Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup road test
Renault has always tried to have a little bit of fun with its Clio, first adding a hot hatch model to its line-up in 1992 when it added the Clio Williams. Following in the tradition of the three Williams iterations, the monstrous V6 from 2001 and previous Renaultsport Clios such as the 172 and 197, comes this latest version, the 200 Cup. It has all the ingredients of the perfect hot hatch – front-wheel drive, 200bhp and a sub-seven-second 0-62mph time – and a proven heritage, so it should have every boy racer drooling at its appearance. And rightly so, as it’s on-road performance lives up to its promise.
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The version of the car that we drove was fitted with the firmer Cup suspension, which is 15% stiffer than the previous Clio 197 (the ‘standard’ 200’s suspension is 15% softer, but it can be ‘Cupped’ as a £400 option). However, although pretty firm, it’s still not hugely uncomfortable in low-speed, hump-filled, urban situations. The 200’s handling is also as good as you hope it will be, thanks to a superb chassis that will forgive you if you take a corner too enthusiastically and have to lift off the accelerator halfway through. The steering is initially fairly light, weighting up progressively the more lock you apply, and there’s not a huge amount of feedback, but this very rarely affects your enjoyment. And there will be plenty of that, as there’s bags of grip, with a rear diffuser, boot spoiler and splitter in the front helping to create the downforce that keeps the car feeling as if it’s glued to the road.
Read the full Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup road test
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