2023 will ring the hour of restyling, both for the Renault Clio and for the Peugeot 208, a few months apart. We take stock of the developments that they should take advantage of to maintain their commercial performance.
It’s been almost 25 years since the most prominent city cars on the French market have made their mark on their pants. “Renew yourself, let me do the same” the Clio and 208 seem to answer each other, in turn, at a steady pace. A story that will repeat itself in 2023, when their current generations will soon mark four years of career. Both will go blow for blow, both in terms of design and engines, or even multimedia, hoping to reach the top step of the sales podium, all categories combined.
Design
It is first of all outside that the worst enemies will stand out. But the pressure will be mainly on the shoulders of the Clio whose design, often considered too close to the previous opus, was often decried. Is not the Volkswagen Golf that wants. And to disconcert a little bit the clientele won over to the cause of the Frenchwoman who had become accustomed to the complete renewal of her style, from one generation to the next, since 1990. Compared to the current one, the 2023 vintage will widen its grille, finally flanked by the new Diamond, in the spirit of its big brother Austral, while its optics will turn their backs on the C-shaped light signatures, as advocated by the Scenic concept car last year, under the impulse of Gilles Vidal, the designer defecting from Peugeot a few years ago. The modifications will be more discreet at the level of the stern, the new Clio probably contenting itself with revisiting the frame of its daytime running lights.
For its part, the Peugeot 208 will play it more relaxed. Sure of her stylistic achievements, she will add a layer of them by asserting her Lioness character a little more by tripling her luminous claws around an enlarged grille which will also house the brand’s new emblem. Which will also be found on the front fenders of the most opulent variants, as well as on the tailgate. A rear part which will modernize its light signatures, in the spirit of recent Sochaux achievements.
Engines
While we imagined, when it came out, the hybrid Clio winning hands down the match of electrified city cars against a more expensive and less versatile 208 100% electric, it must be recognized that the Lioness has won the bet of radicalism, supporting sales figures. And the Renault has something to worry about insofar as the Peugeot will drive the point home by adding micro-hybridization (48V) to some of its thermal blocks in its range. We are thinking in particular of the new 3-cylinder 136 hp which will position itself judiciously against the 140 hp of the Clio, while promising a lower price since the 208 will only increase the capacity of its battery to 15 kW against 35 kW for its rival. And that’s not all since the e-208, the fully electric version, will move up a gear via a new block giving it 20 hp of power to peak at 156 hp, as well as a more efficient battery which promises to exceed 400 km of autonomy.
Interior
On board, our frenchies will probably not want to start from scratch, partly for economic reasons, but above all because they were able to equip themselves from the outset with dashboards elevated to the rank of reference in the category, from their launch. Both from a stylistic and ergonomic point of view, without forgetting the quality of manufacture, Clio like 208 will renew their fundamentals during their facelifts. The most notable developments will be observed in the multimedia register, via the update of their infotainment software. On this subject, the Clio should keep the advantage.
Release date and price
If the revelation of the restyled Peugeot 208 is expected before the summer, the new Renault Clio will wait until the start of the school year to lift the veil on its new finery. In terms of prices, the Franche-Comté, currently available from €18,630, should easily exceed the €19,000 mark to justify its metamorphosis. As usual, the Clio will remain slightly more accessible. She who is currently claiming €17,800 at the entry level will see this entry ticket probably approaching €18,500 in the coming months.
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Used Renault Clio 5 hybrid: our opinion, from 14,000 euros
Used Peugeot 208 II: our opinion, from 13,000 euros
2023 hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars: models, prices, range
2023 will ring the hour of restyling, both for the Renault Clio and for the Peugeot 208, a few months apart. We take stock of the developments that they should take advantage of to maintain their commercial performance.
It’s been almost 25 years since the most prominent city cars on the French market have made their mark on their pants. “Renew yourself, let me do the same” the Clio and 208 seem to answer each other, in turn, at a steady pace. A story that will repeat itself in 2023, when their current generations will soon mark four years of career. Both will go blow for blow, both in terms of design and engines, or even multimedia, hoping to reach the top step of the sales podium, all categories combined.
Design
It is first of all outside that the worst enemies will stand out. But the pressure will be mainly on the shoulders of the Clio whose design, often considered too close to the previous opus, was often decried. Is not the Volkswagen Golf that wants. And to disconcert a little bit the clientele won over to the cause of the Frenchwoman who had become accustomed to the complete renewal of her style, from one generation to the next, since 1990. Compared to the current one, the 2023 vintage will widen its grille, finally flanked by the new Diamond, in the spirit of its big brother Austral, while its optics will turn their backs on the C-shaped light signatures, as advocated by the Scenic concept car last year, under the impulse of Gilles Vidal, the designer defecting from Peugeot a few years ago. The modifications will be more discreet at the level of the stern, the new Clio probably contenting itself with revisiting the frame of its daytime running lights.
For its part, the Peugeot 208 will play it more relaxed. Sure of her stylistic achievements, she will add a layer of them by asserting her Lioness character a little more by tripling her luminous claws around an enlarged grille which will also house the brand’s new emblem. Which will also be found on the front fenders of the most opulent variants, as well as on the tailgate. A rear part which will modernize its light signatures, in the spirit of recent Sochaux achievements.
Engines
While we imagined, when it came out, the hybrid Clio winning hands down the match of electrified city cars against a more expensive and less versatile 208 100% electric, it must be recognized that the Lioness has won the bet of radicalism, supporting sales figures. And the Renault has something to worry about insofar as the Peugeot will drive the point home by adding micro-hybridization (48V) to some of its thermal blocks in its range. We are thinking in particular of the new 3-cylinder 136 hp which will position itself judiciously against the 140 hp of the Clio, while promising a lower price since the 208 will only increase the capacity of its battery to 15 kW against 35 kW for its rival. And that’s not all since the e-208, the fully electric version, will move up a gear via a new block giving it 20 hp of power to peak at 156 hp, as well as a more efficient battery which promises to exceed 400 km of autonomy.
Interior
On board, our frenchies will probably not want to start from scratch, partly for economic reasons, but above all because they were able to equip themselves from the outset with dashboards elevated to the rank of reference in the category, from their launch. Both from a stylistic and ergonomic point of view, without forgetting the quality of manufacture, Clio like 208 will renew their fundamentals during their facelifts. The most notable developments will be observed in the multimedia register, via the update of their infotainment software. On this subject, the Clio should keep the advantage.
Release date and price
If the revelation of the restyled Peugeot 208 is expected before the summer, the new Renault Clio will wait until the start of the school year to lift the veil on its new finery. In terms of prices, the Franche-Comté, currently available from €18,630, should easily exceed the €19,000 mark to justify its metamorphosis. As usual, the Clio will remain slightly more accessible. She who is currently claiming €17,800 at the entry level will see this entry ticket probably approaching €18,500 in the coming months.
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Used Renault Clio 5 hybrid: our opinion, from 14,000 euros
Used Peugeot 208 II: our opinion, from 13,000 euros
2023 hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars: models, prices, range
