Renault Clio RS 1.6T Sport Review: Cup fever

What we like:

Versatile hot hatch that will appeal to more than one member of the family.

What we dislike:

Exhaust too tame and unrefined.

During our drive, the level of grip available made the addition of a physical locking diff a frivolous expense. We particularly loved the brake pedal feel that was neither spongy nor unnecessarily firm. In a word, perfect.

With the excellent suspension damping in the RS265, we’ve come to have high expectations of its baby brother as well and it doesn’t disappoint. Sure enough the Clio RS is firm around town and all but is never edgy like say a Civic Type R.

Get it on small B-roads however and it becomes a magical experience of maintaining constant contact with the road. The surefootedness of this hatch goes beyond what its compact proportions would suggest and isn’t nearly as snappy as you’d expect. It flows from bend to bend in fluid precision.

The appeal of this humble hot hatch lies in its ability to comfortably switch between different roles. Comfortable city car for the missus, weekend track machine for the mister and a general family ferry with its practical five door configuration. The addition of the EDC automatic has certainly opened a lot more doors than was possible in the previous generation.

And at $156,999 (15th July 2014), the Clio RS has no peers that offer this combination of performance, convenience and comfort at the same price while boasting 200 bhp under the hood. It is truly in a class of its own.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline