Renault launches new Clio Renault Sport
The European market is blessed with a host of hot hatchbacks, and this latest addition ratchets the competition up a notch. Renault's new Clio Renault Sport is distinguished by "Formula 1-inspired" aerodynamics, notably front fender extractor vents and a first-in-class functional rear diffuser. The latter generates about 88 pounds of downforce at highway speeds, maxing out at more than 150 pounds at high speed.
Power comes from an uprated version of Renault's 2-liter, 16 valve engine, redlined at over 7,500 rpm. The normally-aspirated powerplant produces 197 hp and about 159 foot pounds of torque. A close-ratio 6-speed gearbox is new for this year's model, and in combination, the revamped drivetrain is good for the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 6.9 seconds.
Broader fenders are stretched over 215/45 tires running on 17-inch alloys. Brembo brakes on cross-drilled discs provide the stopping power.
New chassis upgrades include a 2-inch wider track front and rear, and a new-design "double axis" front strut suspension, which Renault claims is immune to the torque steer that plagues many high-performance MacPherson strut-type FWD cars. The new RS also gets a stiffer rear torsion beam suspension.
Deliveries will start this summer, but order books are open now. More photos after the jump.
[Source: Renault]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
franke 3:16PM (5/30/2006)
I think it looks great! Nice car, nice interior, sounds like a great engine and nice performance.
I´ve heard bad things about the steering in the new Clio though. Also, I´m eager to see how the reliability is going to be.
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American and Proud 3:24PM (5/30/2006)
I like it.
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Cameron 3:44PM (5/30/2006)
I wish we got more hatchbacks stateside.
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Pinkerton 3:52PM (5/30/2006)
This looks like a nice little hot hatch; more sensible than the Clio 6 barnstormer. I must say, Renault :::appears::: to be making some decent cars. Since I'm in the US, I can only wonder, and remember the engineering disasters they sold here in the past.
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H D 4:14PM (5/30/2006)
This is the base for the Nissan Versa. Will we see a Versa Nismo model?
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Michael Karesh 4:17PM (5/30/2006)
It's certainly more attractive than the Versa. That's a significant amount of downforce for a production car.
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Jon 4:49PM (5/30/2006)
How has nobody mentioned that this car is NOT a mid engined, RWD, turbo V-6 like it has been and should be? I cannot applaud Renault for this one, sorry.
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Jeff M. 4:52PM (5/30/2006)
An attractive and sporty FRENCH car? What's with that?
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Tim UF 5:08PM (5/30/2006)
yea, this slots right in there above the civic type r for me...
any idea if they'll ever produce the mid/rear engined v6 clio ever again? or was that just a short run so they could get it into whatever racing class that it fit into? i see jon asked about it too...
being in a military town i see a few european cars. Usually its peugeot diesels that are brought back from overseas assignment i would imagine... they definately catch your eye because they are different, if for no other reason.
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Jeff Crew 5:20PM (5/30/2006)
Please bring this to Canada and dump the Spec-V (Nissan).
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Howard Kerr 5:45PM (5/30/2006)
This car is supposedly based on the Nissan Micra, I'm not sure how close that makes it to a Versa. Since it's still fairly new, there is always the possibility that an all out mid-engined V6 variant will be produced.
The "old" Clio Sport cost about 15,000 British pounds a year ago, but it ONLY had a 182 horsepower.
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Chris 6:18PM (5/30/2006)
Jon, the old Renault Sport Clio (and Clio Cup) was probably the best handling FWD car in the world. The V6 was a pig in comparison.
Oh and Howard Kerr this car does have a bunch more power but it's also a lot heavier if I remember correctly. Previous model was about 1000kg this is around 1200kg. The interior does look much better now though.
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Jeff Banks 12:50AM (5/31/2006)
Man, how come they can't mail some of these over here to the US?
Oh, because nobody will buy them. Such is life.
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Dan 2:54AM (5/31/2006)
Jon- This isn't the Clio V6. There was always a Clio Sport that was just a cup version of the normal Clio not the crazy V6 version.
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G Carvalho 5:48AM (5/31/2006)
Renault has stated that they will not build a v6 mid-engined clio with this generation, since it seems that they didn't sell enough of the previous one to make money out of it...
Personally I think that the "halo" effect of the v6 would be enough of an incentive, since it is one the coolest cars ever to be seen in european roads: it attracts more attention than a f360 (rarer too).
As for handling: generation 1 cars handled badly, very high c-o-g, but generation 2 were suposed to be very, very good. EVO Magazine, for instance, regularly refered to them as a lower-priced old-school 911, everyone knows what *they* think of the 911 ...
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PhilP10 10:14AM (5/31/2006)
Yeah this shares its platform with the Nissan Micra, TIIDA/Versa, Note and CUBE. There may be even some more models, most of Renault and Nissan's B segment sub compacts share platforms.
I like this alot. Supposedly Renault plans to make a return but not til like MY2010.
Also, as mentioned Nissan has hinted there will be a sports version of the Versa, no one knows what powertrain changes will be made though, there will be tuner parts for sure.
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Phil 10:23AM (5/31/2006)
I just returned from France, where gasoline sells for $6.82 per gallon (at current exchange rates)! Diesel was almost 30% cheaper.
Buying a V6 at those prices would quickly empty one's wallet.
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Ted 10:56AM (5/31/2006)
I heard somewhere that this car's motor will power the next Sentra SE-R. So, we may atleast see the nice motor.
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MikeW 3:24PM (5/31/2006)
Hey Honda, that is what a 2.0 liter sporty engine should be like, TORQUE 80 ft-lb liter.
Get with the program.
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Janis Edkins 5:43PM (5/31/2006)
Honda???? nothing wrong with the type r reliability fantastic,basic but a real car and nothing has been able yet to compare with 0-62 even with bigger engines like the st
and the new type r 0-62 6secs that my program.
Try a drive.better still do a mac course.
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