Renualt Clio RS
We all love a bargain. In the motoring world nothing much feels as good as a performance car bargain. Defining a performance car is a bit of a problem in the first place. 0-100 times don’t say it all with many an uber-SUV destroying records without ever quite making it into the sports car league. I would argue that it isn’t in the numbers. Kilowatts don’t prove it either. Not even power to weight ratios. It is more of a seat of the pants thing with many cars that don’t meet the numbers making the grade in a under your skin kind of way.
On to today’s review then, and the Renault Sport Clio RS Gordini, about the clumsiest thing to do with this one, is the name. Everything else is sharp. Finesse, exciting and a bunch of good adjectives make their way out of the sadly not too dusty cliché box. It feels fast, precise and leaves with you with a feeling beyond the rictus smile. It leaves you feeling, dare I say it? Talented.
Let’s get the numbers out of the way. 147.5 kW (I haven’t seen a point five on a spec list in a long time), 215 Nm, 6 forward gears, 6.9 seconds for the 100km/h sprint, 195 CO2’ s & 8.2l/100km. The numbers lie. Outrageously. In a good way though. The fact is it is light and wieldy. It feels much faster. It pulls like the proverbial freight train, and grips. Really grips. And communicates. And feels good. Did I mention it impressed me? Forget those claimed fuel numbers though. It isn’t going to happen. Eminently reasonable for the performance you get though. Expect 10 litres per 100km real world, and that is in the excellent range. You just won’t be that disciplined. No one could be. Forget about remaining fine and point free. You will pay happily.
It isn’t compromised in a WRX STi kind of “you can’t drive it every day” way. It is a pussycat when it needs to be. Firm suspension, but this is a true sports car. Not quite chiropractor firm, but firm nonetheless. There also isn’t that much room other than in the front seats. So forget this one to take the whole family off to Durban. But you tell me what other performance car can be had for around R279,900 including a three year 60 000km Service Plan?
It of course comes with some cutesy little numbered plaque on the gearbox tunnel and has a lot of conveniences thrown in including Bluetooth, keyless go, light and rain sensors and an entire alphabet soup of safety acronyms. It has Renault’s signature hideously unintelligible and anti-intuitive steering wheel accessible audio controls too though. One just wishes this unconventionally good offering would be more conventional in just this one small respect.
It is about the most underrated performance bargain out there.
