Renaultsport Clio 200: PH Carpool
PHer uses Carpool to bid fond farewell to a much loved hot hatch
Car: Clio Renaultsport 200 (2010)
Owned Since: October 2010 (now sold)
Previously Owned: Peugeot 106 (1.1), Vauxhall Astra (1.8), Ford Focus (1.8 diesel)
Alpine tours saw Clio punching above its weight
"Having spent three years at university living off super noodles and pasta I was lucky enough to get a job straight after graduation. First thought, "buy a nice car!" This led to hours upon hours of reading, researching and general day-dreaming about the cars I could afford. I fancied a hot hatch so went down the path of looking at ST Focuses, VXRs, GTIs, Leons, Type Rs and Cooper S variants as well as the Clio 200. I test drove them all on varying qualities of routes determined by the salesman. The worst test route by far was at Toomey Renault (Basildon, Essex). It comprised an industrial estate, housing estate, speed bumps and one roundabout which I went round five times to get a feel for the car. Despite the uninspiring test route it put a bigger smile on my face than all the others I'd driven, that was it, I'd found the car I wanted. Add in to that the incredible performance the Clio gave at ECOTY 2009 to be placed fifth ahead of much more exotic and expensive metal. The car was ordered and now I had to wait three months for delivery!"
What I wish I'd known:
"I wish I'd known what a capable car it really was so I could've been even more excited about the day I picked it up! Apart from that, not much, other than knowing what a difference a remap, exhaust and brake upgrade would make, I would've have done it all sooner. But then again, doing it bit by bit I was able to appreciate and notice the difference that each part has made. I also would've fitted the Yokohama AD08s a lot sooner as well; the Continental SC3/5 is an amazing all rounder but can't produce the grip of the AD08. Oh, and that I'd forked out the extra £1,200 and gone for the Alien Green paint."
Red white and blue from both sides of Channel
"Where to start! Personally I love the look of it with the whole red and black theme; it suits the car with the red calipers, black wheels, spoiler end plates and black front bumper, plus the diffuser with lovely carbon exhaust trims. The main thing I loved about this car though was its ability to devour a B-road and leave the car behind (or in front) bewildered at how a Clio of all things can cover tarmac so quickly. Just ask anyone who was on the Petrolhead Nirvana Alpine tour in 2011 or 2012.
"The ride is incredible, hard but composed and gives you confidence that even when you're bouncing along you can keep your foot in. The steering feel is marvellous; you really feel what the front end is doing and the change of direction is pure brilliance. Basically, the car communicates back so much through hands, feet and bum that it gives you so much confidence to attack a piece of tarmac ... did I mention it's confidence inspiring?
"The best option I specced on the car was the Recaro seats, they weren't cheap but they were sensational. They give so much lateral support and yet for an aggressive looking seat are amazingly comfortable. A point proved by the various long trips I've done with no discomfort at all (e.g. 482 miles from Essex to Perth in one day last October).
"The 2.0-litre naturally aspirated F4R engine is a peach as well. Yes it lacks a bit of torque in the mid-range but who cares? Peak torque is delivered at around 5,200rpm and peak power is at 7,200rpm, or should I say was as it's now been mapped and peak power is up at 7,450rpm with the limiter now at 7,750rpm. If you keep the engine on the boil above 5,000rpm it's nothing short of wonderful, and with the last 750rpm it absolutely sings with the addition of the exhaust. Especially when you then hear the beep to change gear and when you do you get a nice pop from the exhaust and then you're into the next gear it starts all over again ... NA heaven!
Roger can't be accused of not getting money's worth
"Oh, one last thing I love is how the car gets completely underestimated at a track day or group outing. No one expects it to go as well as it does which I quite like as it's the whole underdog thing."
Things I hate(d):
"Er.......erm........I guess the stereo could be better.......erm..........more fuel economy would be nice but that's mainly my fault.......er.......erm......pass."
Costs:
"I found the car to be very reasonable to run. On mixed driving I tended to get about 27mpg, a motorway run at 70mph will return 34mpg and on track I've had 11mpg. On the two Alpine tours I've done, it returned 25mpg over 2,200miles with a lot of Alpine passes, as a reference an E92 M3 achieved 18mpg. General running costs in terms of servicing were very normal with a recent service coming in at £140, Tyres are around the £135 mark so not too bad again. As its only a small car so the consumables aren't too expensive, which is nice as you don't get the shock horror from changing two tyres you might get on something a bit more 'grown up'. Especially if you have to change them after 6,000 miles."
A very PH way to run in a new car - thumbs up!
"This is where it gets interesting. To run the car in I decided to go on a solo five-day trip to the Scottish Highlands; was an amazing way to acquaint myself with the car. I covered about 1,800 miles in the five days and took in some amazing roads. The car has also been on two of Petrolhead Nirvana's Alpine tours in 2011 and 2012. Was quite an experience to be driving alpine passes with some rather tasty machinery such as a 996 GT3, F430, Murcielago, original AC Cobra and an absolutely bonkers 330hp S1 Elise as well M3s, 911s and Astons. They were two amazing weeks that I'll never forget and I met some brilliant people. I'd recommend anyone that's ever even considered doing a driving holiday to contact Petrolhead Nirvana and get booked up!
"I wasn't sure what to do in 2013 so decided to head back up to Scotland for a four-day trip exploring even more fantastic roads and then headed into Wales for two days for the first time where I was joined by a friend in a very similar/near identical Clio 200 and also, for a short period, a gorgeous white Aston V8 Vantage S. Not sure I'll be forgetting the image and sound of chasing that Aston across the Black Mountains for quite a while.
"As well as these trips the car has been on track days at Brands, Snetterton, Bedford and Donington where it performed impeccably. The Clio really is a car that is as at home on track as it is on road. It's also been to a few PH Sunday Services and many group outings with other PHers."
Clio always keen to play with the big boys
"The Clio has now been sold, so I'll be keeping an eye out for it to pop up at a meet or forum in the near future. I'll get something fun again at some point but who knows, I love the idea of a Caterham. I've loved owning the Clio and honestly couldn't ask anymore from a car. There really is no point in having more than 200hp in the real world, far more enjoyment can be had from extending the gears from a two-litre NA lump that handles and stops like a dream.
"Many people stick their noses up at FWD and the Clio, but honestly I challenge anyone to drive one on a nice B-road or track and not step out with a massive grin."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
I've got one in the same colour, and it really is a great little car.
Clio outside RSR by mattwillcox, on Flickr
Recently purchased a 200 with cup pack and have to say i'm not gelling with it as much as the hype surrounding them suggests I should.
Great fun at 8/10ths+ but rubbish at anything less. Gutless engine, rubbish sound, sub 30mpg at 75/80 (many v8's would beat this), no flow (unless really pushing), cupholders you can't use, peaky power delivery but not actually that satisfying to rev (compared to alfas ive had before), a very bad flatspot (apparently they all have, the engineers signed it off like that!) around 2.5krpm, Stupid gear ratios for non-track use, I could go on. Its a tour de force of terrible engineering. (Perhaps you only notice all this when used to better cars)
However, it is very swift point to point, lovely feel, good aircon and looks good. Also getting 30mpg around town is normal (its better around town on fuel than on the motorway). I'd happily say that one of my previous (less sporting) RWD cars would provide more driver satisfaction at more sensible speeds, its been a learning experience.
Basically, its alright for a hatch, bit of a laugh sometimes, nothing special in the grand scheme of things.
You need to pedal above 50-60mph on some twistys for the 200 to come alive imo. Similarly I'm guessing you must have to go totally banzai in a 265 Meg.
You need to pedal above 50-60mph on some twistys for the 200 to come alive imo. Similarly I'm guessing you must have to go totally banzai in a 265 Meg.
The Clio 200's certainly make you work for every bit of speed when on a b-road blast, the short ratio's work really well with the peaky engine. I don't crave any more power in it as I think it would upset the balance and take the fun out of wringing its neck to keep momentum.
Mine still makes me smile after a good run out, after nearly two years of having it.
. Most things that I`ve taken to the Alps need better pads and fluid at a minimum, I`ve melted E55(car was 4 months old, pads and discs replaced FOC in Puget Sur Argens) EVO and R26.R brakes in the Alps, just replaced the rotors and pads on the R26.R for this year`s trips after 10k miles.
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