio for seven years, between 1991 and 1998, thanks to a series of clever, daring and charming television adverts chronicling their adventures with the hatchback.
Renault believes there is still a market for affordable, non-electric cars that have manual gearboxes (this Clio has six) and proper buttons and dials. It is right. While Renault has an ambitious electric vehicle program, sales of pure electric vehicles to private buyers are stagnating.
It was refreshing to get into a car with a purely internal combustion engine that offered a joyful and engaged drive.
Tested package: the current version of Renault’s Clio, which was a star of the 90s
I drove the range-topping Clio Esprit Alpine TCe 90 with sports seats and trim that enhances the alpine racing heritage of its Group Renault sibling. It costs £21,295 (including the optional Iron Blue metallic paint, which costs £700).
But the base Evolution TCe 90 model starts from £17,995 OTR (around £3,500 cheaper than the hybrid version), and the techno version costs from £19,395 OTR.
It is true that with 90 horses it is not powerful. But it’s fun, agile and agile, and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.2 seconds. Top speed is 112mph and its CO2 emissions of 120g/km mean your first year’s road tax is £210. Nicole and Dad would love it.
MG accepts orders for Cyberster
The bank holiday weekend is here and there are tempting cars to spend your money on as MG Motor UK takes orders for its brilliant new two-seater Cyberster electric roadster with spectacular lift-up scissor doors.
But the Cyberster, designed at MG’s Chinese-owned London design studio, isn’t cheap. First deliveries in August start from £54,995 for the 340 hp (250 kW) single-engine rear-drive model, which accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in five seconds and has an official range of 316 miles, enough to get you from London to Newcastle . .
Spend money: MG Motor UK is taking orders for its shiny new Cyberster two-seat electric roadster
The more performance-oriented 503 PS (375 kW) dual-motor all-wheel drive Cyberster GT version, worth £59,995, the most powerful production model in MG’s 100-year history, accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds with a shorter range of 276 miles.
Both versions have four driving modes and come with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty.
Mercedes hopes the new G-Class electric 4×4 hits the spot
Mercedes hopes its massive new electric 4×4 G-Class will hit the spot with wealthy customers.
The giant, boxy, battery-powered ‘Chelsea tractor’ SUV was launched simultaneously in Los Angeles and at the Beijing Motor Show before going on sale later this year for almost £200,000.
Looking similar to the newly updated petrol or diesel G-Class, it is also aimed at celebrities, footballers and bling lovers.
‘Chelsea Tractor’: Mercedes hopes its massive new G-Class electric 4×4 will hit the spot with wealthy customers
Officially, it’s called ‘G580 with EQ Technology’, after Benz’s electric car division. Four independent electric motors totaling 580 horsepower drive each wheel and are powered by a 116 kWh battery that gives it a range of up to 293 miles.
