Renault Clio Renault Sport 200 AGP 2011 Review

Price guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $39,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating (Euro NCAP): Five-stars
Fuel: PULP 95 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.2
CO2 emissions (g/km): 195
Also consider: Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf GTI

Like many of the good things in life, the Renault Clio Renault Sport 200 Australian Grand Prix requires just a touch of familiarisation…

In comparison to the run of the mill hatches many of us drive, it's cold blooded even on temperate mornings. It struggles to idle smoothly when it's first fired and more than a little recalcitrant to move away smoothly before it's ready.

The clutch is heavier than the average hatch and engages over quite a narrow range. In contrast the throttle travel is long and deliberate. These juxtaposed pedal parameters also mean the RS's driver has to be on his or her game if the first drive or two is not to turn into a hopping display of which Skippy would be proud.

And then there's the racey front Recaro seats… Or more to the point (pun intended) their aggressively profiled side bolsters. Now, how do I put this delicately? I won't bother… Doesn't matter which gender you belong to, plonking yourself down into them willy-nilly without due regard to the location of your, umm, nether regions is ensure to result in prodigious eye-watering… You've been warned.

But learn to wait a minute or two before you drive off, educate your pedal pushers, and perfect your entry and exit and, if you are a keen driver, you'll quickly learn to love your Clio.

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- the RS versions of Renault's not-for-Australia light car are without doubt some of the most engaging performance cars built today. With tactile steering, a chassis that's sharp (but forgiving at the same time) and a willing, linear and potent enough naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four, they are the very model of the original hot hatch, without too much technology to cloud the waters…

In its latest form, the limited edition RS 200 AGP, the RS Clio is no less attractive. If you are a hot hatch type buyer you'll be hard pressed not to like the attention-grabbing yellow-bordering-on-gold paint job, contrasting black roof and carbon-look detailing. To add to the mix it's been given a facelift to more closely resemble its Mégane stablemate, and then there's the 'must have' item of hotties in this decade -- black wheels.

A limited edition of just 30, the Clio RS 200 AGP might be seen as many as a rather cynical exercise in marketing – leveraging Mr Webber's relationship with the brand in a way Renault Australia had failed to do so to date… But don't let the chutzpah divert you from the fact that underneath the basic RS Clio is a great drive. And even when the 30 AGPs are gone, in its Trophee guise (the car on which the AGP is based) the RS Clio is available to us all -- 365, 24-seven.

With 147Kw/215Nm it's not as fast as its big brother RS Mégane or as muscular in the midrange as Volkswagen's turbocharged 'default' GTI. But on a tight racer road the Clio RS is quicker witted than both. Our guess is a Civic Type R – the only other locally available true hot hatch that eschews forced induction – wouldn't see which way the little Renault went.

Inside there's all that you need and little more. Comfort and convenience features fitted as standard include climate control air, power windows and mirrors, auto lights and wipers, airbags et al. Bluetooth is standard and easy to use – both in terms of telephony and streaming tunes. USB and other inputs are offered as well. And once you are used to the quirky layout of the audio and other controls arrayed in pods around the steering column, the secondary man-machine interaction is fuss-free.

It's in the primary interaction that the RS revels, however – as it should be for a driver's car. The thick leather wrapped steering wheel delivers the impression you know every little thing the front wheels are up to. The six-speed manual box is also satisfyingly precise with a relatively short throw, though as noted the take-up point of the clutch needs some learning.

The long throttle requires you to sit a little closer to the firewall than normal so you can deliver the welly without moving onto tippy toes. That's okay, there's sufficient adjustment in the steering wheel to make things work.

Finally, the centre drilled aluminium pedal is linked to a set of seriously accomplished Brembo binders that, combined with the Clio's relatively light weight haul the car up NOW! They're so good they seem almost racetrack ready.

Over a range of 'normal' (read: bad) local roads ride is firm, but rarely crashy… The Clio's balance is excellent; a touch of lift as you enter the corner doesn't upset the car but rather makes it point nicely. Wind on the throttle and the nose runs just a little wide – it's all very satisfying. Like the compromise of a little comfort for firm flat cornering, this 'tunability' is spot on for target buyers.

In terms of practicality, the Clio is more comfortable for two than four. The back seats are okay for head and foot room but the Recaro front seats don't seem to slide and hideaway quite as well as the standard seats, making it a touch harder to get into the back. Again this will worry most buyers not a jot.

The rear seats don't fold flat, but there's still enough room to cart a bicycle (front wheel out) – or other similarly awkward cargo. Again this will be a bonus for buyers, not a key purchasing parameter.

Over a hectic Easter long weekend, we averaged just a tick under 12.0L/100km. If you can bear to drive your RS like an economy car, you'll be able to improve on this. But why would you bother – the harder you rev the Renault's relative simple DOHC four-cylinder the better it goes. And the better it sounds.

It would be remiss not to point out the Clio RS carries with it the concerns many have regarding Renault's bona fides in the Australian marketplace. Dealers are relatively few and far between and despite its status as one of the heavy-duty players in Europe, the brand suffers an on-again off-again perception in the Australian landscape.

After a couple of false starts it is again desperately trying to re-establish itself Down Under.

The caveat for hot hatch fans is that unlike their plain jane stablemates the RS Renaults command stronger demand in the used marketplace and therefore, reasonable resale values.

They are far from the gold plated investment a hot Golf will deliver, but at least this means you can buy with some comfort that your proud circa-$40,000 purchase won't become an orphan the moment to drive it out of the showroom.

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