Renault Clio RenaultSport 200 Turbo EDC Lux review
We love the turbocharged engine and EDC transmission, but it would benefit from even stiffer suspension and firmer seats
You can play music from Bluetooth-enabled devices such as smartphones or via USB, with the car’s USB port located in the centre console, just in front of the gear lever. We had no problems using either method, but it’s obviously worth using the USB port on longer drives as it also keeps your device charged.
As you’d expect on a system such as this, you can connect your phone via Bluetooth and make and take calls hands-free. The sound quality is reasonable, and the callers had no problem hearing us, but we’ve heard and used clearer systems. Unfortunately, there are no phone controls on the steering wheel itself. Instead, there’s just one control on a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column. You can’t see the stalk, so you have to know which button you must press to answer or terminate a call. We’re sure owners will eventually get used to pressing the correct button, but we’d much rather have telephony buttons on the wheel within a thumb’s distance.
Volume controls are also located on the stalk. These are a little easier to access than the telephony button, but we’d still much rather have them on the steering wheel. Indeed, we preferred to use the volume dial on the R-Link system itself than the controls on the stalk.
Those controls that are on the steering wheel relate to the car’s cruise control system, which may be of benefit to some drivers, but we’re sure most would prefer to control audio and telephony instead.
The steering wheel also has a button that lets you control the R-Link system with your voice, but our attempts to use it proved fruitless whether commands were issued in a Lancastrian accent or RP.
This is one of the best, if not the best, satnav and multimedia systems available, so it’s a shame that the car’s multifunction steering wheel lets it down.