Renault Clio GT arrives

Renault has launched the Clio GT hatch in Australia, priced from $25,290 and pitched at buyers who desire the athletic look of the Clio RS but not the performance or price premium.

The new Clio GT is offered in two grades -- GT ($25,290) and GT Premium ($28,790) – making it $3500 cheaper than the most affordable Clio RS, the $28,790 Sport, which is powered by a bigger and more powerful turbo-petrol engine.

Positioned $700 lower than Ford’s feisty Fiesta ST ($25,990) and at least $300 higher than the Skoda Fabia RS ($24,990 drive-away), the Clio GT is also more expensive than comparable sporty light hatches like the Holden Barina RS ($20,990) and Suzuki Swift Sport ($24,490).

Boasting sports-tuned suspension, an athletic body kit with front LED driving lights, a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with steering-wheel paddle shifters, 17-inch anthracite alloy wheels, dual exhaust outlets and GT badges, the Clio GT's appearance lives up to its name.

Like all Clio models in Australia, the GT is a five-door hatchback. It is offered in six colours including one solid (white) and five metallic (red, grey, blue, black, brown), while chequered roof decals are a $490 option.

Although the new car gets plenty of eye candy and firmer suspension, it shares its engine with garden-variety Clio cars. Powered by the French marque's 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, delivering the same 88kW/190Nm, it accelerates to 100km/h in 9.4 seconds.

Roughly two out of every three Clios sold in Australia drive out of dealerships with the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine under their bonnet, the direct-injected power unit accounting for 71 per cent of all local Clio sales.

While power may not be its forte, efficiency is. Claimed fuel consumption is just 5.2L/100km, which equates to CO2 emissions of only 120g/km.

The Clio GT isn't as fast as the Clio RS, whose 147kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbo four accelerates it to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, nor does it get the RS's brake package. Instead it settles for the regular Clio's 258mm front disc and 228mm rear drum brakes.

However, fettled suspension is designed to provide sharper handling response.

Tuned by Renault Sport Technologies, the Clio GT's springs are five per cent stiffer, while the shock absorbers have been recalibrated to deliver 50 per cent more damping force at the front, and 40 per cent more at the rear.

Clio GT models also benefit from a twin-mode RS Drive function that enhances throttle response, sharpens the car's steering and hastens gearshifts at the push of a button.

While the car's sporty looks and chassis will be drawcards, Renault has also fitted a high level of standard equipment to all models, including keyless entry and engine starting, automatic climate control, cruise control and speed limiter, sports seats, leather steering wheels, one-touch merge indicators, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth audio and phone plus a touch-screen sat-nav system.

Step up to the GT Premium and it gets a more powerful R-Link infotainment system (albeit with the same sized 7.0-inch screen) with voice-operated features, a reversing camera, fixed panoramic glass sunroof, heated leather-trimmed seats and a RenaultSport rear spoiler.

The new Clio GT comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and capped-price servicing, costing $299 per service for the first three years.

Renault sold 532 Clios in the first three months of 2014, representing a small 2.2 per cent share of the light car market, but Australian managing director Justin Hocevar says sales have already surpassed sales targets.

"Through Clio we have been able to introduce our vibrant brand to a wide range of new customers.  We are confident that the new Clio GT will continue this trend and be popular amongst younger buyers who want the sporty look of the GT however their lifestyle doesn’t require the additional performance of the Clio RS," he said.

The Renault Australia boss noted that sales of the French brand were up by 40 per cent compared to the year before, and that "this growth is strongly supported by the sales success of new Clio and the high demand for the range-topping Clio RS".

Hocevar noted that while sales of the new GT variant will be incremental, they will only be roughly half that of the Clio RS, which equates to about 25 sales per month or 300 per year.

"It won't outsell RS. At the moment the RS volume will be almost double that of GT," he said, noting that the Clio RS will attract about 600 buyers by year's end, or "six times the average annual sales of the previous Clio RS".