Justin's Lotus Elise Justin's Clio Sport Clio 172 Pictures Pictures of My 172 Clio 172 Specs Clio 172 Exclusive Clio 172 New Look Clio 172 Links Track and Airfield Days Great Driving Roads Evo Meets	POINT and SQUIRT - High Performance Small Cars Phase 3 / New Look In April 2001, production of the Clio range was halted, and rumours of a new look Clio 3 started to circulate. First came blurry 'spy cam' shots and soon enough, some details of the new car. The continuation of the 2 litre Clio 172 has been confirmed, and the first official pictures have been released. (See gallery image 3) The new car maintains the old bulbous body silhouette, with several style tweaks. Most immediately noticable are the Ford copy triangular headlamps, as part of a new front face. A 'new style' presentation of the Renault logo sits in the middle of a horrid plastic grille. My personal impression is of no overall improvement. The cheapness of the black plastic inserts balance the improved impact of the front air dam and the nighttime sparkle of the new Xenon lights. From the rear, the car is largely unchanged, with a new brakelight assembly and modified bumper. Once again the logo is given a higher profile placement, and some nasty black plastic has been introduced. But wait, look at those wheels! They're hideous! They form the most visible area of cost cutting on the new car. The inside of the car has been fiddled with as well. The aluminium effect finish has been moved around, and gone are the white dials. The steering wheel looks different too, but not necessarily better. Changes to the engine and handling seem to be minimal (it was already a fabulous set-up), although a very slight reduction in time to 60 is suggested. This comes from a remapping of the engine and better pull at low revs. Several new features are available, or will become availble as options. ESP for computer controlled stability (boring!!!), satellite navigation and a sun roof. The standard gadgetry now includes such safety conscious features as rain sensing wipers and lights that turn themselves on as it gets dark.