Renault's Clio faces up

THIS is the bold new face of the Renault Clio, which we should see in Australia in September.

While the "hot hatch" Renault Clio Sport goes on sale in May as part of Renault's re-launch range here, the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre five-door versions will not be seen until the facelift flows through into right-hand drive production.

The new Clio look borrows heavily from the Vel Satis luxury car for its front-end, which is dominated by large headlights, a gaping grille and silver Renault diamond logo. The diamond also sits prominently on the tailgate.

Inside, there's a new dashboard with the speedometer and rev counter housed in a double binnacle, a revised steering wheel and air vents, while switchgear has been borrowed from the Laguna prestige car, which goes on sale here in October.

The 1.4 and 1.6-litre Clios will be sold in Expression and Privilege specification, with the manual Expression 1.4-litre priced just under $20,000.

Only the 1.4-litre Clio will be available with the option of an automatic gearbox.

The 1.6 will get that option as a running upgrade later. Baseline equipment levels will include four airbags, ABS, remote central locking, air-conditioning and power front windows.