Renaultsport Clio 182

Tracked...Not waxed! 

18 months on and I still bloody love the thing. I've owned my RenaultSport Clio 182 since the very end of May 2011, and in that time I've barely covered 10,000 miles. But I can honestly say that I've enjoyed every single minute of it, not least because the thing is so fun to drive!

I find myself looking forward to journeys that I know will include open stretches of road or twisty back lanes. The car seems so eager to be driven that even on days I plan on giving it a good wash and wax, I get the feeling it's looking at me in the same way a dog looks up at it's owner when they mention the park - it wants to go for walkies...or in this case it wants to be driven. I'm a sucker for a puppy face, so most times I give in. I have to admit, as a result many of the miles I have covered in this car have included a good thrashing. 

The dirty girl

But at no point does the car make you feel guilty for pushing it. Instead it makes you feel guilty for not pushing it. The engine is so lumpy on tick over, it almost seems as though it's beckoning you to rev it. The steering is heavily weighted, giving the impression Renault didn't intend for this car to be a parallel parking champion. And the Cup pack suspension is crashy at low speed, as it manages to find even the smallest bumps in the road. The car may look like a city run about, but it feels so unnatural cruising through urban streets.

All that changes however, when you are faced with the white circles of unrestricted sign posts, and a tree lined road heading over a crest. The car comes alive when you open up the throttle and reach the 5000 rpm mark. At this point the Variable Valve engine awakens and manages to head sharply towards it's peak power of 170 bhp. The steering suddenly feels reassuringly weighted as the front wheels tug through the column, and the suspension begins to feel planted and predictable over  dips and crests. In the stroke of 2000 revs this car transforms from a crashy city car, to a light and nimble hot hatch.

No better place does the 182 show off it's agile characteristics than a fast flowing, smooth tarmaced race track. I took the car to Snetterton in Norfolk earlier in the month with the expectation that it would suit the fast flowing corners. How wrong I was. Not only did it suit them, it felt like it was built for them.

Despite the damp conditions, the direct steering and quick response made the car incredibly enjoyable to throw into high speed turns and balance on the throttle. The light weight of the rear meant a lot of 'oppo' was applied, with lift off oversteer becoming something of a game. The car felt completely at home balling down Revett Straight at over a ton, and managed to keep off it's door handles through Riches thanks to it's planted Cup suspension.

In some ways it's a shame the car handles so well; it means that the lovely Racing Blue paintwork is rarely shiny and the white wheels are often confused as being a dark anthracite. But when a car is this fun to drive, surely it's more of a shame to not use it properly?

Can a road car really handle like a go-kart?

“My car feels like a go-kart”... “Go-kart like handling”...Phrases often coined by car enthusiasts about performance and sports cars. But can cars ever really handle like a go-kart without serious modification?

Scraping the floor; sat mm off the tarmac

Over 6 years of competitive kart racing, plus 5 years on the road, and I'm still yet to drive something from either side that bares significant resemblance. I drove a whole host of karts with several engines during my karting career, and have had the privilege of driving more cars than most 22 year olds. These cars have ranged from a Porsche Carrera, to a Lincoln Navigator right down to a 3 cylinder Vauxhall Corsa. I can safely say that none of them, have had any resemblance in performance and feel to my karts. Yet time and time again, I frequently come across car reviews and forum junkies who claim their bog standard cars handle like go-karts.

Karting is so pure, that during my career my ribs were repeatedly cooked by the engine, whilst my butt took whacks when I rode kerbs. The brakes felt like an extension of my leg, with even the minutest adjustment having drastic effect on speed and even the angle of entry into a corner. The steering was so direct, even a stone could be felt through the wheel.

Body roll in my car

Of course, there will be cars out there that are so raw they’re blue by steak standards, but for the most part, road cars will always be compromised in their ability to be pure. The challenges presented in ensuring a good ride quality, mean certain areas of cars, such as the suspension, have to be softened. As a result this can compromise their ability to perform effectively at speed and can contribute to a lack of feel. By no means is that a total negative, as I can vouch by saying I’d much rather be sat in a Diesel Mercedes than my old TKM 115cc go-kart in a traffic jam in the city. For one, speed bumps would be a nightmare, as having to lift the kart over them could become just slightly annoying.

Many of us modify our cars heavily to essentially push them towards that ‘pure’, direct feel of a go-kart. I've recently modified my car, by fitting performance springs and replacing rubber bushes with solid versions, in order to maximise feel and responsiveness. Despite noticing a slight improvement, it’s a miles away from a go-kart. The car still leans under fast direction change, the nose still ducks under braking, and minute steering inputs are still significantly suppressed when compared with those of a kart.

Now I haven’t had the pleasure of driving an Ariel Atom or McLaren F1, but for most of us that isn't something we will ever experience. Therefore it is safe to say, Mr Mini Cooper S, I'm sure your car handles fantastically, but it’s a far world from the pure handling of a go-kart.