Out of the Compact, into a Clio | PH Fleet

The PH Fleet has been without something fast and French for ages - time for Matt's first Renault to sort that

You might remember that this definitely wasn’t the plan at all. Money had been spent jazzing up the Japanrot Compact explicitly to stave off any temptation to replace it. For a while, it worked, too, the Alcantara wheel and gold rims a real treat on every trip.

But plans change, and sometimes much sooner than expected. We found ourselves in a situation where a little bit of cash - little being the operative word - would be useful. A friend had always wanted first refusal on the BMW and, true to his promise, handed me £3,250 less than two days after I said I was thinking of selling. It was a great two years with the E46, and it’s gone to an even better home. I don’t miss it too much - yet.

Then there was the fun bit: working out the replacement. Using a bit of Compact cash for the pot, I would top the rest up with a loan, hoping to spend around £10k. Four or five doors were essential, with two child seats now in the equation; an auto was a must also, to make my wife a little comfier behind the wheel (to be fair, an old BMW manual would put a lot of people off).

Beyond that, the requirements were fairly minimal: something a bit newer and still fun, basically. Working out what wouldn’t fit was a lot easier than figuring out what would; another BMW would be boring, as would a VW DSG - if a manual was going, I at least wanted a lever and paddles that were fun to use. Four-wheel drive was out of the question, too, a feature I don’t need and which just seemed like something else to go wrong.

Temptation lingered for a while on a big V8 saloon, but I’m just not brave enough for the moment. There’s enough stress with a newborn and a pre-schooler to be thinking about 20mpg and cylinder liners. Soon after was when Renaultsport came to mind, having enjoyed some time with a Megane LTer pre-pandemic. Sadly, those 280/300 era cars remain a bit out of budget, but the Clio - also the last of its kind - was definitely in reach.

I’d always liked the 220 Trophy in period; it couldn’t match the Fiesta ST for sheer hooligan charm, but there was some real quality to the chassis and the gearbox changes usefully improved the experience over the standard 200 EDC. That made it more expensive, however, and ultimately quite rare: HowManyLeft puts the peak of Trophys at 770 in the UK. Even before the introduction of the Mk8 Fiesta, the same source shows 12,000 Fiesta ST-3s registered.

So finding one wasn’t simple, made harder by selling the BMW so swiftly (thus making viewings harder). Plus, as anyone with young kids will tell you, there’s never enough time for car shopping. So when this one popped up not too far away, with the wheels I wanted, a good colour, the optional seats and some useful bits recently replaced, it was the right Clio Trophy for me.

While there are a few bits and bobs to sort - a coolant leak being the main thing - I’m really chuffed so far. I think this era of Clio still looks great, a big buggy fits in the boot, and our four-year-old likes the upshift burps as much as me. My wife has already driven it more than in two years of having the old car, so that’s something. Whether it’s really as good as I remember can come next time - but the early signs are encouraging…

FACT SHEET

Car: 2016 Clio 220 Trophy
Run by: Matt Bird
On fleet since: July 2026
Bought for: £9,000
Mileage: 85,112
Last month at a glance: New car!

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tramart50

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69 months