clio rs
Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup
Specifications
Model tested: Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup
Price as tested: £15,570
Insurance group as tested: 15
CO2 emissions as tested: 195g/km
Company car tax %: 27%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date and place tested: April 2009, Portugal
Road tester: Adrian Hearn
The Clio Renaultsport has been given a spruce-up for 2009 with a face-lift, power boost and aerodynamic tweaks. Adrian Hearn travelled to Portugal to see how the new Cup model, a fine-tuned version of a finely-tuned hot hatch, could cope on the race track.
Fast, engaging, thrilling, safe, fun, sharp and brilliant.
That’s the Renault Clio Renaultsport Cup. And now the French car maker has face-lifted its supermini hot hatch for 2009.
The Cup model is the lighter, more hardcore version of the standard Renaultsport and is designed for everyday use but targeted towards buyers who want some track day action.
Power has been increased from 197bhp to 200bhp with emissions reduced by 4g/km to 195g/km. Zero-60mph stays at 6.9 seconds with the top speed up 2mph to 141mph.
Not much of a change, but as we said, the Clio Renaultsport is already a brilliant car.
The most substantial changes are to the exterior. Renault has heavily changed the front end - the Clio now has a similar face as the Megane.
At the front is an aerodynamic splitter with air intakes to cool the 2-litre engine. The rear features a revised Formula 1-style diffuser which houses the twin exhausts.
The Clio Renaultsport looks the part – and behind the wheel it delivers the goods. It may not feel rapid in a straight-line, but it handled 115mph with exceptional stability.
Braking, courtesy of Brembo callipers, is sharp without putting your face through the windscreen.
But it’s corners where Clio excels. It grips the tarmac without fuss, cruising around corners at pace with stiff suspension limiting bodyroll to an absolute minimum.
Pushed to the limit the car reacts perfectly, never losing its composure. ESP and traction control keep things from getting out of hand.
Combine this with a more than adequate 288-litre boot and five EuroNCAP crash test stars and you’ve got a corking all-round car.
The Clio Renaultsport Cup’s biggest let down is its sub-standard interior. Overall quality is a long way off that of the Ford Fiesta, the supermini benchmark.
Inevitably with a car like this you’re paying for performance rather than a quality interior. And to its credit the Recaro seats are comfortable and supportive.
If you want a bit more luxury, pay £1,000 extra and get the standard model (see below for full specifications). Its suspension is 15 per cent softer than the Cup while riding 7mm higher to give a more comfortable drive.
The Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup is the hot hatch of choice for the purist. It won’t be a soothing drive on Britain’s decaying, pot-holed roads. But it’s worth it for those moments of B-road bliss.
For less than £16,000, few other new cars can rival the Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup driving experience.
Equipment levels
Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup standard equipment includes the following;
• Electric windows
• Six airbags – auto-adaptive driver and passenger, lateral airbags and anti-submarining front seat airbags (the anti-submarining airbags are not fitted to the optional Recaro Renaultsport seats)
• ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution
• Disconnectable ESP stability control
• Rake-adjustable steering column
• Leather steering wheel
• Multi-function trip computer
• 4 x 20W RDS CD MP3 radio with fingertip steering column controls and RCA socket
• 17-inch Renaultsport alloy wheels
• ISOFIX child seat mounting points on outer rear seats
• Thatcham category 2 alarm system
• Drilled aluminium pedal facings
• RAID (Renault Anti Intruder Device) which automatically locks the doors at over 5mph
• Black door mirrors, gloss black finish to the rear diffuser and the centre section of the front bumper
The Clio Renaultsport 200 adds the following equipment:
• Climate control
• Renault Hands Free Keycard
• Reach-adjustable steering column
• Renaultsport leather steering wheel with yellow centre marking
• One-touch electric windows
• Cruise control
• Curtain airbags
• 17” Renaultsport alloy wheels in silver
• Front fog lamps
• Electrically-adjustable and heated door mirrors with gloss black finish
• Automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers
• ‘Soft-touch’ fascia with zinc-coloured matt finish to the centre console
• Body-coloured side mouldings
Specifications
Model tested: Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup
Price as tested: £15,570
Insurance group as tested: 15
CO2 emissions as tested: 195g/km
Company car tax %: 27%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date and place tested: April 2009, Portugal
Road tester: Adrian Hearn
The Clio Renaultsport has been given a spruce-up for 2009 with a face-lift, power boost and aerodynamic tweaks. Adrian Hearn travelled to Portugal to see how the new Cup model, a fine-tuned version of a finely-tuned hot hatch, could cope on the race track.
Fast, engaging, thrilling, safe, fun, sharp and brilliant.
That’s the Renault Clio Renaultsport Cup. And now the French car maker has face-lifted its supermini hot hatch for 2009.
The Cup model is the lighter, more hardcore version of the standard Renaultsport and is designed for everyday use but targeted towards buyers who want some track day action.
Not much of a change, but as we said, the Clio Renaultsport is already a brilliant car.
The most substantial changes are to the exterior. Renault has heavily changed the front end - the Clio now has a similar face as the Megane.
At the front is an aerodynamic splitter with air intakes to cool the 2-litre engine. The rear features a revised Formula 1-style diffuser which houses the twin exhausts.
The Clio Renaultsport looks the part – and behind the wheel it delivers the goods. It may not feel rapid in a straight-line, but it handled 115mph with exceptional stability.
Braking, courtesy of Brembo callipers, is sharp without putting your face through the windscreen.
But it’s corners where Clio excels. It grips the tarmac without fuss, cruising around corners at pace with stiff suspension limiting bodyroll to an absolute minimum.
Pushed to the limit the car reacts perfectly, never losing its composure. ESP and traction control keep things from getting out of hand.
Combine this with a more than adequate 288-litre boot and five EuroNCAP crash test stars and you’ve got a corking all-round car.
The Clio Renaultsport Cup’s biggest let down is its sub-standard interior. Overall quality is a long way off that of the Ford Fiesta, the supermini benchmark.
Inevitably with a car like this you’re paying for performance rather than a quality interior. And to its credit the Recaro seats are comfortable and supportive.
If you want a bit more luxury, pay £1,000 extra and get the standard model (see below for full specifications). Its suspension is 15 per cent softer than the Cup while riding 7mm higher to give a more comfortable drive.
The Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup is the hot hatch of choice for the purist. It won’t be a soothing drive on Britain’s decaying, pot-holed roads. But it’s worth it for those moments of B-road bliss.
For less than £16,000, few other new cars can rival the Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup driving experience.
Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup standard equipment includes the following;
• Electric windows
• Six airbags – auto-adaptive driver and passenger, lateral airbags and anti-submarining front seat airbags (the anti-submarining airbags are not fitted to the optional Recaro Renaultsport seats)
• ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution
• Disconnectable ESP stability control
• Rake-adjustable steering column
• Leather steering wheel
• Multi-function trip computer
• 4 x 20W RDS CD MP3 radio with fingertip steering column controls and RCA socket
• 17-inch Renaultsport alloy wheels
• ISOFIX child seat mounting points on outer rear seats
• Thatcham category 2 alarm system
• Drilled aluminium pedal facings
• RAID (Renault Anti Intruder Device) which automatically locks the doors at over 5mph
• Black door mirrors, gloss black finish to the rear diffuser and the centre section of the front bumper
The Clio Renaultsport 200 adds the following equipment:
• Climate control
• Renault Hands Free Keycard
• Reach-adjustable steering column
• Renaultsport leather steering wheel with yellow centre marking
• One-touch electric windows
• Cruise control
• Curtain airbags
• 17” Renaultsport alloy wheels in silver
• Front fog lamps
• Electrically-adjustable and heated door mirrors with gloss black finish
• Automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers
• ‘Soft-touch’ fascia with zinc-coloured matt finish to the centre console
• Body-coloured side mouldings
?
