Hello dudes... Just brought a 200 edc Cup. A 2017 updated version.(More about the updates later)... Did anybody even know that Renaultsport have updated/improved the 200 cup. And significantly enough changes that really should have been more published and investigated by car journalists.. But of course this car was so hated and disrespected by 2017 that nobody gave a s**t. Everyone seemed to have total forgot about this car and if wasn’t a Fiesta ST or Golf R then was not worth any attention. Please forgive me if I go on to long here. But this has been a long journey to getting this car. So feel very passionate about it..
Got a lot say about this Clio 200 edc Cup. Im guessing this is the right platform to air and share my thoughts. Which I really feel the need to express to those who have similar passions and interest, as my friends are totally not interested 🤣😁...can now actually give an honest, proper review as been driving it a lot. Can condense all my thoughts, experiences and realisations, or should say revelations... This maybe of some help to anybody thinking to buy one. Or Just to clear some air with enthusiasts who are just as confused as I was, to why the hell the Clio edc was so badly mocked. Which have obviously really effected sales. We pay too much attention to these review.. Reviews which has been so influenced by just the negatives, and what I now know as ego driven negativity. Which are all so unjustified, and quite frankly a very bizarre approach to this car from 98% of British public and car journalist. Interesting that any review from other countries has been totally positive and polar opposite. And has sold really well global. Out selling the previous RS 200. It seems the brits just like to bully the poor 200 edc. The Trophy has had more positive feedback. But even that has suffered. Still moans about the gearbox and it not being fun like RenaultSport of old, Bo hoo, Bo hoo😭
Here I’m discussing particular the 200 cup. Obviously as this is what I drive. And this car has a very unique genius about which has been totally overlooked. Apart from just 3 reviews out the 100s ive seen(Think have actually seen all the reviews of the Clio that exsist.) These 3 reviews are the only ones Which have pointed out what is amazing about this car One of them being the Chris Harris review. Which is basically absolutely correct. And he was driving a Sport Chassis Clio..
Been wanting a 200 edc since it came out in 2013. Have spent way too many nerdy hours studying reviews etc etc.. And been bemused and fascinated as to why the poor little Clio edc is so hated and disrespected by so many. Really, all this negativity just cause it’s gone auto. Or should say gone clutchless. Cause here we 2 gearbox worlds. Auto and manual. Yes it’s a manual without a clutch. Don’t need a silly, ancient engineered hefty clutch to f**k my knee up thank you very much car making people. So many mates I know now got problems with their left knee. Drive a manual by any chance. Yes. Mmmmmmmmmmm....
O my god the moans cause it not a manual. ”I need a manual to be in control of the car” moans.. It is a f**king manual gearbox. Come on humans wake up.. What the are those paddles for. “Yeah but I like to take my hand of steering wheel and move a lever with my left hand.“... Well guess what. Can do that too. It has an old fashioned style gearstick thing which can be used just a manual. Has anybody figured this out. Why the f**king hell these humans crave a clutch. Is the gearbox really the reason here.. I love auto. Manual box is so annoying in traffic jams, and just general daily driving. Especially if live in a city or big town, or anywhere in the SE England. Anybody who disagree with this needs to try an auto in a traffic jam...Clutch control feet balancing act. What the f**k is this..This is ancient 1930s engineering. And it is. Fact.. The thought of a turbo charged Clio without a clutch, to me is heaven. The clutch control in most previous RenaultSport cars(and any performance car). was tricky at best if times. Heavy and awkward at bitting point. Compared to say a 1.2 eco car. Yes they are.. And when it’s one daily drive, this feet, left leg, knee bending action can become really annoying, and potentially be one step away from a serious road rage incident. I don’t think we as drivers consciously realise how this clutch action can effect the carm mindset that we should all have when we drive. we don’t all live on a empty racetrack. It’s annoying stop start, queuing to get out of car parks, roundabouts, junctions . Anyone been on the M1, M62, M42, M5 recently. O my god. What the hell Is going on humans. So annoying. Phantom traffic jams. Stop start. Riding the clutch. What the f**k is going on up front. Nothing. So why has a 4 lane motorway stopped dead yet again.Ahhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Traffic moves along. Stops again. Absolutely f**king hell in a manual car..🤬😡🥵
Anyway I’m slightly digress here. Back to the Clio. One would simply presume that it’s not a good car then and Renaultsport lost the plot, as I have read many times. But all the owner reviews have been very positive. Some stating it’s better than their Megan’s 265 etc.. Mmmm.. And pretty much all the car journalism reviews do at some point state that the chassis on this car is amazing. Even the most scathing, gearbox hating, anti-Renault reviews have at some point given a one sentence thumbs up to the amazing chassis And then just slag the car off as being boring, soft, annoying useless gearbox which ruins the car, no manual blah blah blah etc etc..
But hold on if the chassis is very well sorted, and we know RS are f**king masters at it, why is the car so bad. This is all which matters right. That we can drive like boy racers, rally star wanna be idiots, in something that can out handle a Pratt in a Porsche. We need a good chassis. This the number one essential ingredient for hot hatch. Power can be sorted out aftermarket by us. But we absolutely can not improve chassis technology certainly not able to better RS factory spec for public road use. Some think they can, But no it’s not possible afraid to say. ok for special track use, yes it’s possible to improve a car for track specific use.. But then driving a touring car style chassis on public roads is undriveable, horrendous and dangerous..
. Why are all the Australia, South African, Dutch, German reviews of this car massively positive. And stated as the best hot hatch. Better than the Pug 208 and Fiesta ST. Much more Sophisticated , I’ve read. Renaultsport move the game on, whilst ford and Peugeot resolved to build old sckool hot hatches.. What the hell is going with The Uk car journalism. Mmmm. Are they just anti French. Xenophobia maybe. Love the french to fail. Let’s all put the boot in, yeah Renault at last have lost their hot hatch domination throne. All hail Ford. Food for thought
So at this point I’m thinking all is not what it seems. RenaultSport are the hot hatch chassis masters. Simple as that. So it seems they haven’t lost the plot. And how could they. With an incredible 100% consistency in building great hot hatches since Clio Williams. It would be impossible for them to just suddenly get it so wrong with the Clio edc. Like NASA suddenly failing to build a spaceship that works..
Have noticed that the 200 cup is considerably faster round a track than the previous 200 Clio, which everybody rants over as still being the best Clio ever and superior the the 200 edc. But hold on. The 200 edc is faster, and not just cause it has and extra 18ftlb torque. It’s faster round the Renault sport test track cause the chassis is better. Better than an already brilliant, supercar bating chassis.. so something is going on here..
Now I own the car, driven it extensively ,I’ve figured out what’s going on. The human race is fucked..
Im massive RenaultSport fan. Previously owned a first generation 172. A 172 cup. 182. And just been bombing around in a 270bhp Megan’s R26 for nearly a year.(Proper Mental hooligan mobile).. So feel I can honestly compare the edc to some Renaultsport classics that been hailed as best driving machinery ever in its day.. coming straight out my R26 into the 200 edc has been really interesting. In fact I still own the R26. But it does not get driven now. Nope it does not. Every time it’s the Clio. its much more addictive to drive. Even though it’s massively down in power. 200bhp vs 270bhp. And an 95ftlb torque advantage easily outweighs the R26 extra 150kg weight gain over the Clio. But every time I just can’t resist the Clio. Surely not I can hear everybody say. Why choose the much less powerful car.. Mmmmmmmm. And the R26 has extensive Suspension mods, high quality springs and bushes etc etc. So probably better than factory standard then. Only done 70k. So it’s not knackered. Ok maybe unfair to compare a modern 2017 car with a 2008 car. But it’s an interesting comparison and all I’ve got to compare anyway. But have read so many times that the Clio is not fun. Not involved. Like the Renaultsports of old. So think it a good comparison in the what is more Fun segment. Remember the Fiesta ST sold ridiculous amounts purely based on it being more Fun than the Clio. Hence why I’ve only actually seen about 25 Clio edc since 2013 which is absolutely crazy.
Now this says a lot about how good the Clio is. It’s hugely down on power Compared to me R26, but strangely it does not matter at all. It’s so involving and easy to drive fast. It’s actually a lot more fun. Yes Fun. My 2017 200edc Cup is a Lot more FUN to drive then a mental 270 bhp R26. And just add till I brought the Clio, I absolutely loved the R26...
The way the Clio delivers the power is so Sophisticated and characterful, to the point that most of the time it feels as fast as the R26. It does not feel outgunned at all. And the R26 was rolling road dyno just 6000 miles ago so it’s not down on power. It’s definitely a 270 bhp car. So something very special is going on here With this Clio. And it feels special. And let me also add. That NO driver modes have been select yet. That little RS button has not been pressed. All my driving in normal mode, so called boring mode. And have done about 2500 miles. All of it Driving on my local twisty bumpy, weird cambered B roads. Where, the Clio is absolutely f**king amazing and will murder my R26 if a time trail was possible.. In fact I be dead cause if tried to carry the same speed in the R26 at certain points, it will fly off the road. And here we arrive at the point of how good the chassis on this clio is. It’s a work of engineering GENIUS.. Simple as that... This is what has been so overlooked by everybody. The Rally car spec, Hydraulic compression twin damper set up at front is fantastic. Never seen before on a production car. This is massive reason why this car is so good. And very interesting how it’s never mentioned in any reviews. Why totally overlooked by the so called experts. These shocks cost like 4 times the amount of standard kit found in the Pug and ST.. Just constant moans and negativity about a f**king auto gearbox....The fiesta ST, like most performance cars rides like a tank. It’s very stiff. And when cambers go weird and unpredictable, this is can be a serious problem. Coming off road and crashing into tree problem. RenaultSport are very aware of this problem. More than any other manufacture. That balance between handling prowess and not not making the car to stiff, crash’y and bouncy on dodgy cambered roads is an art form. RenaultSport are the masters here. The old Clio 182 Trophy was totally transformed into something amazing by simply adding very similar rally style dual damper front shock. This is what is going on with the 200edc. But fascinated How it never mentioned. Pretty sure if the Fiesta ST had this rally tech snazzy dampers, and Clio did not, then it would be constantly bigged up and mentioned all the time by ST owners and car magazine.
Notice I’m not mentioning the Trophy here. Mostly cause I don’t own it, and their are sone fundamental differences. It’s sold more than the Cup and Sport purely cause The gearbox was jazzed up and has extra power. So it was much better received. But for me the Trophy is basically too stiff for a daily, normal driving stuff. It’s 40% stiffer at the rear alone. Which makes it a lot more fidgety and annoying. I did test drive one, and within 2 miles it was like no way for me. Ok for many this not a problem. But it’s like what’s the point. To live with this ultra stiff, track focused, track day super car hunting chassis for years, 90% of the time just driving sedately in a normal sensible speed world, it would wind me and car would be sold on within a year. It spoils the 200 cup and Sport chassis beautiful balance to deal with unpredictable dodgy cambers. And most importantly make long motorway journey, normal driving duties more comfortable. I hear a lot of Trophy owners now slagging me off, but this is the truth. The Trophy chassis is Super Track focused. For Impeccable, unflappable handling at 100+mph on a smooth predictable track. But there is a trade off. Can’t have your cake and eat it. My R26 has a similar problem it’s very track focused. Ok it would murder the Clio on track, maybe. But for me this can not be justified to live with this very noticeable extra stiffness as will never do track day. And who the hell does. Really. The track is a whole different world to public road. In that they absolutely predictable. And very smooth.
The Cup and Sport chassis are so good, there absolutely no way anybody will ever experience the benefits of the Trophy chassis on public roads. Maybe unless just done a bank job and being chased by police. But even then I just do not think any more speed can be carried around bends on public roads. It’s an interesting debate. And that ultra stiffness could compromise speed on dodgy cambered roads. Of which there are a lot. Becomes a bit of a handful. Feel like it’s gonna dart if the road. My R26 has this proble. i shouldn’t mock the Trophy too much as not driven it fast down these road. It’s probably fine. Lot of owner reviews from those who gone from 200 to the 220 Trophy state it’s fine. But I have experience that as a daily it definitely gonna be a little bit more fidgety and bouncey. Some reviews have stated it as being way to hard. Like the Focus RS. Amazing car but just too stiff., Ok so the Triphy has 20bhp more but that aside, as it’s very easy to pump up the 200 power..The sport chassis alone is more than good enough, softer than a Cup, really does ride like a normal car, and still very good for track days. At end of day this is probably the best of the 3. And Renault have sold lots of these globally. I seen loads in France. They stick out by the the smaller 17 wheels. ok for me I would buy the Cup just for the better 18 wheels😎
The Cup chassis seats between them both. In my opinion Has to be the best. Especially if do wanna do bit of track day. But it’s down on 20bhp and torque and apparently has the dumb gearbox. That’s why Trophy are dominating this Clio market. But it more expensive. So with money saved by getting cup or Sport. Can actually afford a hybrid turbo, intercooler and remap. 260bhp for £2000. Ok but the gearbox. The one thing that seems to have destroyed the Clio cup and Sport. So bad was this edc box that not even the incredible chassis could save the day..
Now on to those updates I mentioned at the start. Not many know that Renault updated and improved the cup, as by 2017 the car was so hated in the UK, everyone forgot about it. Actually came across a random South African car review on youtube, of the updated Sport and cup models. They kind of went over all the subtle changes that ironed out all the imperfections on the early(non Trophy) models. Some changes I was aware of, some I wasn’t..... Renaultsport always slightly improve every model every 3 years or so. Just some very minor, tweaks, but enough to make a big difference. Turning a very good car into something amazing..
Like the 172 into the 182. Megane 225 into R26. 197 into 200. Megan’s 250 into 275 etc etc....
Changes to the 200 edc then.. Firstly and most importantly the gearbox .As this seems to be 90% reason why the car recieved So much negativity back in 2013, which then this negativity kind of spiralled out of control in my opinion In the most bizarre way.. For example. Bitching about the shift paddles being mounted on the steering wheel colum, and not on steering wheel like German cars.. nobody pointed out that all super cars and Nissan GTR are the same. I’ve driven Audi and Merc with those naff cheap plastic switches on the steering wheel. It’s awful... And also lots of negativity about the quality of those paddles. But hold on they are exactly the same aluminium, paddles found in the GTR. And the Alpine A1101.. No negative reviews there about paddle quality or where they are mounted. Mmmmmmmmm At this point I realised something Was not right how the public and car reviews was approaching the Clio edc. it just became standard or cool to find faults when actually it had no faults at all.. it’s just been bullied in an almost child like way, like no other car ever. Nobody wanted to adapt to what it is. Cause it’s actually a very clever, sophisticated car, in my opinion, and everybody who live outside the UK... Dare I say it. But it’s actually a game changer for small hot hatches. RenaultSport did move the game on. Nobody noticed, and wanted to live in the past. Driving ultra stiff, manual gearboxes just cause it’s apparently more fun and involving. So the genius of the 200edc was completely overlooked. Absolute load of bullshit. I’ve been in a fiesta ST as a passenger. It’s crap. Yes crap. Never before have sat in a car that felt so cheap and so cramped. And suspension felt very annoyingly stiff. Not doubting it’s performance abilities cause not driven one. But as a daily car, being used as a car. Yes its rubbish in comparison to the Clio.
Anyway back to gearbox.. in 2017 The gearbox software was updated to same spec as Trophy in term of gearshift speed and general intelligence in auto mode. There was a slight delay in changes in normal mode before. And some issues with downshifting. Now. Gear changes even in normal driving mode are absolutely instant affair. Up shift and downshifting. in normal auto mode the gearbox is very intelligen. It’s an absolute joy to drive. Both in heavy traffic boring journeys and bombing around my favourite B-roads.(I live in middle of no where so have my own personnel racetrack)... And as I’ve mentioned still not gone into the different driver modes yet.. kind of intentionally so. Wanna get to know car as much as possible before entering the sport and race modes. But also cause the car is so good in normal mode I don’t feel the need to change anything. The gearbox Is fantasti, and guess it has been massively improved. Mean now it really is as quick as a VAG group DSG.. My mum has a 2019 Skoda VRS with DSG. I’ve driven it a lot, and in much anger cause it’s rubbish.(and not my car, under warranty ha ha ha)... So can compare the EDC to a DSG, which has been hailed as the best dual clutch on the market. But it has the cheap plastic buttons on the steering wheel, and which really do feel stupidly cheap and small. Easy to accidentally change gear.(notice no negative comments here about paddle shift build quality)MMmmmm... for me this concept does not work as well as the Clio, when bombing down a twisty bending B road Mostly cause my hands are centred as much as possible, so the Clio paddles are easier to grab. They are big and have a satisfying clunk click.. Find myself fildling around trying to find the tiny switches If steering at an angle.. hence why rally cars and super cars have paddles columns mounted. But everyone presume the Germans are right so what ever they do the public bow too, and if it’s French then they don’t know what they doin. Have also witnessed same moans about the paddles on the RS Megan’s EDC. Again this is weird.
Anyway back to the Clio. Sorry I keep digressing....
Another update is The Torque. Now up to the Trophy standard of 192ftlb. From the previous 177. No overboost though.. Ok it’s not massive gain, but think this makes a big difference. Not driven the the previous Clio edc so can’t comment on how different it feels. But the accreditation from about 2500 revs is fantastic. It pulls really very well. Instant maximum power. It’s actually faster than me R26 at below 50mph. coming out of a bend at about 30-40.mph, at about 3000 revs, it will leave my R26. It’s that good. Hence why I think it feels as fast as the R26 in many ways and why I don’t miss the huge power advantage on the roads where I live. At any speed over about 60, in a straight line the R26 is an absolute monster and will murder the Clio. The acceleration is ridiculously strong. But in this twisty B road, racetrack world I live in, it’s kind of irrelevant. That why I don’t miss the power, and the Clio actually pulls faster out the bends at any speed below 50. Renaultsport know this and I do believe they have specifically design the car for these type of roads. Like the roads around Dieppe where the RenaultSport factory is. Some absolutely amazing roads(we used to own house in that area of France). So they designed the car based on what they want to achieve for these type of roads...
So the engine has been felted with. Ecu remapped. Both engine and gearbox Improved. made changes to the steering rack. To same spec as Trophy. And cosmetic changes to lights and wheels. Personally I much prefer the look of this Clio. The wheels especially... So yes this new 2017 Clio 200edc Cup is absolutely fantastic car. It’s relaxing for normal driving and absolutely mental when wanna be a rally driver. love it and will keep forever.
To sum this this car up in a nutshell. I think the best way to describe how much I love this car is this....
every time I go out in it, when on my home and about to park up, I carry on driving and do another 5 miles or so bombing round the empty B roads. Especially if at night when roads empty. I live near York in South Yorkshire. In a small village.. 2 days ago I popped to supermarket at 8 in evening for few bits, which is 6 miles away. And hey guess what. on way back was inspired yet again to keep driving. Drive past my house. Ended up doing 43 miles, just driving around my local roads. in rally driving nirvana. And all of it still in normal driver mode. No RS button pushed yet. This says a hell of a lot about this car and how good it really is. Seriously involving and such fun. Never before any any car I’ve ever had, including me R26 have I done this. Carried on driving when about to park up. In all my previous RenaultSports. Just how this car been so written off as being not involved and no fun is an absolute load of bullshit... I will keep this car for ever, with hybrid turbo and intercooler in the future and 250+bhp😎. But although, actually I think it’s enough as it is. Might spoil the balance. That’s what great. I dint feel the need for more power. It’s perfect..😍❤️💕
if you are still reading this then thanks so much to getting to the end. I may have gone on to long, but this is the condensed shortened version. 😁😂🤣Would love to hear any comments or answer any questions. But please no negativity. Maybe the previous Clio edc 200 was a bit frustrating cause of gearbox. I can’t comment on that. I do believe that the changes made to my 2017 version have been enough to really sort it out and create something very special. In the same way they did from the 197 into 200. Megane 225cup into R26..
think we may have similar thing going on here. But sadly trying to find a improved updated 2017 Cup or sport ain’t gonna be easy. Took me 8 months to find just one. It’s so sad the cause of all bullshit ego driven negativity about this car, all cause it ain’t a f**king manual has really effected sales. It’s crazy that a car this good, at the price is so rare. Ok there are a lot of Trophy for sale’. But that rock solid stiffness is annoying if having to drive it as a normal car. And let’s face it. It’s just a car to get us to work shops etc. Ok I get this don’t bother a lot, but guess it will some like me.
Thank you for reading to anybody who got this far...😂😁❤️
Got a lot say about this Clio 200 edc Cup. Im guessing this is the right platform to air and share my thoughts. Which I really feel the need to express to those who have similar passions and interest, as my friends are totally not interested 🤣😁...can now actually give an honest, proper review as been driving it a lot. Can condense all my thoughts, experiences and realisations, or should say revelations... This maybe of some help to anybody thinking to buy one. Or Just to clear some air with enthusiasts who are just as confused as I was, to why the hell the Clio edc was so badly mocked. Which have obviously really effected sales. We pay too much attention to these review.. Reviews which has been so influenced by just the negatives, and what I now know as ego driven negativity. Which are all so unjustified, and quite frankly a very bizarre approach to this car from 98% of British public and car journalist. Interesting that any review from other countries has been totally positive and polar opposite. And has sold really well global. Out selling the previous RS 200. It seems the brits just like to bully the poor 200 edc. The Trophy has had more positive feedback. But even that has suffered. Still moans about the gearbox and it not being fun like RenaultSport of old, Bo hoo, Bo hoo😭
Here I’m discussing particular the 200 cup. Obviously as this is what I drive. And this car has a very unique genius about which has been totally overlooked. Apart from just 3 reviews out the 100s ive seen(Think have actually seen all the reviews of the Clio that exsist.) These 3 reviews are the only ones Which have pointed out what is amazing about this car One of them being the Chris Harris review. Which is basically absolutely correct. And he was driving a Sport Chassis Clio..
Been wanting a 200 edc since it came out in 2013. Have spent way too many nerdy hours studying reviews etc etc.. And been bemused and fascinated as to why the poor little Clio edc is so hated and disrespected by so many. Really, all this negativity just cause it’s gone auto. Or should say gone clutchless. Cause here we 2 gearbox worlds. Auto and manual. Yes it’s a manual without a clutch. Don’t need a silly, ancient engineered hefty clutch to f**k my knee up thank you very much car making people. So many mates I know now got problems with their left knee. Drive a manual by any chance. Yes. Mmmmmmmmmmm....
O my god the moans cause it not a manual. ”I need a manual to be in control of the car” moans.. It is a f**king manual gearbox. Come on humans wake up.. What the are those paddles for. “Yeah but I like to take my hand of steering wheel and move a lever with my left hand.“... Well guess what. Can do that too. It has an old fashioned style gearstick thing which can be used just a manual. Has anybody figured this out. Why the f**king hell these humans crave a clutch. Is the gearbox really the reason here.. I love auto. Manual box is so annoying in traffic jams, and just general daily driving. Especially if live in a city or big town, or anywhere in the SE England. Anybody who disagree with this needs to try an auto in a traffic jam...Clutch control feet balancing act. What the f**k is this..This is ancient 1930s engineering. And it is. Fact.. The thought of a turbo charged Clio without a clutch, to me is heaven. The clutch control in most previous RenaultSport cars(and any performance car). was tricky at best if times. Heavy and awkward at bitting point. Compared to say a 1.2 eco car. Yes they are.. And when it’s one daily drive, this feet, left leg, knee bending action can become really annoying, and potentially be one step away from a serious road rage incident. I don’t think we as drivers consciously realise how this clutch action can effect the carm mindset that we should all have when we drive. we don’t all live on a empty racetrack. It’s annoying stop start, queuing to get out of car parks, roundabouts, junctions . Anyone been on the M1, M62, M42, M5 recently. O my god. What the hell Is going on humans. So annoying. Phantom traffic jams. Stop start. Riding the clutch. What the f**k is going on up front. Nothing. So why has a 4 lane motorway stopped dead yet again.Ahhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Traffic moves along. Stops again. Absolutely f**king hell in a manual car..🤬😡🥵
Anyway I’m slightly digress here. Back to the Clio. One would simply presume that it’s not a good car then and Renaultsport lost the plot, as I have read many times. But all the owner reviews have been very positive. Some stating it’s better than their Megan’s 265 etc.. Mmmm.. And pretty much all the car journalism reviews do at some point state that the chassis on this car is amazing. Even the most scathing, gearbox hating, anti-Renault reviews have at some point given a one sentence thumbs up to the amazing chassis And then just slag the car off as being boring, soft, annoying useless gearbox which ruins the car, no manual blah blah blah etc etc..
But hold on if the chassis is very well sorted, and we know RS are f**king masters at it, why is the car so bad. This is all which matters right. That we can drive like boy racers, rally star wanna be idiots, in something that can out handle a Pratt in a Porsche. We need a good chassis. This the number one essential ingredient for hot hatch. Power can be sorted out aftermarket by us. But we absolutely can not improve chassis technology certainly not able to better RS factory spec for public road use. Some think they can, But no it’s not possible afraid to say. ok for special track use, yes it’s possible to improve a car for track specific use.. But then driving a touring car style chassis on public roads is undriveable, horrendous and dangerous..
. Why are all the Australia, South African, Dutch, German reviews of this car massively positive. And stated as the best hot hatch. Better than the Pug 208 and Fiesta ST. Much more Sophisticated , I’ve read. Renaultsport move the game on, whilst ford and Peugeot resolved to build old sckool hot hatches.. What the hell is going with The Uk car journalism. Mmmm. Are they just anti French. Xenophobia maybe. Love the french to fail. Let’s all put the boot in, yeah Renault at last have lost their hot hatch domination throne. All hail Ford. Food for thought
So at this point I’m thinking all is not what it seems. RenaultSport are the hot hatch chassis masters. Simple as that. So it seems they haven’t lost the plot. And how could they. With an incredible 100% consistency in building great hot hatches since Clio Williams. It would be impossible for them to just suddenly get it so wrong with the Clio edc. Like NASA suddenly failing to build a spaceship that works..
Have noticed that the 200 cup is considerably faster round a track than the previous 200 Clio, which everybody rants over as still being the best Clio ever and superior the the 200 edc. But hold on. The 200 edc is faster, and not just cause it has and extra 18ftlb torque. It’s faster round the Renault sport test track cause the chassis is better. Better than an already brilliant, supercar bating chassis.. so something is going on here..
Now I own the car, driven it extensively ,I’ve figured out what’s going on. The human race is fucked..
Im massive RenaultSport fan. Previously owned a first generation 172. A 172 cup. 182. And just been bombing around in a 270bhp Megan’s R26 for nearly a year.(Proper Mental hooligan mobile).. So feel I can honestly compare the edc to some Renaultsport classics that been hailed as best driving machinery ever in its day.. coming straight out my R26 into the 200 edc has been really interesting. In fact I still own the R26. But it does not get driven now. Nope it does not. Every time it’s the Clio. its much more addictive to drive. Even though it’s massively down in power. 200bhp vs 270bhp. And an 95ftlb torque advantage easily outweighs the R26 extra 150kg weight gain over the Clio. But every time I just can’t resist the Clio. Surely not I can hear everybody say. Why choose the much less powerful car.. Mmmmmmmm. And the R26 has extensive Suspension mods, high quality springs and bushes etc etc. So probably better than factory standard then. Only done 70k. So it’s not knackered. Ok maybe unfair to compare a modern 2017 car with a 2008 car. But it’s an interesting comparison and all I’ve got to compare anyway. But have read so many times that the Clio is not fun. Not involved. Like the Renaultsports of old. So think it a good comparison in the what is more Fun segment. Remember the Fiesta ST sold ridiculous amounts purely based on it being more Fun than the Clio. Hence why I’ve only actually seen about 25 Clio edc since 2013 which is absolutely crazy.
Now this says a lot about how good the Clio is. It’s hugely down on power Compared to me R26, but strangely it does not matter at all. It’s so involving and easy to drive fast. It’s actually a lot more fun. Yes Fun. My 2017 200edc Cup is a Lot more FUN to drive then a mental 270 bhp R26. And just add till I brought the Clio, I absolutely loved the R26...
The way the Clio delivers the power is so Sophisticated and characterful, to the point that most of the time it feels as fast as the R26. It does not feel outgunned at all. And the R26 was rolling road dyno just 6000 miles ago so it’s not down on power. It’s definitely a 270 bhp car. So something very special is going on here With this Clio. And it feels special. And let me also add. That NO driver modes have been select yet. That little RS button has not been pressed. All my driving in normal mode, so called boring mode. And have done about 2500 miles. All of it Driving on my local twisty bumpy, weird cambered B roads. Where, the Clio is absolutely f**king amazing and will murder my R26 if a time trail was possible.. In fact I be dead cause if tried to carry the same speed in the R26 at certain points, it will fly off the road. And here we arrive at the point of how good the chassis on this clio is. It’s a work of engineering GENIUS.. Simple as that... This is what has been so overlooked by everybody. The Rally car spec, Hydraulic compression twin damper set up at front is fantastic. Never seen before on a production car. This is massive reason why this car is so good. And very interesting how it’s never mentioned in any reviews. Why totally overlooked by the so called experts. These shocks cost like 4 times the amount of standard kit found in the Pug and ST.. Just constant moans and negativity about a f**king auto gearbox....The fiesta ST, like most performance cars rides like a tank. It’s very stiff. And when cambers go weird and unpredictable, this is can be a serious problem. Coming off road and crashing into tree problem. RenaultSport are very aware of this problem. More than any other manufacture. That balance between handling prowess and not not making the car to stiff, crash’y and bouncy on dodgy cambered roads is an art form. RenaultSport are the masters here. The old Clio 182 Trophy was totally transformed into something amazing by simply adding very similar rally style dual damper front shock. This is what is going on with the 200edc. But fascinated How it never mentioned. Pretty sure if the Fiesta ST had this rally tech snazzy dampers, and Clio did not, then it would be constantly bigged up and mentioned all the time by ST owners and car magazine.
Notice I’m not mentioning the Trophy here. Mostly cause I don’t own it, and their are sone fundamental differences. It’s sold more than the Cup and Sport purely cause The gearbox was jazzed up and has extra power. So it was much better received. But for me the Trophy is basically too stiff for a daily, normal driving stuff. It’s 40% stiffer at the rear alone. Which makes it a lot more fidgety and annoying. I did test drive one, and within 2 miles it was like no way for me. Ok for many this not a problem. But it’s like what’s the point. To live with this ultra stiff, track focused, track day super car hunting chassis for years, 90% of the time just driving sedately in a normal sensible speed world, it would wind me and car would be sold on within a year. It spoils the 200 cup and Sport chassis beautiful balance to deal with unpredictable dodgy cambers. And most importantly make long motorway journey, normal driving duties more comfortable. I hear a lot of Trophy owners now slagging me off, but this is the truth. The Trophy chassis is Super Track focused. For Impeccable, unflappable handling at 100+mph on a smooth predictable track. But there is a trade off. Can’t have your cake and eat it. My R26 has a similar problem it’s very track focused. Ok it would murder the Clio on track, maybe. But for me this can not be justified to live with this very noticeable extra stiffness as will never do track day. And who the hell does. Really. The track is a whole different world to public road. In that they absolutely predictable. And very smooth.
The Cup and Sport chassis are so good, there absolutely no way anybody will ever experience the benefits of the Trophy chassis on public roads. Maybe unless just done a bank job and being chased by police. But even then I just do not think any more speed can be carried around bends on public roads. It’s an interesting debate. And that ultra stiffness could compromise speed on dodgy cambered roads. Of which there are a lot. Becomes a bit of a handful. Feel like it’s gonna dart if the road. My R26 has this proble. i shouldn’t mock the Trophy too much as not driven it fast down these road. It’s probably fine. Lot of owner reviews from those who gone from 200 to the 220 Trophy state it’s fine. But I have experience that as a daily it definitely gonna be a little bit more fidgety and bouncey. Some reviews have stated it as being way to hard. Like the Focus RS. Amazing car but just too stiff., Ok so the Triphy has 20bhp more but that aside, as it’s very easy to pump up the 200 power..The sport chassis alone is more than good enough, softer than a Cup, really does ride like a normal car, and still very good for track days. At end of day this is probably the best of the 3. And Renault have sold lots of these globally. I seen loads in France. They stick out by the the smaller 17 wheels. ok for me I would buy the Cup just for the better 18 wheels😎
The Cup chassis seats between them both. In my opinion Has to be the best. Especially if do wanna do bit of track day. But it’s down on 20bhp and torque and apparently has the dumb gearbox. That’s why Trophy are dominating this Clio market. But it more expensive. So with money saved by getting cup or Sport. Can actually afford a hybrid turbo, intercooler and remap. 260bhp for £2000. Ok but the gearbox. The one thing that seems to have destroyed the Clio cup and Sport. So bad was this edc box that not even the incredible chassis could save the day..
Now on to those updates I mentioned at the start. Not many know that Renault updated and improved the cup, as by 2017 the car was so hated in the UK, everyone forgot about it. Actually came across a random South African car review on youtube, of the updated Sport and cup models. They kind of went over all the subtle changes that ironed out all the imperfections on the early(non Trophy) models. Some changes I was aware of, some I wasn’t..... Renaultsport always slightly improve every model every 3 years or so. Just some very minor, tweaks, but enough to make a big difference. Turning a very good car into something amazing..
Like the 172 into the 182. Megane 225 into R26. 197 into 200. Megan’s 250 into 275 etc etc....
Changes to the 200 edc then.. Firstly and most importantly the gearbox .As this seems to be 90% reason why the car recieved So much negativity back in 2013, which then this negativity kind of spiralled out of control in my opinion In the most bizarre way.. For example. Bitching about the shift paddles being mounted on the steering wheel colum, and not on steering wheel like German cars.. nobody pointed out that all super cars and Nissan GTR are the same. I’ve driven Audi and Merc with those naff cheap plastic switches on the steering wheel. It’s awful... And also lots of negativity about the quality of those paddles. But hold on they are exactly the same aluminium, paddles found in the GTR. And the Alpine A1101.. No negative reviews there about paddle quality or where they are mounted. Mmmmmmmmm At this point I realised something Was not right how the public and car reviews was approaching the Clio edc. it just became standard or cool to find faults when actually it had no faults at all.. it’s just been bullied in an almost child like way, like no other car ever. Nobody wanted to adapt to what it is. Cause it’s actually a very clever, sophisticated car, in my opinion, and everybody who live outside the UK... Dare I say it. But it’s actually a game changer for small hot hatches. RenaultSport did move the game on. Nobody noticed, and wanted to live in the past. Driving ultra stiff, manual gearboxes just cause it’s apparently more fun and involving. So the genius of the 200edc was completely overlooked. Absolute load of bullshit. I’ve been in a fiesta ST as a passenger. It’s crap. Yes crap. Never before have sat in a car that felt so cheap and so cramped. And suspension felt very annoyingly stiff. Not doubting it’s performance abilities cause not driven one. But as a daily car, being used as a car. Yes its rubbish in comparison to the Clio.
Anyway back to gearbox.. in 2017 The gearbox software was updated to same spec as Trophy in term of gearshift speed and general intelligence in auto mode. There was a slight delay in changes in normal mode before. And some issues with downshifting. Now. Gear changes even in normal driving mode are absolutely instant affair. Up shift and downshifting. in normal auto mode the gearbox is very intelligen. It’s an absolute joy to drive. Both in heavy traffic boring journeys and bombing around my favourite B-roads.(I live in middle of no where so have my own personnel racetrack)... And as I’ve mentioned still not gone into the different driver modes yet.. kind of intentionally so. Wanna get to know car as much as possible before entering the sport and race modes. But also cause the car is so good in normal mode I don’t feel the need to change anything. The gearbox Is fantasti, and guess it has been massively improved. Mean now it really is as quick as a VAG group DSG.. My mum has a 2019 Skoda VRS with DSG. I’ve driven it a lot, and in much anger cause it’s rubbish.(and not my car, under warranty ha ha ha)... So can compare the EDC to a DSG, which has been hailed as the best dual clutch on the market. But it has the cheap plastic buttons on the steering wheel, and which really do feel stupidly cheap and small. Easy to accidentally change gear.(notice no negative comments here about paddle shift build quality)MMmmmm... for me this concept does not work as well as the Clio, when bombing down a twisty bending B road Mostly cause my hands are centred as much as possible, so the Clio paddles are easier to grab. They are big and have a satisfying clunk click.. Find myself fildling around trying to find the tiny switches If steering at an angle.. hence why rally cars and super cars have paddles columns mounted. But everyone presume the Germans are right so what ever they do the public bow too, and if it’s French then they don’t know what they doin. Have also witnessed same moans about the paddles on the RS Megan’s EDC. Again this is weird.
Anyway back to the Clio. Sorry I keep digressing....
Another update is The Torque. Now up to the Trophy standard of 192ftlb. From the previous 177. No overboost though.. Ok it’s not massive gain, but think this makes a big difference. Not driven the the previous Clio edc so can’t comment on how different it feels. But the accreditation from about 2500 revs is fantastic. It pulls really very well. Instant maximum power. It’s actually faster than me R26 at below 50mph. coming out of a bend at about 30-40.mph, at about 3000 revs, it will leave my R26. It’s that good. Hence why I think it feels as fast as the R26 in many ways and why I don’t miss the huge power advantage on the roads where I live. At any speed over about 60, in a straight line the R26 is an absolute monster and will murder the Clio. The acceleration is ridiculously strong. But in this twisty B road, racetrack world I live in, it’s kind of irrelevant. That why I don’t miss the power, and the Clio actually pulls faster out the bends at any speed below 50. Renaultsport know this and I do believe they have specifically design the car for these type of roads. Like the roads around Dieppe where the RenaultSport factory is. Some absolutely amazing roads(we used to own house in that area of France). So they designed the car based on what they want to achieve for these type of roads...
So the engine has been felted with. Ecu remapped. Both engine and gearbox Improved. made changes to the steering rack. To same spec as Trophy. And cosmetic changes to lights and wheels. Personally I much prefer the look of this Clio. The wheels especially... So yes this new 2017 Clio 200edc Cup is absolutely fantastic car. It’s relaxing for normal driving and absolutely mental when wanna be a rally driver. love it and will keep forever.
To sum this this car up in a nutshell. I think the best way to describe how much I love this car is this....
every time I go out in it, when on my home and about to park up, I carry on driving and do another 5 miles or so bombing round the empty B roads. Especially if at night when roads empty. I live near York in South Yorkshire. In a small village.. 2 days ago I popped to supermarket at 8 in evening for few bits, which is 6 miles away. And hey guess what. on way back was inspired yet again to keep driving. Drive past my house. Ended up doing 43 miles, just driving around my local roads. in rally driving nirvana. And all of it still in normal driver mode. No RS button pushed yet. This says a hell of a lot about this car and how good it really is. Seriously involving and such fun. Never before any any car I’ve ever had, including me R26 have I done this. Carried on driving when about to park up. In all my previous RenaultSports. Just how this car been so written off as being not involved and no fun is an absolute load of bullshit... I will keep this car for ever, with hybrid turbo and intercooler in the future and 250+bhp😎. But although, actually I think it’s enough as it is. Might spoil the balance. That’s what great. I dint feel the need for more power. It’s perfect..😍❤️💕
if you are still reading this then thanks so much to getting to the end. I may have gone on to long, but this is the condensed shortened version. 😁😂🤣Would love to hear any comments or answer any questions. But please no negativity. Maybe the previous Clio edc 200 was a bit frustrating cause of gearbox. I can’t comment on that. I do believe that the changes made to my 2017 version have been enough to really sort it out and create something very special. In the same way they did from the 197 into 200. Megane 225cup into R26..
think we may have similar thing going on here. But sadly trying to find a improved updated 2017 Cup or sport ain’t gonna be easy. Took me 8 months to find just one. It’s so sad the cause of all bullshit ego driven negativity about this car, all cause it ain’t a f**king manual has really effected sales. It’s crazy that a car this good, at the price is so rare. Ok there are a lot of Trophy for sale’. But that rock solid stiffness is annoying if having to drive it as a normal car. And let’s face it. It’s just a car to get us to work shops etc. Ok I get this don’t bother a lot, but guess it will some like me.
Thank you for reading to anybody who got this far...😂😁❤️
