► Month 2 with our Clio
► It’s nailing the boring stuff
► Read month 1 here
Utterly boring commuting is a job the Clio does brilliantly. A bit of steady-state droning to the train station has got the fuel economy back up towards 50mpg, after a mix of motorways and back roads returned a less impressive 45mpg.
Isn’t 65mpg possible with 1.0-litre engine in a small car? It’s currently costing around £50 to fill it up and I get a range of around 430 miles, which is not bad.
The steering is light around town, the clutch is light too, and the tiny, turbocharged engine’s throttle response is always good. It’s a surprisingly characterful car to live with, with its drummy engine note and that six-speed manual. Humdrum but fun.
Logbook: Renault Clio TCe 90 Evolution (month 2)
Price: £17,995 (£18,695 as tested)
Performance: 999cc turbocharged three-cylinder, 89bhp, 12.2sec 0-62mph, 112mph
Efficiency: 54.3mpg (official), 44.8mpg (tested), 118g/km CO2
Energy cost: 15.3p per mile
Miles this month: 1092
Total miles: 1827