New Clio And Corsa Shaping Up For Battle

By Paul Bailey

20th April 2005

Spied this week at a dealer launch in France, Renault's next-generation Clio is out to give the number one-selling Corsa a tough fight - and it's laying its hopes on a bold new face. With huge headlights and a smaller grille, the new three-door Clio is a stronger design than the current car. That visual strength is continued at the rear, with a chunky C-pillar and elliptical tail-lights. The whole effect is much sportier than the five-door, which will look more like a baby Scenic.

The Corsa, on the other hand, has a more MPV-like design, with a steeply sloped bonnet, high shoulder line and tall roof. Both cars should be spacious, with impressive levels of leg and head room for front and rear passengers. Inside, each car moves significantly upmarket. The Clio gets a higher quality dashboard and a brighter feel, thanks to aluminium-effect inserts around the air vents. Vauxhall will also play the quality card, with the Corsa using switchgear from the Astra.

Euro NCAP safety scores are important in this sector, and given Renault's reputation, expect a five-star crash test rating for the Clio. The Corsa should also do well, thanks to a pedestrian-friendly front end. Beneath the skin, both use platforms shared with other firms. The Clio is based on Nissan's Micra, while the Corsa will have some of the same underpinnings as Fiat's next Punto.

The Vauxhall also uses the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel seen in the Panda, while a reworked version of the Luton firm's 1.7-litre CDTI will also appear. Petrol units include the 1.8-litre Twinport, plus 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4-litre motors.

The current Clio's petrol engines are to be carried over, while the 1.5-litre dCi diesel will be available in 65bhp, 82bhp and 100bhp guises. And at the top of the range, expect a real hot hatch shoot-out. The next Renaultsport Clio will have more than 200bhp, while the Corsa VXR gets a 160bhp 1.6-litre turbo unit.

Both will be differentiated from lesser models by sports suspension, large alloys and unique body kits.
Set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the new Clio arrives in the UK in October, priced from around ΂£8,000. The Corsa shows its face at Geneva next year, and is set to go on sale in summer 2006, starting from ΂£7,500.