I think the points Chris Harris raised about Renault knowing it's target audience, i.e the RS button, the paddle shift, and the 4-doors, are extremely relevant. I love the thought of a very minimalist, stripped out Clio with a manual 'box and doors you can barely fit through, but I'm unlikely to ever buy a Renault period, so I totally accept that any opinion I have on it is meaningless.
It's still ugly though.