there’s heapsofself-assuredcontrolforthedrivertodrawupon.
Furthermore,theKia’srideremainsremarkablyabsorbent.
The Clio,meanwhile,is anabsolutesmoothie,fromthe
measuredactionandfulsomefeedbackofthehelmtothefluid
and unruffledwayit glidesthroughcorners,displayingtotalGallic
insouciance.Witha wide-trackstanceandsupplesuspension
smotheringtheroughstuffbelow,theLifeshinesasthetrio’s
most sophisticatedgroundcoverer.Andallwithoutsacrificingfun.
Renault’sbeenbuildingcarsfor 120 years,andit shows.
SomewhereinbetweenthePicantoandtheClioresidesthe
spirited,sassySwift.Despitehaving3.1turnslock-to-lock,its
steeringis deliciouslyquick,preciseandfullofwelcomefeedback,
involvingthekeendriverwhilenevertiringoutthosewhojust
want toflitaboutwithoutfussoreffort.
Perhapsinsympathywithitspeakypoweroutputs,really
floggingtheSwiftquicklythroughtight,fastturnsrevealsa
crackingchassistunethatbothrewardsandreassures.
Factorina soft,settledridethatdoesn’tcomeatthecostof
pitch orbodyroll,andit’sclearthattheGLNavigatorpossesses
an incrediblebreadthofdynamictalent.Andthisis themost
mundane,everydayversion.WelovedthebasemanualatCOTY
2018 andweadoreit evenmorenow.
Ultimately,theSuzukirepresentsthebestofbothworlds,being
eagerenoughtoinvolveandexcite,liketheKia,yetcomfyand
practicalenoughtotickalltheeveryday-practicalityboxesthat
shouldbesuperminifundamentals,a laRenault.
Thefactthatthere’snoAEBavailabilityforthemanualversion
is disappointing(it’sstandardonallautovariants)andtheboot
volumeisn’tgenerous,butotherwisetheSwiftfive-speederis an
overachieverthatpuncheswellaboveitsweight.It’sa closebut
convincingwinfortheSuzuki.
If raw,raspywarm-hatchthrillsareyourpriority,thenthe
PicantoobligeswithitsownJackRussellcharmtomakeitsown
water-tightcaseforthecrown.Quick,composedandconfident,
theGTreflectseverythingthat’srightaboutKia,inconcentrated
form.We’resogladit exists.
Finally,there’stheRenault.Oldit maybe,butthepolished
Cliowillseducewithitsclassythreads,suavemannersandserene
sophistication.Bristlingwithcoolnessandcharacter,it remainsa
compellingreasonwhycarmakersmustcontinuetonurtureand
evolvethesuperminispecies.
Thekindergartenclassof 2019 mightbecontracting,butthe
remaining,expansivetalentedtrioonofferhereclearlyaren’t
goingdownwithouta fight.Thekidsareallright.OLD IT MAY BE, BUT THE POLISHED CLIO WILL
SEDUCE WITH ITS CLASSY THREADS, SUAVE
MANNERS AND SERENE SOPHISTICATION
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