Having driven this, the new third-generation Renault Clio, I understand better than ever the point of va va voom. It is not, as Renault’s advertising agency would like you to believe, to draw your attention to the fact that the Clio is the sporting god of its class.

On the contrary, it is to deflect your attention from the fact that it is not. Take it from me, and with apologies to John Cleese, this car wouldn’t voom if you put 4m volts through it.

I’ll get the unpleasantness out of the way first, so we can concentrate on this now not so little car’s many merits. People expecting the new Clio to be involving, indulging and infectiously enthusiastic in the great tradition of small French hatchbacks are going to feel rather let down.

It’s not fast — most models are slower than those they replace — and a day bombing around the Sardinian coastline failed to persuade me that it was fun. Competent? For sure. Safe? Of course. But exciting? Only if your bored co-driver pulls on the handbrake when you’re not expecting it.

Should this count against such a car? Probably, if only because it will be bought by the young who will appreciate a car with a spring in its step. Then again, 20 years ago I had a Peugeot 205 that was so much fun it nearly killed me.

Which is absolutely the last thing this Clio will do. Not only is it so stable you’d need an earthquake to unsettle it but even if you do somehow contrive to hit something big and hard, there are six airbags and a five-star Euro NCAP rating to look after you.

Sales of the three-door model will start in October (five doors come in the new year). There is a 1.5 litre diesel engine available with 68bhp, 86bhp and 106bhp, and three petrol units, a 75bhp 1.2 litre, a 98bhp 1.4 litre and a 111bhp 1.6 litre.

Prices begin at £8,895 for the most humbly equipped 1.2, rising to £12,650 for the high-power diesel in range-topping Dynamique S specification. Where new and old models are directly comparable, Renault says the average price increase is a reasonable £200.

Of them, the diesels are by far the best. This new Clio weighs a colossal 130kg more than its predecessor, thanks in part to its greater overall dimensions but mainly to the extra safety gear it carries, and all the petrol engines need to be worked harder than they care to go to deliver decent performance. The short overall gearing required to make the most of their modest power-to-weight ratios also means there’s a little too much engine noise at a constant cruise.

No such worries arise with the diesels, at least the 86bhp and 106bhp versions I sampled. It says much for the current state of the diesel car art that these diesel Clios are now more refined than their petrol-powered brethren.

Because they do their best work at about 2000rpm, a speed at which the petrol engines are barely functioning, you never need to thrash them to get where you want to go.

However, the vast majority of sales will continue to go to the petrol-powered cars, only because modern diesel technology is so expensive. Putting a diesel engine in a Clio adds about £1,000 to its cost, and even at more than 60mpg that’s a lot of driving for it to pay for itself.

But while such issues may compromise certain versions of the Clio on the road, in the showroom it’s likely to prove a hit, whatever’s under the bonnet.

Its styling clearly reflects Renault’s excellent modern design direction, but it’s subtler than the Mégane and cuter for it. The interior is astonishingly roomy for a car in this class, thanks in no small part to the longest wheelbase in the sector, while the boot’s impressively big, too. Folding the rear seats is the matter of a moment but they don’t stow completely flat and any large items you want to store will have to negotiate a large ridge where the rear seats were. The driving environment is good, too, with the controls neatly presented and attractively arranged.

The Clio is in a class that’s developing fast. Today it may be the latest thing but it will be joined this autumn by an all-new Fiat Punto and Toyota Yaris. Right now it’s good enough to qualify as Europe’s best answer to the Japanese talent that leads the class: the Honda Jazz, sorely underrated Mitsubishi Colt and Nissan Micra, whose platform the Clio shares.

But Renault will care little about this for, in sales terms, the threat from competing Japanese constructors is still not great. As ever, it will be interested mainly in overtaking Peugeot in the sales charts, something the old Clio has failed to do with any consistency in Europe and at home for many years, despite its fundamental superiority to the Peugeot 206. Next spring will see the launch of the all-new Peugeot 207 and its designers will be aware that while Renault has set the bar high, it is by no means out of sight.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Renault Clio 1.4 16v Expression
Engine type 1390cc, four cylinders in line
Power/Torque 98bhp @ 6000rpm / 94 lb ft @ 3750rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 42.2mpg (combined cycle) / 160 g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 10.5sec / Top speed: 115mph
Price £9,395
Verdict Sets a new standard among French hatchbacks
Rating 4/5

THE OPPOSITION

Model Ford Fiesta 1.4 16v £9,195
For Good ride and handling. Spirited engine
Against Yawn-inducing looks, interior quality not the best

Model Peugeot 206 1.4S £9,640
For Good looks, excellent image, well equipped
Against Age, driving position. Less fun than you’d expect