Renault Clio Estate - Yes, It's a Wagon !

Yes, what you are looking at is the Renault Clio Estate, a wagon variant of the Clio supermini. Whoever designed the Clio Estate did his job well, so well that it doesn't look like an elongated version of the Clio hatchback at all!

 While the front end is obviously carried over from the Clio hatchback, which I think it's a bit 'swallowen', the rear however is an entire different story. The wavy window line sweeps smoothly towards the rear, engulfing the D-pillar by blackening it. The rear door handles are hidden in the blackened C-pillar to give a cleaner side profile, also an impression of a 2-door car. The loading sill is also made much lower compared to its predecessor and also its hatchback sibling, but the designer designed the bumper so creatively that the Clio Estate's low sill is made almost impossible to be noted.

With the extra 201mm of rear overhang, the cargo space of the Clio Estate is measured at 443 litres, 130 litres more than what Clio hatchback has. Accompanying the extra cargo space is the flat cargo floor which extend the entire length until the front passenger area, where the seat can be folded flat too.

Frankly I'm sure that many wouldn't mind if Renault decides to import the Clio Estate instead of the Clio hatchback into Malaysia, where wagons doesn't perform as well as hatchbacks. The Clio Estate is indeed a pretty fine piece of art...

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Renault Grand Scenic facelifted!

The French company Renault has given a facelift to its model, Scenic which was in the market for 2 years from now. The mid-life facelift gave a fresher look to the Scenic (and Grand Scenic) so that its design can last for another 2 or 3 years until its replacement comes.



The Scenic comes in 2 forms - Scenic, the 5 seaters (left) and Grand Scenic, the 7 seaters (right). While their rear design doesn't change much from the facelift exercise other than a pair of new taillight, the front however, got new headlight and bumper design. I personally like the new front bumper, I think it looks futuristic and sporty with the LED daytime running lights and smoked headlights. Not to mention the way the chrome surround the LED daytime running light and fog lights in the Scenic!



This pretty looking car is unfortunately not available in Malaysia yet, even for the pre-facelift version. Some of the improvements are the new Visio System which consists of lane departure warning and automatic headlight low/high beam, plus Hill Start Assist which help you to begin your journey from a slope easier.



The Scenic will be getting 2 new engines, first is the improved 1.5 dCi 110 Stop & Start, which has low CO2 emissions of 105 grams per kilometre and a 12% saving in fuel consumption compared to its old engine. Higher torque is available, 260Nm at 1,750rpm; a gain of 20Nm compared with the existing 1.5 dCi 110.

Well, the outgoing generation of Renault Scenic (and Grand Scenic) didn't sell well in Malaysia. Therefore the chances of getting this new one here is slim. The Scenic is a safe, nice looking mini MPV will can give cars like Nissan Livina a run for its money if it's priced right here!

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