One thing the Clio 3 has undoubtedly gained over its forebear is size, signalling a fundamental change of direction for the brand, for which small is clearly no longer beautiful.
Indeed, the dimensions are now much closer to those of the Mégane than any former Clio. Length is up 77mm, making it just 23mm shorter than the Mégane; the wheelbase is the longest in the class (2575mm) and, with a height of 1493mm, the Clio actually stands 35mm taller even than the Mégane.
In the class it is longer, wider and taller than the Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia and Peugeot 206.
This is not all good news. While the turning circle has been kept at a respectable 10.3 metres, the extra space it takes in the street still makes it more difficult to park than its predecessor.
The extra 68mm of width it boasts over the old Clio might be great for elbow room, but it’s less adept at threading through urban traffic.
But there’s no denying the space created in the front, back or boot. Four six-foot adults can sit comfortably on board and access to the rear in this three-door model is excellent, with a simple handle on top of the front seatback pulling the chair forward and then returning it to its original position.
The boot is also big, although the boot lid is a little heavy and buyers need to be aware that the Extreme model does not come with a split rear seat.
Lowering the rear seat is less satisfactory: for maximum room you need to pull the seat squab forward and tilt it vertically before the seat back will collapse into the space it’s just vacated. This still leaves you with two distinct floors in the boot, rather than the completely flat load area that would be ideal.