Renault Clio Gordini dCi 106 FAP 3dr Car Review - March 2012

The Clio Giordini 106 FAP has a powerful 1.5dCi engine that produces 106bhp. Peak torque figures of 177 lb-ft come at 1750rpm. The car drives well and you can feel the chassis respond to every command you give. Take it on the open road and rev it hard to appreciate the engine’s full potential. Grip is good and the car will not wobble even on uneven roads. There is no body roll and going through bends is exciting.

The Clio Giordini handles well, with controlled body movement. Firm suspension keeps the ride a bit firm and jerky. Steering is light and void of feel at speed, but good enough for town driving. The car has a moderate acceleration rate and reaches 62mph in 11.1 seconds but tends to pick speed faster in the open. A top speed of 118mph helps it keep pace with the best in the class.

The car uses a front-wheel drive system and is supported by an efficient, six-speed manual gearbox. It is refined and the cabin is fully insulated from wind and road noise. A bit of both will be audible at motorway speed but it won’t be a bother. The diesel engine is so smooth and quiet it’s hardly audible from the cabin.

All-round visibility is excellent, all thanks to large mirrors and tiny pillars.

The car has the Giordini look, all polished and classy. It is best recognized by the two thick, white, racing Giordini strips on the left side of the bonnet and roof. The 3-door, 5-seat hatchback is well-structured and looks strong and steady.

The interior is just as attractive, with high quality soft-touch finishes on the dashboard. The steering wheel is trimmed in leather and the gear knob has a satin, chrome-effect finish. The seats look a bit plain against all this glamour, but you can upgrade to leather if you want to create a uniform, upmarket look.

The Clio Giordini comes with a generous amount of standard kit. It has power steering, central control, alloy wheels, climate control, electric door mirror, electric front windows, cruise control, driver airbag, passenger airbags, front side airbags, alarm, immobiliser, fog lights, cornering lights, automatic lights and wipers, MP3 connectivity and CD player.

There are also a good number of cost options, including stability control worth £315, rear parking sensors worth £315, leather seats for a competitive £750, metallic paint for £455, sat nav for £470 and Bluetooth for 290.

The Renault Clio Giordini is a trusted brand and the Clio has been one of their most popular cars. The Giordini, introduced in 2011, is expected to be just as good as the plain Clio.

Lots of safety and security features are installed, but you would have to pay extra for stability control. The car scored highly in the Euro NCAP crash test, getting the coveted five-star rating for occupant safety.

Unlike in most rivals, the three-door layout is quite practical in the Clio Giordini. It makes parking easy and does not restrict entry into the rear as happens with a lot of 3-door cars.

There is an abundance of space in the cabin and while four occupants will ride in luxury, five will still be comfortable. Storage space is in good measure too, from a large glove box and central console to cup holders.

The boot is a good size and falls within the class range. With the seats up, you get 288 litres. You can completely remove the bases from the rear seats and fold the backrest to increase space. They fold nearly flat to give 1038 litres of space, which is large enough for big loads.

The Clio Giordini currently goes for £14,950. Value for money is what you get when you buy this model. It is highly desirable and may have stronger resale values than typical Clio models.

Running costs are among the lowest in the class. The engine returns an impressive 62.8mpg and gives decent emissions, 110g/km on average. This places the car under the low road tax band B, for only £20 a year and tax exemption in the first year. Insurance costs should be low, going by the car’s position under insurance group 16.

The Clio Giordini has an 18,000 mile service interval, which means fewer visits to the service centre for you. If anything happens to the car, there is a 3-year warranty up to 100,000 miles to take care of things.