The
latest RS Clio brings comfort to hot motoring with a dual-clutch automatic
gearbox and two extra doors. But does this mean the new Renaultsport 200 Turbo
lacks its predecessor’s ‘Va Va Voom’?
Climbing
into the surprisingly well-finished cabin of the 200 Turbo, as you become
surrounded by RS logos, red stitching and orange details, that sports-car style start button urges you to press it. You’re in the latest generation of hot Clio you
see, a car that is part of a family widely regarded as reaching hot hatch perfection
with its outgoing 200 Cup model. But this is the latest member and it
approaches the market at a completely different angle, so the only way to find
out if it can live up to its family’s name is to take it for a spin.
Sliding
into the leather seats, you notice that Renaultsport finally have a car that
offers a low and purposeful driving position. Thanks to a reach and rake
adjustment, it’s easy to place the steering wheel exactly where you want it.
But without a conventional gearstick to the left, you’re faced with two silver
paddles behind the wheel, connecting fingertips to Renaultsport’s latest EDC
semi-automatic transmission. It’s time to see if this semi-auto can really live
up to the job.
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| Orange details and RS badges hint at sporting pedigree |
Unfortunately,
it can’t. Not at low speed anyway, as gear-changes are delayed and the gearbox
unresponsive. Renault's suggestions are to toggle the gearbox back into full
auto mode at this point, and this feels like your only choice because at low
speed the manual shifts feel cumbersome. But when left to its own devices and
allowed to make the decisions, the auto box does a perfectly good job at being
an auto box. It feels slightly joltier than old autos, but perfectly fine to
comfortably pull you to your destination. Added to the soft touch dash, piano
black centre console and roomy interior, there’s little doubt that the 200
Turbo would be a pleasant and practical place to be on the daily commute.
But this
being the Renaultsport model, it is more than likely that owners would want to
occasionally leave the traffic jams and find an exciting road to sprint along.
So when you do manage to venture onto a country road, you can happily click the
gear lever into manual and press the RS button located just behind it,
switching the car into ‘Sport’ mode. The dash’s Renaultsport changes into
yellow, and then, then nothing. Until you touch the accelerator.
 |
| RS button engages 'Sport' mode |
There’s
no doubting it, this thing is fast. With a 0-62 time of just 6.7 seconds, this
is the fastest production Clio to leave Dieppe since the 255bhp V6. And boy do
you feel it, all 177lb-ft of torque seeming almost instantly available thanks
to the 1.6-litre engine’s turbocharger, pushing you back into your seat with
its 197bhp, forcing you to speed through the gears faster than you would
expect. It’s here that the dual-clutch gearbox feels quick and purposeful, giving
you the ability to maintain full focus on the road ahead and maximise steering
inputs with both hands planted on the wheel. As you click through the six gears
the engine’s momentum is maintained, meaning acceleration feels endless and
harsh. Would you miss a gearstick at this point? Probably not.
It’s
not until you approach something that requires you to stamp on the left pedal,
the EDC gearbox’s ability to frantically rush down the gears still leaves you
feeling like your left foot is a little wasted. The exhaust does let out a racing
car like snort as it passes each cog, but it’s definitely not as satisfying as knowing your inputs have directly created this dirty orchestra. Nevertheless, when
you open up the steering and press hard on the throttle it does become clear that without
having to worry about shoving a stick back and forth, you can really commit to
driving fast, utilising the cars e-diff to effectively drag you out of the
corners.
 |
| Longer wheelbase enables greater stability |
The
Clio’s forced induction woosh is addictive too, whilst this model’s Cup
suspension keeps everything planted and its electric steering, although lacking
in natural feel, provides just about enough weight to enable precise inputs. Overall
grip is phenomenal, with this car’s optional 18-inch alloys being wrapped in
performance spec Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres, which bite well on the sun-heated
tarmac in all the situations you can ‘legally’ throw at them. Sprint along
British B-roads like this and the Clio will barely break sweat, and its lengthy
2,589mm wheelbase helps the chassis absorb the broken surfaces of Britain’s
roads without too much upset either.
Of
course with this being Britain the B-road will come to an end and you will
arrive back in a queue of traffic. But before the car gets a chance to stumble
on changes, you can easily flick the gearbox back into full auto and click the
RS button back to select ‘Normal’ mode. Suddenly the car feels less urgent,
quiet and fairly smooth again. To be honest it’s like an entirely different
car. Renault claim that in this mode the car can achieve an impressive combined
44.8mpg, emitting as low as 144g of CO2/km. This means the 1.6-litre unit is
far cheaper to tax than the old, dirtier, naturally aspirated Renaultsport’s,
as well as requiring fewer trips to the petrol station; as long as you stay out
of the boost zone that is.
 |
| Cheaper tax, lower emissions, but a less involving drive |
The
200 Turbo is therefore a completely different animal to older generations. At
speed it’s a real weapon; something that would be a force to be reckoned with
on track. But on the road it is almost too effective, requiring its driver to
push beyond what would be sane before offering any of that light movement and
pointy front end its predecessors were famous for. In town it becomes
comfortable, offering a less hot and more conventional hatchback experience
that its siblings were never able to do. It therefore manages to shift away
from being purely an enthusiast’s pocket-rocket, to a much wider market
position of attracting those seeking affordable thrills without compromising
practicality.
That’s
not to say that people won’t like the cheaper tax, better fuel efficiency and
increased cabin space, there’s no doubt that more people are interested in these
things than out and out raw driving characteristics. The 2013 Renaultsport Clio
would certainly be a mature choice for a buyer looking for practical thrills
under £20,000, but unfortunately it probably can’t quite meet the expectations
of more enthusiastic drivers. Even with its aggressive styling and race-style
gearbox, the car lacks the overall involvement many drivers would have expected
after driving the marque’s older cars. So despite the fact it is the quickest
of the bunch, this car could be the first to see Renaultsport lose the hardcore hot
hatch crown.
Specs
Engine turbocharged 1618cc, 4cyl, FWD
Gearbox EDC 6-speed, dual-clutch, semi-automatic
Power 197bhp
Torque 177lb-ft
CO2 144g/km
Top speed 143mph
0-62 mph 6.7secs
Combined mpg 44.8
Manufacturer’s OTR price £19,995 (for LUX model as tested
here)
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