Renault Clio interior

Infotainment

There are three different infotainment systems on the Clio. It’s best to steer clear of the entry-level system which doesn’t even get a touchscreen and go for at least the mid-level 7-inch system. This is a touchscreen with DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s responsive and easy to follow.

Upgrading to Iconic trim brings a bigger 9-inch display that sits up on the dashboard like a free-standing iPad. The screen itself has a matt finish so it doesn’t suffer from a great deal of glare in bright sunlight, but the white-on-black menu icons are a little tricky to read with just a quick glance.

Unlike in some alternatives, you don’t get a set of physical shortcut buttons to help you switch from one feature to another, but there is a ‘home’ button below the screen to help you out if you get a bit lost in some of the Clio’s more in-depth menus.

You can get the Renault Clio with built-in sat-nav that’s pretty easy to program and delivers relatively clear directions on brightly coloured maps. It’s a little trickier to add a waypoint or alter your route than in the likes of the VW Polo however, and it doesn’t respond as quickly to your inputs if you swipe or pinch to preview your route.

If you’d rather not use Renault’s own system, you can mirror your smartphone’s navigation apps on the Clio’s touchscreen instead. Unfortunately, neither Android Auto nor Apple CarPlay makes full use of the Clio’s portrait infotainment screen thanks to their landscape menus.

They do at least let you play music from streaming apps such as Spotify through the stereo – just don’t go expecting concert-quality sound from the Clio’s fairly mediocre speakers. The upgraded Bose system is much better, thanks – in part – to a subwoofer hidden to one side of the boot that helps deliver punchier bass notes.

The Renault Clio comes with a 7-inch screen in place of conventional analogue dials as standard in front of the steering wheel. This sits between the fuel and temperature gauges and can be customised using buttons on the steering wheel to show either a large digital speed readout or a central rev counter.

Unfortunately, this screen can’t display sat-nav maps, like in the VW Polo, unless you pick a high-spec model with the larger 10-inch display. Even then, it doesn’t look quite as flashy as the Polo’s high-resolution display.