Road Test: Renault Sport Clio 182 Cup

By Feann Torr - 31/Aug/2005

When it comes to hot hatches, the French know what's going on. From the mid 1980s, car makers from the western European country were dipping their collective toes into the hot hatch waters, to see what could be done with a short wheel-base, a light kerb weight and lively 4-cylinder engine.

Cars like Peugeot's punchy 205 and the rambunctious Renault 5 GT Turbo of the mid '80s helped lay the foundations of what would become the hot hatch phenomenon, which has led to cars like the Renault Sport Clio and the Peugeot 206 GTi

The latest French pocket rocket to hit dealerships in Australia is from Renault, a company that knows plenty about squeezing maximum performance from its engines. Take it's 2005 F1 car for instance: it's got more torque than most of the cars in the '05 paddock, but the way in which it feeds that power to the ground has been the key to its success.

And if only an iota of this mechanical know-how filters down to its road cars, it's a sure fire way to improve performance. With a combination of hot hatch history and modern powertrain technology behind it, the Renault Sport Clio 182 Cup has a lot going for it, so let's have a look:

Renault's Clio is a very good vehicle, even in its basic entry-level form, and this Sport 182 Cup model makes a very good value-for-money proposition based on cold hard numbers.

For less than $33,000 you can streak from 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds and surpass 220km/h, but what often puts a lot of customers off is the car's size.

Despite its petite size, the Clio isn't too hard to find a comfortable position in. It's smaller than models such as the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf but thanks to clever ergonomics makes very good use of interior space.

The seats are a bit narrow, but like French cars in general they are matched by few in terms of their contouring and ergonomics.

On a blast from Melbourne to Mt Buller, about three hours give or take, the Clio's pews failed to instigate any major comfort issues, though the same can't be said for the rear bench (it's tight back there).

The dashboard is quite nice, with chrome-rimmed dials and a fancy cruise-control speed indicator, and for once I won't criticise the dash plastics.

I liked the anti-theft feature too, where both doors automatically lock when the cars reaches a certain speed - about 10km/h.

There's some classy features such as the combination leather/suede seat upholstery, which is mirrored in the door inserts and helps give the cabin a very plush feel. Surprisingly upmarket.

Whoever's in charge of interior design at Renault deserves a pat on the back and icy cold beverage.

The steering wheel feels nice under hand and is quite small, making for a sharper feeling response (in reality it's probably no different from a larger tiller though), and the 6-speaker CD stereo was of a very good quality, able to pump out some seriously sharp audio.

Fit and finish is pretty good as well, but the Sport Clio 182 is built in France after all, so you'd expect a certain level of quality in that regard.

Peak power in the Renault pocket rocket has been boosted from 124kW to 131kW, and while this may not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, it is a significant increase due in large part to the car's light weight (1090kg), which means even the smallest of increases can make profound real world differences.

On the road the difference can't be felt all the time - standing starts felt pretty much the same as the older 124kW Clio Sport - but one area where this 7kW boost does lend itself keenly to is in mid-gear roll ons; it's got a lot drive from the mid-range. The 5-speed manual transmission is a delight to use, facilitating very rapid shifts thanks to a combination of the light clutch and short distance between gear throws.

This increase in power is also discernible when your foot is flat to the floor exiting bends in the road, and dipping into the 200Nm cauldron of torque is also felt. If you overcook it or pounce on the throttle a bit early in a too-tight corner, the front wheels can break traction. But with the discreetly intervening ESP turned on (which also makes driving in damp conditions and in the wet far less problematic) it makes pushing the beefed-up Clio to its limits rather simple and highly enjoyable.

One thing about the Sport Clio 182 Cup is that it doesn't posses the cushiest of rides, but if you don't mind foregoing a plush ride you'll be rewarded with a determined sports hatch capable of some pretty hairy cornering speeds.

That said, if you don't want the upgraded chassis (which lowers the ride height and stiffens the spring rates by 20% front, 15% rear) of the $34,490 Cup model that's on test here, you can opt for the equally rapid Renault Sport Clio 182, which costs $32,990 and offers drivers a less rigid ride (more vertical wheel travel) and different coloured mags, but is identical in every other respect.

In combination with the tight suspension rig, the Clio Cup's short wheel base gives this car the ability to turn-in with such alacrity, one almost forgets it is a front wheel drive vehicle. There are few cars I've driven that have the sheer cornering tenacity and grip of this little beast - the turbocharged Mitsubishi Evos among them.

While you may be left behind by larger engined vehicles on the straightaways - but not by too much - the Clio will doggedly make up ground through the corners, assailing occupants with the kind of lateral G-forces you'd expect in a more serious (and more expensive) sports car.

Renault offers buyers a free day at the racetrack in order to acclimatise drivers with the Sport Clio

The twin exhausts each have their own collectors and when all things are considered the Renault Sport Clio 182 is a rather nice looking machine

The independent front suspension (MacPherson struts) has been tuned for performance rather than comfort, and together with a fixed mount anti-roll bar the Renault Sport hatch exhibits only mild levels of body roll, enabling the driver to keep a level eye on upcoming twists and turns while ensuring both front wheels put their power to the ground consistently.

The happy suspension setup combined with larger wheels in the 2005 model means grip levels have been increased. The new 16-inch alloy wheels look superb, giving the car a much needed dose of aggression, and are shod with grippy low-ish profile 205/45 R16 tyres.

Feedback from the front wheels via the steering wheel is neither brilliant nor lacklustre, but because of the car's grip levels, small size and light weight, it matters not.

You can literally throw this little tacker into a choppy corner - completely ignoring the minor slaps you feel through the steering wheel - and thuggishly manhandle it through the turn. It doesn't have the bite nor the ponderousness that some larger cars demonstrate, and will simply smile back at you and wink after such crude antics. Very cheeky.

Under brakes the Clio is also very manageable, featuring 280 and 238mm discs at the front and rear respectively. It did squirm once or twice with the shift in weight when I jumped hard on the anchors, but its ability to wash off speed was more than satisfactory.

Because of its light weight, a touch of braking mid-corner won't spoil its line too badly either, and it must be said that it's not hard to push the car to its impressive limits with confidence after only a short time in the pilots seat - testament to Renault's knowledge of the hallowed hot hatch.

Visually, I reckon the Renault Sport Clio 182 looks a treat, though its 'cute' greenhouse adopted from the donor car may leave some enthusiasts wanting something with a more mature look. Xenon headlights combine with fog lights, the deep front apron and an latticework grille to give the front end a more imposing temperament, where matching side skirts and a low rear apron complete the bodykit picture.

The new-look 16-inch wheels suit the car well, and the only visual difference between the Clio 182 and Clio 182 Cup models is the colour of the alloys - silver for the former and charcoal for the latter. The twin exhaust outlets, or 'Death Star' turrets as one admirer called them, lend the vehicle's tail end a good deal of sportiness - almost motorsportiness - and help differentiate this range-topping model in the Clio range.

On top of the sporty image, strong acceleration and sharp handling, the Clio Sport has the kind of inspiring character you could associate with, say, Lleyton Hewitt. He may be small, and kind of ugly from some angles, and rather arrogant at times too, but he hammers away all day long, able to keep much more powerful opponents honest in the process.

I found the pedals to be spaced a little too closely together for my size 11 clodhoppers, so shoe choice was something that needed to be taken in to account before driving.

Other than that, there's not a lot to complain about. The rear seats are best described as 'cosy', to use a real estate term, a fairly tight boot can't swallow larger object, though a handy cargo net for the shopping and 60/40 split folding seats go part way to resolving this. I suppose fuel consumption for a 2.0-litre engine is not the best in class (6.8L per 100km on the highway and 9.0L in the city), but this little engine has been designed to deliver its bang high up in the rev range.

Overall: 4.25/5

The Clio Sport is a brilliant little car that I really enjoyed driving. It has that special ability to outclass much more expensive equipment and I found something undeniably attractive about that particular quality.

I'd pick one of these sports hatches over the 206 GTi 180 because the power delivery is stronger and the seating arrangement more comfortable. In straining my brain to think of other cars than can match the Clio Sport's levels of performance for the $33/$35k price, I came up blank. A kit car perhaps? A banzai Japanese sport bike?

To top it all off, features such as the smooth leather/suede seats, climate and cruise control, xenon headlights and rain-sensing wipers add a touch of prestige to proceedings, and for mine this European performance hatch is a winner in almost every respect. Zut alors - c'est formidable!