Re: lol... non RS clios heaps of sh*t!
I owned a 1.2 16V Dynamique for a few years, then owned a 172 Cup as well, then eventually sold the 1.2 and still have the Cup to this day.
I would never call the 1.2 a crap car by any stretch of the imagination. It handled beautifully, was reasonably nippy compared to most standard 1.2 supermini's, and even looked pretty spot on imo.
Stepping between the two was always interesting, when I was in the 1.2 I missed the mad acceleration and better feel from the handling of the Cup, but when I was in the Cup I strangely missed something about the 1.2. The Cup will hit illegal speeds by the time you've got to third gear, so if you are driving with any sort of regards for license, yourself and other road users you are always easing off a matter of seconds after you've just got going on a straight road. The 1.2 however, I would build up to 60 and try to hang on to every MPH I could around the corners, it was so entertaining and challenging to try and keep the speed through corners.
Eventually my finances will dry up when the mortgage comes along, I wouldn't hesitate in going back to a 1.2 or 1.4 16V. I've had a couple since I started driving (always owned Clio's), put one beyond 120k with no problems and managed 80k overall in them over 5 years without a single breakdown or issue.
I love my Cup and would miss it massively when it eventually goes one day, but I certainly don't think any less of my days in the smaller engined Clio's, don't mistake fast for fun.
As an aside I was a passenger in clio_chris' 1.6 at the Airfield last year, it moves plenty quick enough for British roads and looks/sounds spot on too.