Renault has been making Initiale-badged cars for a while now, and it’s always stood for extra kit and usually an interior finished in expensive looking beige trim. Now, Renault is no longer calling its upper spec posh variants Initiale, but Initiale Paris – the first car to bear this new badge of luxury is the current-gen Clio.
In changing the name, they are trying to attract some attention towards these highly specified models which are now closer in philosophy to Ford’s upcoming Vignale.
The Clio Initiale Paris, which just debuted in its native France, kicks off at a steep €21,500, but in spite of this you can still get it with the fairly modest 0.9-liter TCe engine – you have to pay extra for the TCe 120 which can only be had with Renault’s EDC dual clutch transmission (for €23,600).
If diesel is your thing, then the uber-reliable 1.5-liter DCi 90 is your only choice – it too can be specced with the EDC box, and it’s the most expensive variant available, at €25,200.
Inside, Renault has adopted what Blogautomobile calls a “bi-ton degrade” look, which basically means the upper part of the interior (headrests, top part of the seats and headliner) are finished in light beige, and as you move further down everything goes grey, then fades to black.
Other visual touches include the unique-design 17-inch rims and a choice of suitably posh exterior color options.
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