Renault Clio RS 2002 Review

For its third time round, Renault certainly started its renewed sales and marketing effort with a bang in Australia with a limited range in March, 2001. A bang for your buck so to speak with the little Clio Sport taking out Motor magazine's annual gong for the most fun you can have for your dollar spend.

Now that car has been replaced with a new model that takes the French car-maker's little hot hatch up another level, which is likely to ensure it retains its hot-hatch crown for some time to come and firmly establishes the Clio moniker as a by-word for affordable fun and driving performance.

You can forget big local V8 muscle cars or overblown turbo Japanese sedans, for when it comes to nippy, zippy and altogether extremely satisfying and practical driving, the Europeans, and the French in particular, seem to be able to deliver the goods.

Renault's solution in this instance is simple. Drop a more than decent rev-happy 2.0-litre four under the bonnet of a small Barina-sized three-door hatch, tune the suspension for a handling bias and give it a price tag that won't have the average consumer requiring a Lotto win to get behind the wheel and you have a supermini with a fiery heart that gives its maker something to crow about.

The new front end gives the Clio Sport a more purposeful stance but behind the tighter, sharper lines, the changes have been more than cosmetic. Despite the relatively similar visage of the car to its predecessor, nearly half of the structural and bodywork components are new or revised to give the Clio Sport an even greater edge in the sports stakes.

Under the bonnet sits the same 2.0-litre four that delivers a very healthy 124kW of power and 200Nm of torque, although it has been slightly retuned to give it a bit more torque lower down in the rev-band. Don't get me wrong, the engine still loves to head for the 7000 rpm red-line when asked and is happiest when operating between 4000 and 6500revs.

Keep the engine spinning in this territory via the slick five-speed manual gearshift and the Clio Sport delivers an exhilarating, exciting drive experience that is up there with the best small sports cars.

For the new model, the front suspension and dampers have been retuned to offer a bit more ride comfort while still maintaining the car's sharp, predictable handling and tenacious grip. The feedback through the direct steering is superb with only the slightest hint of torque steer evident under a full right boot.

Inside, the new Clio Sport has undergone as significant a makeover as it has on the outside with an easy on the eye dash and centre console housing controls for the standard climate control and single disk CD player.

Getting a good driving position is a simple affair with multiple adjustments for the seat and steering wheel and excellent placement of the aluminium plated drilled pedals. There is also slightly more interior space thanks to a body that has been stretched about 5cm, adding a bit more legroom for the rear passengers or expanding the space for luggage.

On the safety front, the Clio Sport gains active safety benefits from its superb chassis and anti-lock brakes. If things do go awry, adaptive two-stage driver and passenger front airbags, front side airbags and seat-belt pretensioners on all four outboard seats will help reduce the severity of injuries.

You might question paying $32,990, at launch, for a small three-door hatch but if thoroughly enjoying the process of getting from A to B is a high priority in your purchase plans, then there is little on the road that is going to make your smile last like the Clio Sport.