Oh before I go...I knew Id find it
THE Clio Renaultsport 172 has topped CAR Magazine’s massive group test to find the hottest hatchback car on the market, securing the title ‘Super Hatch of the Year’. The group test, in the October issue of CAR, was divided into two categories - Hot Hatch of the Year for cars under 160bhp, and Super Hatch of the Year for cars with over 170bhp. Some of the results were surprising, proving that there’s more to a hot or super hatch than having the most ‘horses’ under the bonnet.
The most elite hatches competed with the Clio Renaultsport 172 for the Super Hatch of the Year title including the 180bhp Seat Leon 20V T Cupra, 204bhp VW Golf V6 4 Motion, 215bhp Subaru Impreza WRX Sportwagon, 175bhp MG ZS 180, and 197bhp Honda Civic Type R. The best car was the one which offered the best combination of pace, price, handling and equipment, and the Renaultsport-tuned version of the latest Clio was the clear winner.
As CAR concluded: “You’re getting tons of standard-fit kit, up to and including full digital climate control. But most importantly, you’re getting the ability to cross country as fast as anything this side of a Mitsubishi Evo. With so much kit and so much pace, the Clio’s ends justify its means. It’s a genuine performance bargain.”
Evo magazine also puts Clio 172 on top
CAR is not the only magazine that thinks the Clio 172 is the best hot hatch around today. The November issue of Evo magazine puts the Clio Renaultsport up against the 170bhp VW Golf V5, as well as the 175bhp MG ZS 180 and the 197bhp Honda Civic Type R concluding that they “...prefer the renault because its ability is more easily accessed and exploited, and also because it looks and feels like a hot hatch should. Get it while you can”.
I rest my case
