Renault Clio RS F1 Team R27 2009 Review

Road (and Track) Test

Price Guide: $39,990 (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges)
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Two 1kg fire extinguishers, spare wheel, sponsor stickers.
Options not fitted to test vehicle: Back seat.
Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP
Fuel: 98 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 199
Also consider: Driving lessons; Ford Focus XR5 Turbo, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Mazda3 MPS

About our ratings

When talking up its new Clio Renault Sport F1 Team R27, Renault claims that "in the soul of a Clio beats the heart of Formula 1". Putting aside the rather contrived model name, it's a very bold claim from the French firm.

As the name implies (or rather spells out in detail) this latest addition to the Clio Renault Sport or 'RS' range has been built in honour of the French company's F1 world championship success in 2005 and 2006.

Mechanically it's largely the same as the existing Clio Renault Sport 197 but with some important tweaks to the suspension.

Renault calls it 'Cup Chassis' suspension and it has been specifically tuned with the racetrack in mind. The R27 sits 7mm lower than the 197 to get the centre of gravity even closer to the road and further reduce load transfer when cornering at speed. The springs have been stiffened too -- 27 per cent at the front and 30 per cent at the rear -- to lessen body roll and reduce pitching. The other change has been to increase the bending stiffness and flexibility of the bump stops by 10 per cent for more handling improvements.

The engine is unchanged from the 197 -- a 2.0-litre 16-valve four-cylinder petrol unit that produces 145kW at 7250 revs and 215Nm at 5500 revs. Other carry overs include the six-speed manual gearbox and Brembo brakes.

So confident is Renault about the performance credentials of the R27 the company allowed the Carsales Network to enter one in the opening round of the Australian Tarmac Challenge (ATC). Formerly known as the Dutton Rally, the ATC is an entry level form of motor racing that is open to any road registered vehicle.

That means it caters for a wide variety of machines that includes exotics such as Porsche 911 GT2s, Nissan GT-Rs and BMW M3s, as well as rally-tuned weapons such as the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.

But it's also an opportunity for track orientated machines like the R27 and regular hot hatches, be they lightly modified daily drivers.

Cars are split into three categories -- Street, Club and Motorsport Championships -- depending on the level of modifications. They are then divided into classes based on engine size and performance.

Under those rules the R27 found itself pitted against a Ford Focus XR5 Turbo and a turbocharged Mazda MX-5. Although the Renault was giving away a power (21kW) and torque (105Nm) advantage to the Ford, the combination of challenges helped level the playing field for the most part.

Events are a variety of track sprints, auto tests, hill climbs and even a drag run. This year's opening round was held in Victoria at Phillip Island, Holden's Proving Grounds at Lang Lang, the new Haunted Hills Hill Climb and the DECA training facility at Newborough across three days.

The opening day consisted of circuit sprints around Phillip Island and auto tests in the paddock. Out on the circuit the fast, flowing curves wouldn't naturally seem to suit the Clio but the stiffened suspension helps keep the car flat. With direct steering providing good feedback you can position the Clio at will.

It inspires confidence in the high speed corners including the turn that leads onto the track's main straight. Despite pulling fifth gear at the beginning of the straight the R27 struggles to push beyond 190km/h in either fifth or sixth gear. Despite this the Clio is able to lap the track in 2:07sec, an impressive time given its specifications and good enough to best times set by the Nissan 370Z.

Off the track and into the auto tests set-up in the Phillip Island paddock the R27 was more at home. The challenges put an emphasis on agility -- something that the little Renault has in spades. Changes of direction are easily handled by the Clio thanks to its compact size and the well-sorted steering. Around the witches hats the Clio posted a time good enough for third outright in Street Championship, but also fast enough to humble several Club Championship competitors including the new Nissan GT-R and the Porsche 911 GT2.

The second day at Holden's Proving Grounds was made up primarily of the challenging roadways used by The General to sort out the ride and handling of its new cars. To keep speeds down on these fast and demanding roads ATC organisers inserted several chicanes throughout the stages putting the brakes under pressure.

As you'd expect from 312mm ventilated front discs clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers, the stopping power of the R27 is immense. The chicanes meant repeated hard stops throughout each day but never did the pedal feel anything but strong.

What impressed most though was the confidence the R27 inspired. Given that most events were run without any preview, the first test was an exercise in trying to find a balance between figuring out the course while pushing as hard as possible. But because the R27 provided such good feedback it meant you could afford to push hard and have a good feel for the limit of the car.

One surprising element of the R27 was the fuel economy throughout the weekend. Even though it could only manage 10L/100km on the highway, pushing it to the limit in competition didn't have the expected result. After the opening day it had only risen to 11L/100km but finally peaked at 12.2L/100km on the final day. By the time the Clio had returned to Melbourne via the highway the consumption had dropped back to 11.8L.

Compared to its rivals that were returning figures more than double that number it makes the R27 an appealing prospect for competition. Green motorsport? Well, sort of...

Another plus for the Clio is the interior: It is sporty but retains comfort. The only major change in the cabin over the 197 are the Renault Sport Recaro front seats. The racing inspired buckets may look thinly padded and uncomfortable, yet they were anything but. Not only were they supportive during the high speed action, but they proved perfectly comfortable across the entire weekend of commuting from each venue and to-and-from Melbourne.

The downside of all the performance is significant tyre roar and noticeable wind noise when on the open road. However, with the stereo switched on the noise isn't a deal breaker.

In spite of its humble size and comparatively humble $40k price tag, the R27 wasn't disgraced during its competition debut. It may have seemed like a risk for Renault to allow us to test the car under such conditions but given its abilities, it was a safe bet. It may sound like PR fluff but Renault's "heart of Formula One" tagline has some credibility after our thorough track testing.

Only 40 examples of the R27 have been imported by Renault Australia so if you are interested you better act quickly. Suffice to say there were plenty of interested parties during our time at the ATC and we've already told Renault not to sell this one!.Read more on carsales.com.

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