Renault Clio RS 2001 Review

What you're looking at here is the Renault Clio RS. At just over $30,000 it's the latest pretender to the hot hatch throne - a market that's had little to crow about since being abandoned by the Suzuki Swift GTI in the late 90s.

Sure, there has been some royal wannabes since then, the Peugeot 205GTi, Holden Barina GSI and the Suzuki Baleno GTX are probably the most noteworthy of a rather uninspiring bunch. But it was the Swift GTI that had the mix just right. As fast as it was affordable, as nimble as it was exciting, the GTI was performance motoring with a refreshingly back to basics focus. And that, in a nutshell, is why it became the cult car of the early nineties.

So it's quite surprising to discover Renault's been able to adhere to those principals and yet build a vastly more comfortable, upmarket hot hatch for so little extra money.

Don't get me wrong, there's no fluff here, it's all built with a purpose. The engine, a 2.0-litre rev-happy twin-cam four pumps out 124 hard charging kilowatts. That's enough to put you and the lightweight 1034kg Clio on the wrong side of the law just 7 seconds - on your way to a top speed in excess of 220km/h. But only in the Northern Territory of course, officer!

Combine this with the Clio's rifle-quick five speed manual gearbox, and firmly sprung sports suspension and you've got a weekend warrior of uncanny ability, and a thirst for more.

Wheels magazine called the Clio RS "as crisp as a fresh baked baguette," and we concur. Steering response is addictively quick and rewarding, encouraging far-flung drives into the country in search of tighter, twistier roads.

The suspension, a simple strut front, torsion beam rear construction, is set up much firmer than the standard Clio, though not too unyielding that you can't live with it around town. Don't expect it to glide down the road with the bump soaking qualities of a Mercedes-Benz S-class saloon, but then don't expect it to wallow and pitch at the first sight of a bend either.

It's all designed to reward you when you're having a go. A real go. Drive faster, it says, I'll show you the best time you've ever had. I'll make you feel like Lowndes carving through the esses on your way to a pole position at Bathurst. Let's forget the drudgeries of life and concentrate on what's at hand. You. Me. And that corner. Nail it.

And the brakes share the same single minded performance focus. Antilock - of course - and with electronic brake distribution for maximum attack, the Clio's four wheel discs will pull you up quicker than a Victorian cop on a quota.

So, when it comes to hot hatches, it doesn't get much better than this. The only bad thing about the Clio RS is that you can't buy one. Only 85 came to Australia this year, and they're all sold. Next year a new model arrives, and we can only hope it keeps the focus on cheap, addictive performance motoring.

If it was a drug, the Renault Clio RS would be illegal.