Renault 16

Renault 16: which version to buy and why

The Renault 16 was built in one generation from 1965 to 1980 as a Hatchback 5-door, with 9 versions that share the same body, drive layout, and chassis numbers — and differ mainly in displacement, horsepower, gearbox, and fuel grade.

The Renault 16 was built in one generation from 1965 to 1980 as a Hatchback 5-door, with 9 versions that share the same body, drive layout, and chassis numbers — and differ mainly in displacement, horsepower, gearbox, and fuel grade. If you are choosing a 16, you are not choosing a generation or a body; you are choosing a 1.6 or 1.7 gasoline four, a Manual or Automatic, and a power band between 54 hp and 93 hp. Ground clearance is 146 mm on every row. Kerb weight, gross weight, tank size, wheel sizes, 0–100, top speed, and fuel consumption are not measured for any version, so this comparison uses power, displacement, specific output, gearbox, fuel grade, and the hardware that does not change.

Generations: what actually changes between versions

1 generation (1965–1980), Hatchback 5-door, 9 versions. There is no second generation to “buy later.” Restyling is not listed as a separate generation. Every version is Gasoline, 4 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, Carburetor, FWD, independent spring front suspension, semi-independent spring rear suspension, disc front brakes, drum rear brakes, 146 mm clearance.

What does change, in numbers:

Specs table (exact names as in the catalogue)

Two 1.6 MT rows and four 1.7 MT rows share names; they are distinguished by horsepower.

Torque (Nm) is not measured on every row. Do not treat missing Nm as “no torque.”

Engine: 1.6 vs 1.7, and power per litre

Specific output (hp per litre) from the given displacement and power:

• 1.6 MT (55 hp): 55 ÷ 1.565 = 35.1 hp/L
• 1.6 MT (83 hp) and 1.6 AT (83 hp): 83 ÷ 1.565 = 53.0 hp/L
• 1.7 MT (54 hp): 54 ÷ 1.647 = 32.8 hp/L — the lowest specific output in the set
• 1.7 MT (65 hp): 65 ÷ 1.647 = 39.5 hp/L
• 1.7 MT (71 hp) and 1.7 AT (71 hp): 71 ÷ 1.647 = 43.1 hp/L
• 1.7 MT (93 hp) and 1.7 AT (93 hp): 93 ÷ 1.647 = 56.5 hp/L — the highest specific output

The 1.7 is not automatically the stronger car. The weakest 1.7 MT (54 hp) makes 1 hp less than the weakest 1.6 MT (55 hp) from 82 cc more capacity, so it is the least efficient use of displacement in this catalogue. The strongest 1.6 (83 hp) already beats four of the six 1.7 rows (54, 65, 71, 71 hp) by 12 hp versus the 71 hp pair and by 28 hp versus the 55 hp 1.6 MT.

Spread from weakest to strongest: 93 − 54 = 39 hp, or 72% more power at the top (93 ÷ 54 ≈ 1.72). The two 1.6 outputs differ by 83 − 55 = 28 hp (51%). The 1.7 ladder is 54 → 65 → 71 → 93: steps of +11, +6, +22 hp.

Fuel grade is measured only on some rows: all three 1.6 versions list 92; 1.7 MT (54 hp), 1.7 MT (93 hp), and 1.7 AT (93 hp) list 80. For 1.7 MT (71 hp), 1.7 AT (71 hp), and 1.7 MT (65 hp), fuel grade is not measured.

Gearbox: what the extra ratio actually is

There is no all-wheel-drive option. Drive is FWD on all nine.

Manual 4 (five versions): 1.6 MT (55 hp), 1.7 MT (54 hp), 1.7 MT (71 hp), 1.7 MT (65 hp). These sit at the lower and middle of the power range except that 71 hp is mid-pack.

Manual 5 (two versions): 1.6 MT (83 hp) and 1.7 MT (93 hp). The five-speed is paired only with the two strongest manuals — 83 and 93 hp. That is +1 gear versus the four-speed manuals, and those two cars are also the two highest specific-output manuals (53.0 and 56.5 hp/L).

Automatic 3 (three versions): 1.6 AT (83 hp), 1.7 AT (71 hp), 1.7 AT (93 hp). Automatics exist at 71, 83, and 93 hp. There is no automatic at 54, 55, or 65 hp. If you need an automatic, you are already in the upper half of the power list, except that 1.7 AT (71 hp) is 12 hp below 1.6 AT (83 hp) despite 82 cc more displacement.

Same power, different gearbox:

• 83 hp: 1.6 MT (5-speed Manual) vs 1.6 AT (3-speed Automatic) — identical 1565 cc, 92 fuel, 61 kW. The buy question is four extra ratios on the automatic side of the comparison (5 vs 3), not more engine.
• 71 hp: 1.7 MT vs 1.7 AT — same 1647 cc, same 52 kW, fuel not measured on both.
• 93 hp: 1.7 MT (5-speed) vs 1.7 AT (3-speed) — same 1647 cc, 80 fuel, 68 kW.

There is no 1.6 AT at 55 hp and no 1.7 AT at 54 or 65 hp.

Performance, mpg, dimensions: what is not measured

0–100, top speed, city / highway / combined consumption, CO2, eco class are not measured for any of the nine versions. You cannot rank them by sprint, top speed, or mpg from this catalogue.

Kerb weight, gross weight, tank, wheels are not measured. Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated. Ground clearance is 146 mm on all nine, so clearance is not a differentiator.

Chassis that does not change the buy: Independent, spring front; Semi-independent, spring rear; disc front; Drum rear.

Which version to choose

If you want the most power in the set: 1.7 MT (93 hp) or 1.7 AT (93 hp). Both are 93 hp / 68 kW, 1647 cc, 80 fuel, FWD. That is 39 hp more than 1.7 MT (54 hp) and 10 hp more than the next-strongest engine (1.6 at 83 hp). Pick 1.7 MT (93 hp) for Manual 5; pick 1.7 AT (93 hp) for Automatic 3. Specific output 56.5 hp/L is the catalogue peak.

If you want the strongest 1.6 (and 92 fuel): 1.6 MT (83 hp) or 1.6 AT (83 hp). Both are 83 hp / 61 kW, 1565 cc, 92. The manual is the only 1.6 with 5 gears. Versus 1.7 MT (93 hp) you give up 10 hp and 82 cc but keep 92 instead of 80. Versus 1.6 MT (55 hp) you gain 28 hp and a fifth gear.

If you want an automatic and the 1.6’s 92 fuel: only 1.6 AT (83 hp). The other automatics are 1.7 AT (71 hp) — 12 hp less, fuel not measured — and 1.7 AT (93 hp) — 10 hp more, fuel 80.

If you want a simple four-speed manual and do not need peak power: four candidates, ranked by hp: 1.7 MT (71 hp) → 1.7 MT (65 hp) → 1.6 MT (55 hp) → 1.7 MT (54 hp). The 71 hp four-speed is 17 hp above the 54 hp four-speed and 16 hp above the 55 hp 1.6 MT. The 65 hp 1.7 MT sits 11 hp above the 54 hp 1.7 MT and 10 hp above the 55 hp 1.6 MT. The 54 hp 1.7 MT is the least convincing “bigger engine” buy: 1 hp below the small 1.6 MT (55 hp) from a larger 1647 cc block (32.8 hp/L vs 35.1 hp/L).

If you want 1.7 displacement without the 93 hp tune: 1.7 MT (71 hp) or 1.7 AT (71 hp) if you also want automatic; 1.7 MT (65 hp) if you want a four-speed and can accept 6 hp less than 71 and fuel not measured. Avoid treating 1.7 MT (54 hp) as the “base 1.7 upgrade” over 1.6 MT (55 hp): the numbers go the other way.

If fuel grade is the constraint: measured 92 exists only on the three 1.6 versions. Measured 80 exists on 1.7 MT (54 hp), 1.7 MT (93 hp), and 1.7 AT (93 hp). Three 1.7 rows have fuel not measured.

What extra money cannot be shown to buy: there are no prices in this data. What the numbers do buy is +28 hp and a fifth gear from 1.6 MT (55 hp) to 1.6 MT (83 hp); +10 hp and 82 cc from the 83 hp 1.6 to the 93 hp 1.7; or a 3-speed Automatic at 71 / 83 / 93 hp instead of a 4- or 5-speed Manual. Nothing in the data shows a change in clearance, drive, cylinder count, boost, or brake type between versions.

Short ranking by the arithmetic (power, then gearbox usefulness):

1. 1.7 MT (93 hp) — peak hp, peak hp/L, Manual 5 2. 1.7 AT (93 hp) — same engine, Automatic 3 3. 1.6 MT (83 hp) — best 1.6, Manual 5, fuel 92 4. 1.6 AT (83 hp) — same 83 hp, Automatic 3, fuel 92 5. 1.7 MT (71 hp) — strongest four-speed 1.7 6. 1.7 AT (71 hp) — automatic at 71 hp 7. 1.7 MT (65 hp) — mid 1.7, Manual 4 8. 1.6 MT (55 hp) — base 1.6, still 1 hp above the weakest 1.7 9. 1.7 MT (54 hp) — largest gap between displacement and output

Reliability and common problems are not measured in this dataset; do not infer them from hp or gearbox.