Renault Clio grows up

We creak and crank in the morning like rusty old barn doors before we get going.

It all sounds very much like doom and gloom but there is an upside: with age comes wisdom, understanding and a gradual appreciation for some of the finer things in life. A good case of quality over quantity, but this is not the case when it comes to cars.

As soon as a model is a few years old it undergoes a midlife refresher that sees an exterior nip and tuck being done to keep appearances up and a few key bits and pieces under the metal, so to speak, are replaced or enhanced to keep body and soul functioning. Just a few years later, an all-new model with all the best bits fitted comes out bearing the same name. And so the cycle continues. 

Imagine if life was like this?

Anyway, getting older is a fact of life whether you are a human or a car, but growing up is optional, they say. And the all-new Renault Clio RS has chosen to grow up a little in an attempt to be more things to more people. But is this a good thing?

This compact hot hatch, which retails for a heady R319 900 in Cup form now runs a 1.6 turbocharged petrol engine with 147kW of power and 240Nm of torque on tap, which is now the norm in this segment – from Fiesta ST to Polo GTI to Corsa OPC. So immediately it faces some stiff competition as the most expensive new kid on the block.

Sure, it comes jam-packed with technology and luxury the competition just don’t offer – like standard sat nav for one. There is an RS Drive configuration module that, at a push of a button, modifies the mapping of both the transmission and engine – it also alters the way the ESC and ASR traction control intervene, as well as the feel of the power steering. And married to a six-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox is Launch Control.

You can even go one step further if you are an avid track day supporter – as most Clio RS owners I am sure are – and opt for the in-dash RS Monitor 2.0 and R-Link system.

This customisable system display uses dials, histograms and graphics to provide the following data in real-time: torque, power, water temperature, intake air temperature, turbo pressure, throttle valve aperture, brake pressure, steering wheel angle, engine speed, transmission oil temperature, temperature of EDC clutches and wheel torque. But does this make it quicker around a track? Not a chance, because there is no way you will be watching all this data on the centre display while your eyes are glued to the track – but it is cool to have.

Talking about track, the Clio RS Cup would certainly be the quickest in its segment around the black stuff. But it is not as razor sharp as it used to be, and it is still a bit too hard for everyday road use on bad tar. So this means compromise and this compromise means potential owners could well look at a more rounded car like the Ford Fiesta ST as an everyday drive that can still hustle around a track when you want it to.

On the road it is much of a muchness when it comes to performance data: the Clio RS gets to 100km/h in a class-leading 7.04 seconds, followed by the Polo GTI at 7.22 seconds, then the Fiesta ST at 7.43 and, bringing up the rear, the Corsa OPC at 7.52 seconds. It is worth mentioning that the two quickest cars off the line both come with double clutch auto boxes, albeit the one fitted to the Polo is way better than the slow-shifting Clio box.

True top speeds are pretty even too, with the Polo GTI going fastest at 230km/h, the Fiesta ST next at 228km/h, the Clio RS at 224km/h and, once again, the Corsa OPC coming in last at 221km/h.

They also all consume fuel in a way that is directly related to your right foot. Claims of 6.0 and 7.0 litres per 100km are a bit of a pipe dream, to be blunt, and you can expect around the 9.0 litre mark most of the time. We averaged 8.6 litres per 100km during the time we had the Clio RS Cup.

As to be expected from a Renault, the Clio RS comes with a full house of safety equipment on board to keep you safe when you are thrashing around in your compact hot hatch.

The likes of ABS and EBA, hill start assist, ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) and a host of air bags, to name but a few items, all do duty.

The Renault Clio RS makes a strong bid for the title and sees off the rather old Corsa OPC and soon-to-be-replaced Polo GTI – but it can’t get around the 
substantially better priced Ford Fiesta ST (R267 700) when it comes to value for money and everyday usability.