The waves break against the cliffs as the soft December light hits the Atlantic coast. The air is fresh, the dunes pale and quiet. The new Renault Clio stands out in a bold, deep red against the concrete roads of Portugal. As we pull away, the car accelerates smoothly without making any sound, almost hovering over the road. Outside, the ocean is loud and restless. Inside, everything feels calm and controlled. My first impression of the latest Clio is simple. It feels fast, steady and confident.
With its wider front and sharper lines, the car looks more powerful than its predecessors. Inside, it is surprisingly spacious, and in sport mode, the new Clio becomes noticeably more responsive. The steering feels direct and the car reacts quickly to small movements. Despite that, it never becomes difficult or heavy to drive. On unfamiliar coastal roads, even at higher speeds, I feel comfortable behind the wheel and curious to explore what’s coming next.
The Renault Clio has always been known as a compact car, but this sixth generation marks a clear step up. It offers what the French describe as tout d’une grande, meaning it has everything you would expect from a larger vehicle, but in a smaller format. The Clio made its debut in 1990 and has evolved steadily since. In the latest version, both the interior and exterior have been upgraded, giving the car a more grown-up character.
At first, I wondered why we had to go all the way to Portugal to drive a French car. But the diverse landscapes quickly proved to be the right setting to test the different driving modes. The routes shift constantly between city roads, dunes, green hills and open valleys. Its comfort mode turned out to be best suited for city driving. The car moves smoothly through traffic and feels relaxed. Along the coast, sport mode stands out. The accelerator and brake become more sensitive and the car reacts immediately. Each time, I am amazed by how fast the Clio accelerates without hearing a whim; the result of its hybrid drive. As the speed increases, the car remains light and easy to handle.
Besides comfort and sport, the new smart mode adjusts automatically to how you drive. It reads your behaviour and selects the most suitable setting. At one point, after a longer stretch of calm driving, the car subtly shifted back into a more economical mode on its own. For less experienced drivers, this adds an extra layer of confidence, almost as if the car is paying attention to what you are doing. The Clio is equipped with 29 driver assistance systems that monitor the surroundings and intervene when necessary, making the driving experience feel steady and secure. Want a little less control? With a simple push of the magic button, all assistance switches off. Now it is just you and the road again.
The Clio stays firmly in the compact category, but it no longer feels small in everyday use. In the city, it is easy to park, simple to manoeuvre and comfortable in traffic. It is clear why the model continues to appeal to such a broad group of drivers, particularly in places like Switzerland where practicality still matters.
After the drive, I realised I was not thinking about numbers or features. I was thinking about how natural the whole experience felt. Especially considering how much time I have spent in Amsterdam over the past decade, where we do almost everything by bike. Groceries. Office. Clubbing. Picking up kids from kindergarten. The bike is king of the road in the Dutch canal capital, and owning a car often feels like an expensive inconvenience.
Since I only started driving properly this year in Switzerland, I still count as a relatively new driver. Yet the Clio made me feel safe, excited, comfortable and, most importantly, in control. Everyone wants something different from a car. The new Renault Clio checks most of those boxes without making a show of it. For women who value independence and ease, it fits naturally into everyday life. And luckily, the car looks pretty sexy too.
