Renault Clio RenaultSport 200 Turbo EDC Lux review

The Clio Renaultsport (RS) 200 Turbo EDC Lux is the hottest Renault Clio currently available. It has a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that produces 200hp at 6,000rpm, a high-tech twin-clutch transmission system and the ability to choose between three different driving modes at the press of a button.

As it’s based on a regular Clio, the car is driven by the front wheels, but it has an electronic differential that aims to minimise understeer and improve grip in corners. Plus, the suspension of the regular Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux is 10 per cent stiffer than the previous Renaultsport Clio and 60 per cent stiffer than the standard Clio, which should improve handling. Our review car was fitted with the optional Cup chassis, which is even stiffer and has a 3mm lower ride height.

Although a hot hatch, Renault has resisted the temptation to daub the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux in accessories such as bonnet vents and air scoops, opting instead for classier flourishes such as silver side skirts, a front F1-style air blade, a rear diffuser and and a discreet rear spoiler. Cars with the optional Cup chassis also get black 18in alloy wheels and red brake calipers. The result is a hot hatch that looks special but won’t draw unnecessary attention to itself. We think this is the correct approach, as it’s likely to appeal to a wider range of buyers.

INTERIOR

The Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux’s interior is also treated to some extra styling in the form of red stitching on the front seats, red seatbelts (even in the rear), Renaultsport kickplates and an RS badge on the steering wheel, among other things. Such flourishes lift the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux’s cockpit, brightening up what would otherwise be an ordinary Clio interior.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a Clio interior. There’s plenty room for the driver and both rear and front passengers, making long journeys more comfortable for all. There’s plenty of headroom and the seats are height-adjustable, making it eminently suitable for taller drivers.

Although perfectly adequate, we did find the large, cloth front seats a little too spongy. The lateral supports were also a little spongy and they pressed against our back instead of enveloping it. We’re sure most people will be happy with them and that we’re just being fussy, but we’d prefer much firmer seats.

It’s a small point, and another sign of our fussiness, but we also think that the
gear stick and handbrake are much too wobbly for a top-of-the-range Renaultsport car. They should feel much tauter and more purposeful than they do.

As it’s a hot version of a regular supermini, the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux’s interior is perfectly practical and is well suited to families. The car has electric windows all round, with the driver having control over all four. There are deep drinks holders for the both rear and front passengers, making spillages less likely on long journeys and drive-thru takeaway runs, and there are a few cubby holes for items such as sunglasses and mobile phones. All this makes the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux as easy to live with as a regular small hatchback.

The Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC’s instrument conveys information well, and we especially like the large, centrally positioned digital speedometer, as you barely need to drop your eyes to see it. To the left of the speedo is a rev counter and to the right is a large fuel gauge.

Its 300-litre boot is larger than you’d expect, and will happily take a couple of cases. Plus, the rear seats can be folded down to provide 1146 litres of luggage space.

MOOD SELECTOR

The car’s 1.6-litre engine is mated to an automatic dual-clutch gearbox. You can either drive the car as a regular automatic or change gear manually with the gear stick or paddles. It’s a truly fantastic gearbox, easily the one of the best we’ve used and an absolute bargain considering the price of this car. It enables very quick changes whether you’re driving in auto or manual modes; just one blip of the paddle and you can downshift in what seems no time at all.

One of the best things about the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux is the way you change its behaviour to suit your needs. In normal mode, for example, the car feels much like a regular 1.6-litre hatchback, which is ideal if you’re ferrying people around town or doing the weekly shopping. The gearbox always selects the most economical gear for your speed, and general performance is subdued unless you downshift and press the accelerator.

Should you want to have a little fun, though, and don’t mind burning more fossil fuel, the car provides two further modes: Sport and Race. These modes make the throttle more responsive, firm up the steering and adjust traction control settings. They also make gear changes even quicker. When in Race mode, the gearbox downshifts is less than 150ms, making it seem instantaneous. This is important considering how quickly the car revs to the red line.

Renault claims the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, and we certainly wouldn’t argue with that figure. In regular mode, the car’s pretty slow to accelerate initially due to the damped throttle response and a bit of turbo lag, but it increases rapidly as you pass 3,000rpm. The best approach is to downshift when overtaking or exiting a corner in regular mode. Acceleration in Sport and Race modes is more rapid due to the freer throttle and quicker gear changes, and it’s these modes you’ll be using on twisting country roads and hilly routes. You can even perform a race-style launch in Race mode, which ensures you get the quickest start.

There’s a bit of torque steer when starting off in a hurry in Sport and Race mode, but nothing extreme, especially if you know it’s coming.

The car handles well enough for the most part, but we did feel a bit of body roll on some corners and there is more understeer than we’d like, even with the presence of the RS electronic differential. This meant that some corners provided more scares than thrills, but the greatest pleasure is to be had from powering out of a corner with a downshift or two rather than entering it at speed.

We were also a little dismayed with the car’s ride, which we think is too soft and bouncy for a car with sporty pretensions.

The appeal of the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux is definitely the car’s acceleration and the effortless, ultra-swift gear changes of its dual-clutch gearbox. You can’t approach corners with the same confidence as in a car such as the Toyota GT86, but this a front-wheel drive hot hatch with decent rear seats and a large boot; you expect to make some compromises.

MULTIMEDIA AND TELEPHONY

One thing that surely distinguishes the RS 200 Turbo EDC from other hot hatches is Renault’s excellent R-Link navigation and multimedia system, which shames most, if not all, others. It has a 7in capacitive touchscreen with bright, colourful and easily navigable screens. The icons are easy to understand and the friendly interface invites you to use it. There’s no concern that you might inadvertently alter a setting and then not be able to undo it, and it’s easy to operate the system while driving.

We had no trouble inputting our destination (you can even change the keyboard layout to suit you) and the colourful map was informative and easy to understand at a glance. If you miss a turning, the system quickly updates to an alternative route in a just a second or two.

The audio screens are also particularly informative and easy to use, with album artwork and track details displayed large. You can select tracks and albums from a list that you have to scroll through, which could be laborious if you have a lot of music on your phone or USB flash drive. We’d like to see a search function on future revisions of the system.

You can play music from Bluetooth-enabled devices such as smartphones or via USB, with the car’s USB port located in the centre console, just in front of the gear lever. We had no problems using either method, but it’s obviously worth using the USB port on longer drives as it also keeps your device charged.

As you’d expect on a system such as this, you can connect your phone via Bluetooth and make and take calls hands-free. The sound quality is reasonable, and the callers had no problem hearing us, but we’ve heard and used clearer systems. Unfortunately, there are no phone controls on the steering wheel itself. Instead, there’s just one control on a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column. You can’t see the stalk, so you have to know which button you must press to answer or terminate a call. We’re sure owners will eventually get used to pressing the correct button, but we’d much rather have telephony buttons on the wheel within a thumb’s distance.

Volume controls are also located on the stalk. These are a little easier to access than the telephony button, but we’d still much rather have them on the steering wheel. Indeed, we preferred to use the volume dial on the R-Link system itself than the controls on the stalk.

Those controls that are on the steering wheel relate to the car’s cruise control system, which may be of benefit to some drivers, but we’re sure most would prefer to control audio and telephony instead.

The steering wheel also has a button that lets you control the R-Link system with your voice, but our attempts to use it proved fruitless whether commands were issued in a Lancastrian accent or RP.

This is one of the best, if not the best, satnav and multimedia systems available, so it’s a shame that the car’s multifunction steering wheel lets it down.

Renault often refers to the R-Link system as a tablet, and to that end even provides a number of apps you can use. The most notable one plays the exhaust note from a specific car, such as the previous Renaultsport Clios, with the sound rising and falling in volume in response to your driving. It’s a neat app, but one that can quickly become tiresome.

An option that sadly wasn’t enabled on our car is Renaultsport Monitor 2.0, a telemetry system that presents drivers with information such as engine speed, power and torque in real time. Apparently, it also shows G-force, and lets you save screenshots of the G-force diagram to a USB drive. It sounds fun, and we can see it being a popular option.

PRICING

Prices for the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC Lux start at £19,995 on the road and rise as you add various options, such as the £695 Cup chassis on our review car. Other options include a £350 rear parking camera and £1250 leather seats; for a full list of options consult your local Renault dealer or use the Renault car configurator.

Its insurance band is 29E, and according to the DVLA website road tax will cost just £140 per year at the standard rate.

CONCLUSION

If you want a blisteringly powerful, hardcore hot hatch, the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC Lux is not for you. However, if circumstances are forcing you to buy a practical car but your heart is demanding fun, you should give Renault’s latest some careful consideration. It’s economical, as long as you aren’t tearing up tarmac in race mode, and it looks prettier than a regular Clio, but one press of the RS button and this quiet supermini provides dramatic acceleration.

The Alfa Romeo MiTo QV is a prettier alternative. It’s not as powerful as the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC, and it’s a little smaller, but its turbocharged engine can still provide excitement and we think the MiTO’s a bit more fun in corners. Should you want a practical rear-wheel drive sports car, you could pay a bit more for the Toyota GT86, although you would miss out on a turbocharger, and we prefer the Clio’s boot.

We like the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux. The exterior looks great, there’s plenty of room for passengers and luggage and we love the EDC transmission and different performance modes. However, we would prefer firmer seats, firmer suspension and nippier response at lower revs.

To test drive the Clio RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux, contact your local Renault dealer.