Renault Modus Hatchback 2004 - Present

The Renault’s Modus is a Clio for families.  It is built on the underpinnings of the Clio but offering the practicality of a bigger body.  The Modus is aimed at customers who want more practical small cars, like the Honda Jazz or Ford Fusion. It combines elements and abilities that you wouldn't necessarily expect to find on a small car.  There are clever and practical solutions to carrying large and bulky items in a small package, although Dr Who would have trouble getting all that Renault has tried from such a small space.

The Modus looks like a Clio that has been filling it’s face and piled on the weight.  It can seat four people in comfort but as it’s fitted with a sliding rear bench to prioritise luggage space or passenger space, you can’t do it if you’re going away with luggage.  The sliding rear seats do offer good levels of comfort and are extremely versatile.  The Modus has an airy interior and is nicely finished with reasonable quality materials used throughout the cabin.  The suspension is set up to cope with most moderate bumps and poor road surfaces without punishing the occupants of the car too badly and for the most part the ride is comfortable.  This is partly aided by the lack of pace available from the engines. 

While the Modus is roomy enough for four adults and a little luggage, it also offers some cunning convenience features to ensure it can continue to surprise with it’s load abilities The Modus can be specified with an integrated bicycle rack which can carry two adult bikes if desired. The front passenger seat on some models also has a stowage facility: part of the cushion folds to form a hollow to hold objects safely while driving and the backrest can also be folded forwards to allow long items to be carried.  Useful carrying spaces in a small car.

On the road the Modus benefits from the Clio’s excellent road manners with assured, predictable handling, good steering and virtually no body roll.  The steering offers a good level of feedback to the driver and tends to engage from the start of any drive.  There is a touch of understeer if you attack a corner too quickly but this tends to slow the car down more than cause any great fuss.

As it’s larger and heavier than a traditional supermini, the engines have trouble in really offering decent performance, with nothing in the list breaking the 10 second barrier for 0 – 60 mph.  There’s little more to shout about on the top speed stakes which range between 97 and 117 mph.  The economy figures on the other hand ranging between 37 and 62 mpg, with a lot of models in or around the sixties.  Often you have to really pay through the nose, in terms of fuel figures, to get any performance, so it makes sense that if you’re not getting too much back performance wise the fuel should be good and that really is the case.

The Renault Modus is an eminently practical car.  Is builds on the good points of the Clio, although it’s still compromised on space.  What it could do with are less underperforming engines and some more potent units.  It would make the car a more complete choice, but for those not interested in speed it’s an appealing choice.

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