If you've lost your vavavoom then you're as good as finished – you're
Austin Powers, minus his mojo.

Of course it was Renault and former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry who coined the phrase and it is here where I am going to draw comparisons.

You see, Mr Henry was not so long ago touted as the best footballer on the planet.

Similarly, if your hot hatch of choice was a Renault you were firstly a hot-hatch connoisseur and secondly your car was up there with the best.

In this latest version of the Clio it all looks very promising. Menacing styling, hunkered down stance and 197bhp – from a naturally aspirated 2-litre engine – as Paul Daniels would say, that's magic!

Problem is, the Clio, made famous by the sexy and sophistocated Nicole, has grown up. She's going it alone and in order make a go of it, she's
had to replace the mini skirt with a trouser suit.

Remember, this is a car whose predecessors include the Clio Williams, 172 and 182. That's the equivalent of Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson.

But it seems Papa has put his foot down and stopped her playing with this group of friends.

Instead she's more likely to make the acquaintance of Sienna Miller. Still quite racy but with a touch of class.

Where at one time the Clio would have strutted around with a roof spoiler like a proud Peacock, it now sports a discreet diffuser on the underside of the rear bumper.

This is developed by the same people that propelled Fernando Alonso to the Formula 1 World Championship title and rather than it being just for show, it actually works by sucking the rear end to the floor like a
Scalextric car's magnet.

The raw edges of previous hot Clios have been smoothed away. The 197's 0–62mph time stands at 6.9 seconds. That's slower than the 172 was when it rolled off the production line six years ago.

That's because this Clio is heavier. It has more airbags than seats for a start. Then there's all the electronic developments to be squeezed in.

The net result is that Renault have geared down the Clio's sixspeed
gearbox. This means you have to stir the thing more than a lumpy white sauce while pushing the engine into the 'change-up' light in order to get the best out of it.

Unfortunately, if you do this the exhaust emits a resonant yowl which
is not dissimilar to Rolf Harris humming down a didgeridoo. In fact, its more annoying than even that on a long haul.

However, take the little Clio on a twisty stretch and suddenly it
all comes together. Even the noise makes sense in tandem with the
gravity defying road holding.

The ESP traction control system deftly cuts in when you eventually over
cook it – and you will.

Fuel consumption isn't bad at just over 31mpg combined. Prices start at around £16,000 which is a small price to pay for F1 technology and an even smaller price to pay to get back your mojo!