Info about new Renaultsport Clio

[Chili Red]

My BF went to get his car MOTd in France this weekend, and in the garage there was a magazine with a HUGE article (15 pages!) about the new Clio sport..

Here are the bits he can remember (some of which we know already):

Although it will be bigger and much heavier than the 182, it will be more fuel efficient. This is because it will have a special glass section of roof at the rear of the car - no option not to have it - so because it will heat up less it will use less fuel. The side air vents are special air coolers designed by the Renault F1 team which have never been used on a road car before.

It will be a 2-litre engine with 200 bhp, but because of its weight it will be no faster than the 182, and in fact the article said it wasn't as fast around a track because it drifts more.

As we know, the interior will be different to the pictures we have seen (they had exclusive pics of the actual interior). The front seats are bucket-style in leather, with normal rear seats.

The hand brake is not a 'stick' as usual, but like a grip handle which is parallel to the dashboard (hard to explain - it's like an aircraft throttle), and the steering wheel will not be a complete circle, but flat at the bottom to give more space for your knees.

It will also have 18-inch alloys and a very high safety rating.

The car will be officially unveiled in Geneva in April.

There was LOADS more but he can't remember half of it and didn't have time to read it all.

I am just repeating what he told me the article said, how true it all is I don't know, but it was all in a proper French car magazine!

Oh and Lee - in France they call it the Clio RS

 

[Gareth]

handbrake is the same style as the current Meganes then.

 

[M1TCH]

cool

 

[Woodentop]

nice cant wait to read about it over here....

 

[Funkyjahooner]

My BF went to get his car MOTd in France this weekend,

Your Boyfriend went to get his car Match Of the Day`d ???

Seriously, it sounds Ok but until i see one i can`t get that excited. I`m sure it will be nice though, 182`s are a tough act to follow ;-)

 

[Mark5290]

Was at a renault dealer a couple of weeks ago looking at a 182, the head salesman told me that the new rs clio will not have a rear roof spoiler because it has a mechanical air blowing/channeling ?, device at the back to disrupt the turbulent air flow building up behind the car at speed which causes less drag.

 

[Chili Red]

Was at a renault dealer a couple of weeks ago looking at a 182, the head salesman told me that the new rs clio will not have a rear roof spoiler because it has a mechanical air blowing/channeling ?, device at the back to disrupt the turbulent air flow building up behind the car at speed which causes less drag.

Yeah, a rear diffuser:

http://www.press.renault.co.uk/image_gallery/Concept/090805-a-ren+.jpg

 

[polarbert]

all i can say right now is long live the mk2 clio sport (ph1, ph2, and ph3)

 

[ChrisR]

18inch alloys, oh dear

 

[Ian_182]

I need to see one in the flesh before i know i'd like one.
Hopefully they will do a cup version to make the most of the engine...

ian

 

[M1TCH]

18inch alloys, oh dear

Why you say that??

Leon Cupra R's are the nuts and they are on 18's standard....

 

[tameracingdriver]

Why you say that??

Leon Cupra R's are the nuts and they are on 18's standard....

LCRs dont handle anywhere near as well as a Clio as std though.

 

[GarethM]

some good info there, as said the handbrakers is the same as the meganes

 

[D"w!Z]

itll prob need 18s to look in proportion, their huge!

 

[Chris1.4RT]

Although it will be bigger and much heavier than the 182, it will be more fuel efficient. This is because it will have a special glass section of roof at the rear of the car - no option not to have it - so because it will heat up less it will use less fuel. The side air vents are special air coolers designed by the Renault F1 team which have never been used on a road car before.

Am I thick or what is this all about?

 

[Steve2004]

It will be a 2-litre engine with 200 bhp, but because of its weight it will be no faster than the 182, and in fact the article said it wasn't as fast around a track because it drifts more.

Just as I feared, they've made it worse

 

[JBarber]

In CAR magazine it says 17in alloys, and that it laps significantly quicker than a 182 around the ring

 

[Mark5290]

Yeah, a rear diffuser:

Yeah that's what i thought when he was describing it but he said it was a different device seperate from the diffuser:S , i think he was probably talking sh1te.

 

[polarbert]

Why you say that??

Leon Cupra R's are the nuts and they are on 18's standard....

The LCR is a big bigger than the clio though, and has a lot more power to boot.

 

[polarbert]

Why you say that??

Leon Cupra R's are the nuts and they are on 18's standard....

The LCR is a bit bigger than the clio though, and has a lot more power to boot.

 

[fizzy_drink]

So the clio's become a big fatty then!

Gawd... there won't be any light hatchbacks left in the world?

The new Polo 1.8T weighs the same as my A3 1.8T used to weigh... when did it get so fat?

Now the Clio's been eating pies too!

Fatty fat fat fat!!!

 

[KyleB]

i too am not happy with the small nippy hatchbacks getting bigger and bigger

 

[ukaskew]

18s can't be right surely, I was hoping for 16s or at a push 17s considering the car is bigger. Normal new Dynamique sits on 15s with the option for 16s.

 

[tameracingdriver]

The mk2 Clio is practically the last car that can make a claim to be "light" for a modern hot hatch. Even that is not exactly that light, but compared to the modern cars its a featherweight.

I wont be buying any new cars until they sort out their weight problem.

 

[ukaskew]

I wont be buying any new cars until they sort out their weight problem.

Sadly with the safety issues these days cars won't be getting any lighter, and cars like the Clio/Polo/Golf etc grow up with their owners and get bigger each time around, hopefully to be complemented by a new small car to replace the old one (Lupo, Twingo?)

 

[Rich]

So the clio's become a big fatty then!

Gawd... there won't be any light hatchbacks left in the world?

The new Polo 1.8T weighs the same as my A3 1.8T used to weigh... when did it get so fat?

Now the Clio's been eating pies too!

Fatty fat fat fat!!!

LOL, its a little on the large size by the sounds of it!

 

[oneseventwo]

Although it will be bigger and much heavier than the 182, it will be more fuel efficient. This is because it will have a special glass section of roof at the rear of the car - no option not to have it - so because it will heat up less it will use less fuel. The side air vents are special air coolers designed by the Renault F1 team which have never been used on a road car before.

The hand brake is not a 'stick' as usual, but like a grip handle which is parallel to the dashboard (hard to explain - it's like an aircraft throttle), and the steering wheel will not be a complete circle, but flat at the bottom to give more space for your knees.

Why would they put a completly different handbrake design on the Renault Sport, but not the other new Clios? This sounds like a big uneccasery engineering thing for absolutely no gain.

A glass section at the rear to make it more fuel efficient? :S Not sure how that would work. Maybe it was a too literal translation from the French....?

 

[Ally]

i too am not happy with the small nippy hatchbacks getting bigger and bigger

Me neither.

I read an article about the replacement for the Pug 206(think it was in Test Drive magazine) and the 207 is actually bigger than the old 306 - longer and heavier! . Yes I know the majority of people are demanding more space/equipment/safety, but if you want that why not buy a car from the next class-size up!?

Is there gonna be a "Twingo 182" then? I'll would be more of a direct replacement for the Clio 182 in terms of size.

 

[TheCake]

Was at a renault dealer a couple of weeks ago looking at a 182, the head salesman told me that the new rs clio will not have a rear roof spoiler because it has a mechanical air blowing/channeling ?, device at the back to disrupt the turbulent air flow building up behind the car at speed which causes less drag.

If he's trying to imply it has some kind of venturi then he's more full of s**t than a muck spreader.

lol @ dealers.

 

[avstar1]

Your Boyfriend went to get his car Match Of the Day`d ???

Seriously, it sounds Ok but until i see one i can`t get that excited. I`m sure it will be nice though, 182`s are a tough act to follow ;-)

Or Message of the Day... if your a geek... woops, gave my secert away!

 

[TheRoninV6]

i had a megan hire car with one of those silly handbrakes, they are not ergonomic at all and used to hurt my wrist every time i applied the handbrake. On another note my mrs had a scienic at work with a push button handbrake that was just silly.

 

[Dave H]

My old 205 gti weighed 930kg and the mk1 Golf about 890kg.These new 'small hot hatches' are nearly as big as a family car back in the 80s'.
Thats progress for you! Imagine fuel consumption if they could keep the weight down with the newer engines!

 

[Chili Red]

Am I thick or what is this all about?

God knows!! :S

He was just telling me what the magazine article said - I was hoping some engineering genius might know what it was all about.


I want to see what the UK magazines say about it..

 

[ChrisR]

Why you say that??

Leon Cupra R's are the nuts and they are on 18's standard....

Might looks the nuts, but drives like a sack of s**t imho. A friend had one, he hated it and got rid asap.

The clio suits 15s or 16s at a push imho, seen what happens when you stick big wheels on a small slow car? It's not good

 

[john.med]

i had a courtey megane with one of those silly (American RV style) handbrakes, load of rubbish, difficult to use, whereas your common handbrake lever is,.. well just a simple bloody lever!

Did chuckle to myself everytime I used it though, as I made a "tiiiisssshhhh" air brake noise.

 

[Tom]

I dont think half of that "information" is correct.

It wont have 18's for a start. and i doubt it will have a glass roof.

Maybe it was an article on the concept car?

 

[Jay]

Time will tell.........

 

[stevo172-RWD]

I dont think half of that "information" is correct.

It wont have 18's for a start. and i doubt it will have a glass roof.

Maybe it was an article on the concept car?

yh proberly!

 

[pecan]

The rear diffuser looks cack, and I'm not keen on the 18" alloy idea either.

 

[Dubai182]

Hi Guys,
I've got hold of a magazine with an interview with the designer of the new clio. He says it will 17" alloys as standard for the CS. I'll take a photo of the article and put it here for you all to see,its got some good interior shots aswell. As mentioned before the bottom of the steering wheel is flat which looks pretty cool. I actually didn't like it at first but its growing on me. Apparently the cup will be significantly lighter aswell which will be released in 2007.
John