Renault Clio R.S 1.6T Sport Review
Cup fever

2.0-litre hot hatches aren’t rare locally and with the addition of the new Mini Cooper S to this mix, their numbers are certainly bulging. But what is rare is the addition of this little Clio RS and as you might’ve already realised, it seems to lack any real peers in this category of 1.6-litre turbocharged hot hatches.

It’s true that just awhile ago one could shout out the Volkswagen Polo GTI as a worthy contender to the new hatch but that has since been taken off the shelf until the next facelift follows in 2015.

So for now the Clio RS sits well and truly alone and while its cold comfort that it arrived at a time where its bang for buck performance versus engine capacity no longer matters, we still think it’ll be a hot seller for the French car maker considering no other five door hatch packs 200bhp under the hood.

Exterior

The new Clio RS is quite a handsome hatch with a face that follows closely the current corporate face that’s gradually being applied to other models in the company. Decked out in the popular RS yellow, the hatch is quite striking.

Around the car, Renault made sure you are reminded of its F1 pedigree with plenty of aero bits that take inspiration from their motorsport background. The front features an F1-style blade similar to that seen on its bigger RS265 brother with integrated DRLs.

The rear is better defined by the large diffuser and venturi tunnels that work in conjunction with the front blade to produce additional downforce for the hatch. And on this ‘Sport’ variant, the 18 inch black wheels are standard.