By Christopher Tan
Senior Correspondent

This is a girl's car.

I do not mean any disrespect by that because, honestly, some of the cars I love are girls' cars. Like the Peugeot 1007, which was unabashedly targeted at women, and the Citroen C1, which was a blast despite its girly 998cc 12-valve three-cylinder engine.

First, you will not find a more obviously feminine model name than Clio.

A less obvious hint lies with the vanity mirrors. In the Clio, the one on the driver's side is the one with a cover. In most other cars, the mistress of the house - the one in the front passenger seat giving all the instructions - gets the vanity mirror with cover.

The Clio has been given a minor makeover.

It is all dolled up now, with light cosmetic touches here and there to make the car so much more fashionable.

Instead of the droopy-nosed front, it gets a smarter and sleeker countenance: bigger eyes, a more prominent emblem and a two-layered radiator grilled underscored by a bold bumper stripe and a metallic finish skirt.

Rear lamp clusters feature clear reverse light sections and the rear bumper assembly is decidedly sportier.

Fog lamps at each lower end complete the picture.

And it is a very pretty picture. In fact, the Clio is so pretty now that I will never ever dream of crashing it into a concrete wall at high speed. I might as well confess here that the thought did occur to me when I saw the pre-facelift version, with its kooky and unglamorous front.

Yes, I was tempted to side-swipe a Hyundai cab with it, unprompted by former Renault F1 team principal Flavio Briatore. That was if I could catch up with one.

The Clio is not exactly the quickest hatch in town. Its engine remains unchanged, with a little more than a hundred horses at its command, and a rather old-fashioned four-speed autobox at its disposal. The car is nippy but not quick.

Strangely, the best way to drive the car is via its convenient and easy-to-use cruise control. The car seems most responsive this way. There are not many cars in this price segment that can be driven with just your thumb.

The Clio is otherwise modestly furnished, but very well finished. Soft plastics line the flowing feminine fascia and the cabin is surprisingly well insulated against outside noises.

Vibration level is a tad higher than expected, though. But the ride is quite beyond reproach and the handling decent.

The second row offers limited knee room but quite a lot of headroom. The boot is adequate.

All in all, a car that has more refinement than some of its peers. And that is something both the girls and the boys can appreciate.

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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