And that was after he and staff photographer Andy Morgan 'won' our long-termer some months back on a rather drunken night on the press launch in France. The challenge, set by Renault UK's PR team, was to answer questions on the press-pack provided earlier in the day. Somehow the rather fuddled dynamic duo managed to answer 16 out of 20 questions correctly and a Clio 172 was ours! Well, to be precise, a Clio 172 was mine.

Our new Clio has followed the growing trend for silver in the Evo Towers car park. Soon the only flash of solid colour will be the Ducati, as even the luminescent Leon will shortly leave us. Luckily, the Clio's bluey-silver hue differentiates it from the more traditional metallic silver of Lupo, Jag, M Coupe, Vectra...

There was a feeling in the office that the latest 172 might have lost its appeal by becoming a bit too refined for its own good. Our first drive also revealed a worrying tendency to wash into understeer much earlier than the original hooligan version. So far our experience of rhd Clios has been a bit more promising. Although 'my' Clio still seems to lack the poke of our previous fast-fleeter, the front-end is pretty tenacious, ensuring that the 172 can be hurled into corners carrying alarming speed.

The Clio only arrived a few days before we went to press so I have yet to go on any meaningful journeys but it's been a hoot on the way to work. Refined on the dual-carriageway and great fun on the short stretch of B-road approaching the office. I'm relishing a few longer journeys in the very near future. In the meantime I'll amuse myself by watching Chee desperately trying to keep up on the daily commute in his little Lupo GTI.