I’m no longer a VW owner! 😮

[SRGTD]

As per title; I’m no longer a VW owner!

So today marked a milestone for me and VW ownership. I said goodbye to my Polo GTI+ after four years and one week’s ownership, and after a 22 year association with the VW brand I’ve jumped ship and gone over to the dark side to another brand - and not one of the other VAG brands. I fancied something different, and different is what I’ve got.

I wanted to share my first impressions of my new car and the dealership / buying experience. To put everything into one post would have meant a really long post, so what follows is a number of smaller posts - each covering specific subject areas - which hopefully makes it easier to read. I’ll also be doing a review of my experience of life with my GTI+ as a separate discussion topic.

Although I’m no longer a VW owner, I’ll be sticking around on the forum to provide help and input to others where I can.

[SRGTD]

My new car - what is it?
It’s a Renault Clio E Tech Esprit Alpine self charging full hybrid in metallic Flame Red; not a car I thought I’d ever consider buying. Historically, Renaults of old haven’t had a particularly good reputation reliability-wise, being renowned especially for their dodgy electrics. However I did lots of research and from what I was able to establish, the problems of old associated with the brand seem to be pretty much a thing of the past, and reliability is supposedly pretty much on a par with VW these days (although with VW’s recent track record with all their software issues, that might not be saying much!). Here it is in all its glory (apologies; forgot to move my garden waste bin before taking the picture). For anyone who’s wondering, the white patch in the picture on the edge of the bonnet near the headlight is a reflection, not missing paintwork .

IMG_1645.jpeg (2.72 MiB) Viewed 7526 times

[SRGTD]

Dealership Experience
I bought my car from a small local Renault dealership that has won Renault UK Dealer of the Year award multiple times. Ironically it’s less than two miles away from the VW dealership I’ve used for 22 years. I popped in to the Renault dealership for the first time just under two weeks ago while my car was being serviced and MOT’d by VW and got a good feeling about the dealership and it’s staff the minute I walked through the door. The salesman I dealt with is time-served - 15 years at the same dealership; unusual for car salespeople, who seem to move on quite frequently to a different dealership and / or brand. He was very knowledgeable about the cars he’s selling; from what I saw, that seemed to be the norm with the other sales staff too. There was no evidence of high pressure sales tactics to get customers to buy the usual over-priced (IMHO) add-ons such as paint protection either. The salesman was also more than happy to let me have a 1.5 - 2.0 hour unaccompanied test drive. Any queries I had subsequent to the test drive were dealt with very promptly. Overall, I rate it as the best experience I’ve had when buying a new car.

I’ve also had contact with the lady on the ‘front’ desk as you enter the dealership, and the lady in sales admin, and they were both very pleasant and helpful.

[SRGTD]

Build Quality
The car I’ve bought was in stock at the dealer’s, so it’s been just two weeks from making initial contact with the dealer to taking delivery. Flame red was my second colour choice; if I’d placed a factory order, I’d have gone for Iron Blue. Initial impressions; I’m very impressed by my new car’s build quality - uniform shut lines and panel gaps, great paint finish and a very premium feeling interior for a B segment car (IMHO certainly better than my Polo GTI+) and sound when closing the doors / tailgate is very similar to the Polo. Great supportive seats that are super comfy too; a criticism I’ve always had with my Polo GTI+ is that I’ve never really been able to find that sweet spot in terms of seat comfort.

There’s less rear seat legroom in a Clio than in the Polo and no USB ports in the rear, but as I rarely carry rear seat passengers that’s not an issue for me, and the higher (than the Polo GTI+’s) spec more than make up for it for me.

Equipment Levels
Esprit Alpine is the top trim level on the Clio, so my car has a very comprehensive standard spec; includes such things as heated seats, heated steering wheel, blind spot warning, electric parking brake, reversing camera, parking sensors, LED headlamps and tail lights, keyless entry (which can be deactivated, and I have) and lots more besides. It also has physical heating / ventilation controls which is a bonus IMHO. There are physical switches for the most often used functions and for turning off Lane Assist (a feature which is disliked by many on VW forums), and it stays turned off rather than having to be turned off with each ignition cycle. The climate control is super efficient - something I could never say about the air con in my GTI+ which at best I’d describe as just about adequate. The only selectable options if placing a factory order are paint colour and a space saver spare.

Styling-wise, I like the ‘hidden’ rear door handles that gives the car a pseudo three door appearance, and the aggressive styling of the front end which the mk5 Clio received as part of its mid life facelift last year. The one negative for me is that the car has diamond cut alloys, which regular contributors on the forum may know I’m not a fan of. I have to admit though that I do like the style of the alloys.

I’ll post up some more pictures over the next few days.

[SRGTD]

Performance and Handling
Power output is 145 bhp from the two power sources combined (electric motors a 1.6 normally aspirated petrol engine). The car starts in EV mode by default so initial acceleration from rest is quite rapid - just like an EV. The ‘on-paper’ performance figures are modest; 0-62 in 9.3 seconds and top speed is a lowly 112 mph. A low top speed seems to be the norm for hybrids, although it’s not an important factor for me as a law abiding citizen who largely keeps to the speed limit . However, as I’ve said before on the forum, I found with the GTI+ I had very little - if any - opportunity to use it’s performance potential on the heavily congested roads I usually drive on, so something a little more modest makes more sense for me.

After a 1.5 - 2.0 hour unaccompanied test drive in the dealership’s demonstrator Clio hybrid just over a week ago on a selection of A and B roads and a dual carriageway in varying traffic conditions, I didn’t find it at all lacking as far as performance was concerned. When a bit more urgency is required, the electric motor provides that extra boost in power, so acts in a similar way to a turbocharger. I found on the test drive that the car was running in EV only mode significantly more of the time than I was expecting on all roads and in all traffic conditions, which is good for fuel economy and emissions. Renault claims that in urban driving it will run in pure EV mode for up to 80% of the time.

Handling wise, the current generation Clio has been compared to the final generation of the Ford Fiesta which was considered to be the handling benchmark for B segment cars, and the Clio is said to run a close second to the Fiesta. So what it lacks in outright speed, it should make up for with good / entertaining handling. Compared to the Polo GTI+, the Clio’s suspension set up is less firm / more compliant.

[SRGTD]

Collection Day
The car was the most well presented / best prepared of any new car I’ve ever bought, and I’ve found nothing that it needs to go back to the dealer for to be rectified. All five VW’s I’ve bought new over the years have had build quality issues on collection day ranging from scratches, a dent, paintwork imperfections, a scratched and dented sill scuff plate, a poorly fitted bumper, uneven panel gaps poor fitting fuel filler flap and even the wrong colour bumper inserts on my first Golf - so much for that so called legendary build quality from a German car manufacturer! . So it was great to collect a car that appears to be blemish-free - as a brand new car should be.

In Summary
All in all I’m very happy with my purchase. Was it a wise move to buy it? - I’ve absolutely no idea; only time will tell…………..I’ve no regrets though and initial impressions are extremely favourable.

[Mike222]

Very interesting! I have always found your comments on here to be intelligent and informative, it is a bold move that you have made and kudos for that , I like you, have owned VW, cars for years and although my current 2023 Polo GTI ( facelift) is very nice and I can’t really fault it ! There is always the nagging thought that other makes and models that I see are just as good if not better! ( especially for the ridiculous price of GTI now )
It used naively be of the opinion that VW was superior to everything else , those days are long gone and I hope that when it comes to change my car I will have the balls to look a little more objectively to what’s on offer.
Please stay around on here , I believed the stuff you say !!!

[SRGTD]

Very interesting! I have always found your comments on here to be intelligent and informative, it is a bold move that you have made and kudos for that , I like you, have owned VW, cars for years and although my current 2023 Polo GTI ( facelift) is very nice and I can’t really fault it ! There is always the nagging thought that other makes and models that I see are just as good if not better! ( especially for the ridiculous price of GTI now )
It used naively be of the opinion that VW was superior to everything else , those days are long gone and I hope that when it comes to change my car I will have the balls to look a little more objectively to what’s on offer.
Please stay around on here , I believed the stuff you say !!!

Thanks Mike for the kind words; I will be staying! This is a good forum, albeit a little less active these days than it used to be. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people on here, and I hope to be able to continue to contribute.

Was it a bold move? To some degree it probably was. However, I must say that I was a little disappointed with my GTI+ from a build quality perspective (see my other discussion thread where I’ve reviewed my GTI+; https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=79502), and didn’t want to buy another VW with below-par build quality. I also didn’t have the same affinity with my GTI+ that I did with my previous Polo GTI and the mk6 Golf GTD I owned before that, so I took that as a sign not to just blindly buy another VW without checking out what else was available.

Having had an opportunity to have a good look around my new car now I’ve got it home, I’d say its build quality is superior to my GTI+ and it’s significantly better equipped and much better value for money too. I agree 100% that the old perception of VW was one of superiority. That may have been the case to a degree 20 or so years ago but not now IMHO; when I bought my first VW back in 2002 - a mk4 Golf - it felt special compared to the likes of a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra. The latest facelift Golf I had as a courtesy car a couple of weeks ago was OK but certainly didn’t feel special IMHO; my brother has a current generation Vauxhall Astra and to me, that feels better built than the Golf did.

I did consider other alternatives to Renault - e.g. Toyota Yaris (expensive and relatively poorly equipped), Honda Jazz (I don’t like how it looks, and it’s also quite expensive), Stellantis offerings - Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa (horror stories with their ‘wet belt’ engines), MG3 hybrid (potential issues with spare parts availability) and the Polo GTI (as you’ve said, very expensive now). As an all rounder, the Clio ticked all the boxes for me, especially as I’d decided the GTI+’s replacement would be a hybrid. Additionally, being a full hybrid, no home charger is needed - the traction battery charges itself while the car’s being driven.

Additionally, I know styling is subjective but I do like the way the Clio looks. Renault also seem to have really upped their game in terms of interior quality - I’ll post up some more pictures of my car in the next few days, including some of the interior.

It’ll be interesting to see if my initial enthusiasm for the Clio continues……..time will tell.

[MikeDO]

Nice write up.

I had a previous gen RS Clio and quite liked it. Though the DSG in it wasn't one of the best around (I lost all even numbered gears at one point!!!), the box in my current Polo GTI is far superior.
Just a shame that they dropped the RS models from the Renault line up.

I suspect come next July, I to shall be looking to move away from VW. I like the Polo GTI but feel that the price is now getting ridiculous! And cars like the one that you have chosen are far better equipped.


Enjoy your new motor.

[SRGTD]

Nice write up.

I had a previous gen RS Clio and quite liked it. Though the DSG in it wasn't one of the best around (I lost all even numbered gears at one point!!!), the box in my current Polo GTI is far superior.
Just a shame that they dropped the RS models from the Renault line up.

Yes, Renault no longer have hot hatches in their model range as far as I’m aware. I believe they’ve said there’s no longer the demand for them. There will be a hot Alpine branded version of the forthcoming Renault 5 EV though which sounds interesting. I suspect it’ll be expensive though.

I suspect come next July, I to shall be looking to move away from VW. I like the Polo GTI but feel that the price is now getting ridiculous! And cars like the one that you have chosen are far better equipped.

Considering I paid just over £20k for my Polo GTI+ four years ago I agree, the Polo GTI is expensive now (base list price £30,195 before adding any extra cost options).

On the subject of equipment levels; as part of my research, I did a comparison of a Renault Clio Esprit Alpine full hybrid (147ps) with a VW Polo R Line DSG (115ps) in terms of equipment levels and what it would cost to buy the Polo with options added to bring it up to the Clio’s spec. Based on list prices, the Polo would cost around an extra £3.5k and has a power deficit of 32ps. Additionally, blind spot monitor, electric parking brake and heated steering wheel are standard on the Clio and not available on the Polo R Line. The Clio also gets three years roadside assistance cover compared to one year for the Polo. The Polo does have rear USB ports though whereas the Clio doesn’t.

Enjoy your new motor.

I certainly intend to .

[lancslad1985]

Enjoy your new motor, it’s a lovely colour. We pick up my wife’s golf on Friday and that will be a big test for me on if VW can win me back from Mazda - does it feel special. She’s excited and we loved the car when we looked at it but, bar the paintwork being soft as hell, the Mazda hasn’t put a foot wrong for me. Not sure I like the non turbo 2L engine as it can be quite laggy at low speeds.

The dealer is trying to tempt me back into the fold currently with a gti 25 or golf r line. Will have to see what happens over the next few months but currently I’ve flown the nest like yourself. Please let us know how you get on with the car longer term.

[SRGTD]

Thanks @lancslad1985. I do like the colour, even though red wasn’t my first colour choice (blue was). I think I now prefer red over blue though. Buying the red car that was in stock at the dealership also avoided a longer wait. Lead time on the Clio is 3-4 months which would have meant taking delivery in the middle of winter when there’s an increased chance of the roads being icy and covered in snow and road salt which IMHO isn’t ideal when picking up a new and unfamiliar car. Picking my car up on a warm, sunny September day was much better .

Paintwork hardness was one of the things I considered as part of my research. Renault paint is supposedly medium hardness, so compared to VW’s traditionally hard paint, it should be easier to machine polish if I decide to give it the full works - detailing-wise - at some point in time. Hopefully medium hardness paint won’t be too susceptible to swirling, although I do always use a ‘safe’ three bucket wash technique and use my Metro Vac Sidekick Blaster warm air dryer to minimise contact while drying my car. I’ll also be ceramic coating the alloys to give them some additional protection against the elements and hopefully help to keep the dreaded white worm corrosion at bay.

It’ll be interesting to hear if VW manage to tempt you back; please keep the forum updated.

I do plan to provide updates on life with the Clio; I promise they’ll be more concise than my rather lengthy introduction to Clio ownership!

[OomStu_ZA]

The only constant in life is change, and they say change is as good as a holiday. I wish you many happy, safe miles ahead SRGTG.

Personally I would not have chosen a Renault, actually I would never choose any French or Italian cars. But hey, thats why we have choice right .

Dont be a stranger here now, your comments and insights are always apprecaiated.

[SRGTD]

The only constant in life is change, and they say change is as good as a holiday. I wish you many happy, safe miles ahead SRGTG.

Personally I would not have chosen a Renault, actually I would never choose any French or Italian cars. But hey, thats why we have choice right .

Dont be a stranger here now, your comments and insights are always apprecaiated.

@OomStu; thanks for your good wishes; I won’t be a stranger to the forum - I’ll be staying around .

Agree; choice is a personal thing and if we all bought the same things and had the same likes and dislikes, life would be very boring . Historically, Renault didn’t have a good reputation reliability-wise (e.g. lots of issues from dodgy electrics in the early part of the last decade and before), but from my research before I decided to buy a Renault, that no longer seems to be the case and seemingly, Renault is a good as VW these days from a reliability perspective. Time will tell………… VW aren’t immune from having issues - anyone considering buying a new VW is faced with the prospect of troublesome software that has plagued VW’s for the past 3-4 years. From what I’ve read on various VAG forums, there are still issues and that would put me off getting another VW just now.

As said in my posts above, build quality of my Renault looks good and much better than the build quality of my GTI+ was. Fingers crossed it holds up in the longer term……

[SRGTD]

As promised, a few more pictures;

Front seats

IMG_1647.jpeg (95.87 KiB) Viewed 7196 times

Note door cards with cloth insert panel (VW used to fit cloth inserts on the previous generation Polo).

IMG_1654.jpeg (91.85 KiB) Viewed 7196 times

Centre console with conventional controls for HVAC, iPad style infotainment screen

IMG_1655.jpeg (90.75 KiB) Viewed 7196 times

Rear cabin space

IMG_1653.jpeg (83.04 KiB) Viewed 7196 times

Front cabin space

IMG_1651.jpeg (95.56 KiB) Viewed 7196 times

Alloy wheel

IMG_1648.jpeg (136.19 KiB) Viewed 7196 times