Newswheel @ Geneva: Clio Renault Sport

Newswheel staff :: 01 March 2006 :: Filed under Hatchback, Renault, Renault Clio, Europe & UK, Trade shows

[Click on an image to view]

Hot Clio hits 100bhp per litre

Happy happy, joy joy: At last a real, never-seen-it-before Geneva debut. The Renault Clio, er, Renault Sport looks like a pretty comprehensive effort to dominate the hot hatch sector thanks to a new 2.0-litre engine packing a Honda VTEC-matching 100bhp per litre specific output, some trick aero mods and a heavily tweaked chassis…(flick those fingers for a bigger picture)

The Clio Renault Sport’s new all-alloy, naturally aspirated screamer was jointly developed by Renault Sport Technologies and Renault’s Powertrain Engineering Department. The showbiz numbers are 197bhp at 7,250 rpm and 159 lb/ft at 5,550rpm. Tech highlights include carefully honed valve seat aerodynamics, a high compression ratio of 11.5:1 and the usual variable valve timed twin-cam trickery. Power is delivered to the front wheels via a six-speed box.

So, what of the sordid matter of performance statistics? How about 62mph in 6.9 seconds and a terminal velocity of 134mph? A little underwhelmed by a 6.9 second sprint from a 200bhp supermini?  Well, welcome to the safety-obsessed new millennium. The airbagged-up, crumple-celled and impact-beamed Clio Renault Sport weighs only slightly less than a first generation Porsche Boxster at 1,240kg.

Still, we’ve high hopes regarding chassis response. Sure, the fundamental setup remains the same as the slightly stodgy standard-issue gen-three Clio with struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear. But a 10mm wheelbase stretch, along with 48 and 50mm wider tracks, front and rear, should give you some idea of just how much attention Renault has paid to the handling. Indeed, out go the boggo steel front MacPherson struts and in come a pair of double-axis struts, hewn partially from aluminium in the name of reducing unsprung mass. The usual stiffer springs, bushes and roll bars as well as polyurethane bump stops also make an appearance in the quest for improved body control.

What’s more, this pocket rocket should stop at least as well as it goes courtesy of drilled discs grasped by Brembo callipers all-round. And while Renault has included a full ESP dynamic stability control nanny to prevent unwanted car-scenery interfaces, it has been recalibrated for higher limits – and even better, it can be completely disabled. Our only significant doubt, chassis-wise, is the steering. Renault has stuck with electric assistance, and that never bodes well for feel and feedback. Wheels and tyres, for the record, are 17-inch items, shod with 215 section boots. That said, a limited slip differential is a notable absentee from the spec list. Time will tell whether 200bhp is more than the Clio III’s front end can cope with.

Rear diffuser develops 40kg of downforce at what Renault describes as “race track” speeds

Last, but not least, this hottest of Clios boasts what Renault rather epically describes as F1-inspired aerodynamics. Basically, what you’re looking at is a rear diffuser with integrated exhaust outlets and front wing vents. Renault says the rear diffuser develops up to 40kg of downforce at high speed and reduces lift at the rear by a factor of three. But don’t get excited by the idea of being sucked to the road - the overall aero balance at the rear is still positive - ie, the Clio Renault Sport still suffers from lift. As for the front wing extractor vents, they are at least fully functional – which is certainly something of a rarity. Renault reckons they tidy up the airflow over the car, therefore reducing drag.

Front wing vents clean up delaminated air flow. Probably…

We’ll update with prices and on-sale dates just as soon as we get ‘em.