Renault Clio 182
Renault is going places in 2004. It makes cars that are intriguingly styled and, in the main, pretty good to look at. Those cars are technically advanced and environmentally aware. Most importantly, from Renaults point of view, the cars sell well. For a perfect example of what Renault is doing well, look at this car, the Clio 182. This is not your typical boyracer hot hatch: there is a refreshing lack of add-on spoilers and stripes. Nor do the wheels and tyres bulge out from under the wheel arches. In the street you could easily mistake it for just another Renault Clio. But beneath the reasonably restrained exterior lie the innards of a car that is an absolute riot to drive, a car that - across country - will leave many more expensive and exotic machines in its wake. Some critics have even gone so far as to anoint the Clio 182 as the spiritual successor to the legendary Peugeot 205 Gti. They are wrong: the Clio 182 is far better all round than the 205 ever was.
List price £14,700