Clio Renaultsport 200
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 01 July 2010
CLIO RENAULTSPORT 200 – the hot hatch continues to punch well above its weight. Available in 200 Cup or 200 versions, the road car is based very closely on the highly-successful Clio Cup racer.
In fact I’d go as far to say that the French car company certainly seems to have succeeded in every way with this reincarnated pocket rocket. There are quite a few changes, and the most obvious ones are cosmetic.
The revised front end has a more belligerent -looking bumper with an F1-inspired front wing and altered lights.
There are fresh 17 inch five spoke alloy wheels too, and they look first-rate. The engine is largely unchanged, but the modifcatications make sense - peak torque now comes in at 5,400rpm, 100rpm sooner than the old Clio Sport, and there's more raw power on tap all the way up the rev range until the electronic limiter screams at you to stop.
Other small revisions are useful: better fuel economy, emissions are down to 195g/km from 209, and there's a TomTom sat-nav built in to the top of the dash.
Three versions are available - a stripped-out utterly insane RS 200 Cup, a more civilised RS 200 with stereo and sat-nav, and a civilised RS 200 on the Cup's chassis (for an extra £400).
Rasping Twin Exhausts
The noise from the rasping twin exhausts as you rip this ferocious little wasp up the black stuff is enough to put a smile on your face. The only drawback is that you feel slightly silly when greeted with disapproving looks from other motorists when you come to a snarling halt at the lights. That feeling is soon forgotten though as the lights turn to green and you’re growling away from everyone else with very little effort from the right foot.
Overall this little powerhouse is an excellent improvement on a car that was already oodles of fun to drive in the first place. It was built for thrashing on tracks or on the rural B-roads of Great Britain. Well done Renault – an excellent, fun, French product!
PROS ‘N’ CONS
PROS
- Real fun
- Fast
- Looks
CONS
- Portable Sat-navs miles cheaper
- Boy-racer image
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 141 mph
- 0-62mph: 6.9 secs
- Combined fuel economy: 34.4 mpg
- Power: 200 bhp
- Max. torque: 215 Nm
- CO2: 195 g/km
- Price: £17,481.20 (On the road)
