Renault Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 vs Bmw 116 : which one is faster?

The launch: 0 to 100 km/h

Off the line, the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 hits 100 km/h in 9.17 s versus 9.71 s for the Bmw 116. Despite the faster sprint time, the Bmw 116 is 19 m further along the track at this moment: stronger low-speed acceleration offsets a slower run beyond 100 km/h.

From 100 km/h to 400 metres

At 200 metres, the Bmw 116 is doing 106 km/h against 115 km/h for the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140. The gap is 0.52 s. The gap remains stable from the start.

At 400 metres standing start, the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 crosses the line in 16.85 s versus 16.88 s. The 0.02 s gap represents roughly 1 m of track

Beyond 400 metres: top speed comes into play

Past 400 metres, the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 continues to build its lead. At 600 metres, it runs at 161 km/h versus 146 km/h. At 1,000 metres, the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 finishes in 29.94 s versus 31.31 s, with a 1.37 s lead. Both vehicles have similar top speeds (210 vs 206 km/h), preventing any comeback.

What the numbers don’t tell you

Both rivals share the same electronic speed cap: the Clio 5 1.3 TCe 140 and the Bmw 116 are governed to 210 km/h. At that speed, standard-fit tyres approach their safety threshold — an industrial ceiling common to most electric vehicles in this segment. Neither car shows its true aerodynamic potential in this duel.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (8.54 kg/hp vs 11.39 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Automatic).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 16.84 seconds. The 0.54 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.