I’ve often made a point of how much I don’t see how car design as a whole has moved forward since, say, 1988. Sure, what’s produced today is much safer to crash into Euro N-cap rating cutouts and is much friendlier to Spiderman should he web sling in front of your Hyundai. There’s a lot more safety gear built in to protect you more should the worst happen. However, this has almost been undone by people who drive like complete idiots because they think they’re invincible and multimedia systems that may inadvertently play Coldplay. I’m really not a fan of the gadgets that weigh cars down. Do we really need all that crap, I don’t recall being asked? All that weight being pulled around by “super efficient” engines that in the real world don’t provide any more efficiency than a family hatchback from 1990, and more than likely won’t last half as long.

Which neatly brings me on to this 1990 Renault 19, one of the three best mid sized hatchbacks of the late 1980s. I was offered the opportunity to drive a 1.4 TSE belonging to a good friend, so naturally I had to take up the offer. Only problem being the 380 odd miles between us, so a meet up that coincided with a visit with family my wife has in the North East was scheduled.

The first thing the struck me was how small it is compared with the new bloated tat that was parked all around it, yet how crisp and clean the design still is, considering this design is thirty years old. Once you step inside it’s a roomy old bus with very typically French seats. There’s a decent driving position, with pedals and a steering wheel that feel like they were fitted where they should be unlike *some other French Motor Manufacturers*.

One thing this does have that is also better than cars from *some other French Motor Manufacturers* is a bloody nice gear change and clutch action. Brakes have a nice progressive feel, too. Steering is unassisted but to be fair you don’t notice on the move and it’s weighted nicely. Parking speeds aren’t too much of a worry either.

The quality of the interior feels reasonable for the time and also looks a little more sober than some of Renault’s other 1980s offerings. It’s certainly no worse than a Golf or Astra of the time for fit and finish, better than the Tipo and leagues ahead of the Escort (both Mk4 and Mk5), though perhaps not quite up to Rover R8 200. It’s all very logically laid out and everything falls to hand easily. It’s a bit clip on headroom for me, as is the Rover R8, and doesn’t give the impression of space quite as well as a Tipo. As mentioned previously, the seats are typically French and very comfortable. Coupled with a typically French ride quality, this is a comfortable car to drive. It also doesn’t roll as much as I’d expected, but it managed the terrible roads in Billngham with consummate ease. All the bumps were soaked up in a way that is utterly alien if you’ve driven a modern Renault with 300 inch RIMZ and handling by Nurburgring.

Up front is the trusty single overhead cam engine 1390cc Renault E (Energy) engine which was new for Renault in 1988 and made its first appearance in the 19. Fitted with a carburettor, it develops 79bhp which is more than adequate to pull the 19 around. It’s lively and revs freely. Perhaps not quite as rev happy as a Tipo, but not much is as rev happy as a Lampredi motor. It makes fine progress and doesn’t cause much of a fuss doing so.

My time with this car was far too short but then a month with this car would have been far too short. It’s also interesting comparing this with the other two best mid sized hatchbacks of the late 80s, the Fiat Tipo and Rover 200. I’ve driven many Tipos, owned a Tipo Action and a Tempra and now, unless you’re blind, you’ll have seen I own a Rover 200. To summarise, the Tipo is the most enjoyable to drive and the best to look at, the Renault is the most comfortable and rides the best and the Rover has the nicest interior by far and has a fabulous sense of occasion driving it. They all do the job of mid sized family hack so much better than an Escort, Golf, Astra or 309. In fact it take Citroen until 1991 to launch a credible rival – the ZX.

But out of the 19, Tipo and 200, which do you buy? There’s never been an easier question to answer – buy a 1.4 version (1.4 Energy in the case of the 19, don’t do the Cleon engine) of each of these cars and you will not be disappointed. Buy one of each whilst you can still get a good one for peanuts. They’re simple enough to fix if a problem arises, reliable enough to use every day and each one will put a smile on your face.

Driving this car, driving my own Rover, the loan of the Mk1 Punto over Christmas and looking at the collective car collections of friends proves one thing to me – the late eighties to mid nineties car is when car design peaked and it’s not been improved on since. Cars were crisply styled, practical and fun to drive, simpler to fix if they go wrong and nowadays cost less to buy than one monthly payment on a *GENERIC GERMAN “PRESTIGE” DIESEL SALOON*. Just don’t crash one…

Special thanks to Dicky Braithwaite for not dobbing me in to the Fuzz for the taking of his French car. I have since walked home and thought about what I’ve done.