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Jaggy Cars - May 2010
Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup
My Cup Runneth Over With Joy
There’s a lot to really, really like about the Clio Renaultsport Cup, and really not that much to dislike. The driving position is good, the steering wheel just the right size and shape, and the Recaro seats offer just the right amount of support and cushioning without being awkward.
If there is a niggle it’s the fact that the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, only for height. If you want that flexibility then you have to go for the ‘Cup’s sibling, the Renaultsport 200 which gets a few more luxuries than the stripped out Cup version, like hands-free keycard, climate control, cruise control, rear seat headrests, electric adj door mirrors, soft touch fascia and gloss finished centre console and silver alloys. The lack of such luxuries means the Cup is over 35 kgs lighter than its more civilised twin.
And that’s what this wee car is all about, performance. If it looks squatter than the standard car, that’s because it is. The front and rear wings are wider to accommodate the wider track and wheels, and slightly longer wheelbase, and it sits 15 mm lower than the standard car, but the really big change is the Renaultsport PerfoHub front suspension. The double-axis strut front suspension is lighter than the standard car and is designed to negate torque steer while the rear torsion beam suspension is uprated and attached to a thicker anti-rollbar.
If that sounds taut and firm, it is, but not overly so. In fact I can believe that some folk would actually use this as an ordinary commuting car just so they could have fun at the weekends.
There is no mistaking the car’s purpose from the inside either. Once clamped between the buttock grippers, the yellow-faced rev counter informs the driver instantly that it is red-lined at 7500 rpm. This rev counter is attached to a 200 bhp version of Renault’s 2 litre motor whch itself is attached to a delightfully slick 6 speed shift.
Twist the key (I never liked the card system anyway) and it fires into neighbour noticing life. It’s not too noisy as it has to conform with ‘the regulations’ but it does boom through the cabin more noticeably than the fully carpeted versions. That might also have something to do with the fact that there is no spare wheelwell as it houses the silencer to further improve airflow under the car. It also has a rear diffuser which generates an additional 40 kgs of downforce at motorway speeds and up to 70 kgs of downforce if out on the track.
In other words this is a serious bit of kit. So having got it started and warmed up, it was time to toddle off and try it. And yes, it does toddle. It’s not happy at slow speed though, all jiggly and bumpy, and yet I have had worse rides in cars costing twice as much. But where it all comes together is on a fast twisty road.
Gawd, it lights up. It doesn’t accelerate out of corners, it punches its way out. And matched up to a set of brakes that’ll stop you quicker than a girder in your face, it does all you want it to do in straight lines.
Which brings me to its cornering abilities. It doesn’t half stick to the road. On a long fast bend, an elephant with a wrecking ball couldn’t knock it off line. The amount of ‘stick’ generated by the 215 Contisports is breathtaking – literally. And yes, the torque steer has been pretty much controlled, but it seems at the expense of understeer. At full chat you can afford to take a ‘decent cut’ in corners knowing that you will not actually ‘hit’ the apex – but only if you’re brave enough, and not on the public road!
If you’ve been reared on front wheel drive cars then this will be second nature. Under normal fast road circumstances turn-in is pretty accurate and combined with the braking, acceleration and sheer road grip, it is a kennel-storming little car.
Would I have one? Tone down the exterior paintjob, and the answer is – like a shot! It’s got more fizz than a well shook up bottle of Irn Bru.
In short:
Price: £16,459
Engine: 1998 cc, 4 cyl, 200 bhp
Performance: 0-62 mph in 6.9 seconds, flat out at 141 mph
Economy: 44.1 mpg extra urban, 34.4 mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 195g/km
Insurance: Group 15
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