I can't recall exactly where I read it, or who wrote it, but I'm certain that someone, somewhere has claimed that the shift paddles in the Clio 200 EDC are the very same units fitted to the Nissan GT-R. It being a good few years since I'd driven a GT-R I was inclined to believe this particularly geeky nugget of trivia. I mean, who wouldn't want to have a part of such a technological and engineering marvel in their modest hatchback? It sounded plausible too; surely the boys from Dieppe would be able to procure a supermarket sweep of their Japanese partner's parts bin after a sake-fuelled night on the tiles?
We'll say it again; an update away from brilliance
Last week I got the chance to jump straight out of the Clio and into the driver's seat of an MY14 GT-R. And discovered the disappointing truth that it's a load of twaddle. Both are mounted to the steering column, rather than the wheel itself, for example. And they do share a broadly comparable angel wings shape. But while one pivots with weight and purpose, travels just a few millimetres and signals the selection of a new gear with an unambiguous click, the other swings a good deal further and lacks any kind of haptic feedback. Need I say which one's which?
On paper they both promise similar shift times - 150 milliseconds in Race mode for the Clio - but the reality is night and day. For the Clio, it's the upshifts that really trip it up, stalling the all-important swell of progress. And the fact that you have to pull the paddle that bit further, and there's nothing to tell you the shift has been registered, doesn't help.
The unlikely saviour for the Clio? Could just be
This is hardly news, of course. A tediously repetitive chorus has followed this Clio Renaulsport around from its launch, now over a year and a half ago. Almost every review has sung the same lyric - "With a few tweaks it could be a great car," or words to that effect. The equally chastised 197 only lasted a year before the F1 R27 was wheeled out, with a host of revisions, to answer the critics. So surely Renault must have an update brewing for the 200? To those seeking clues, official channels have nodded in the direction of the recently announced Nissan
Juke NISMO RS. This, remember, shares the same engine with the Clio 200. OK, so it's got a ridiculous name, and it's basically a hot hatch in Cuban heels, but touched by the hands of NISMO it now has 215hp (the Clio has 200hp), 210lb ft of torque (up 33lb ft), a mechanical limited-slip differential and some Recaro seats. And where have we heard that recipe used before? Better still, the Nissan even gets a manual gearbox. Now we're talking.
So what are the chances of all, or any, of this coming to the Clio 200? Well, we can but hope. But going on past experience, whatever the details turn out to be, at least we shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out.
FACT SHEET
Car: Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC LUX
Run by: Danny Milner
On fleet since: April 2014
Mileage: 8,485
List price new: £21,835 (Basic list of £19,995 plus £650 for Cup Chassis, £300 for 18-inch Renaultsport wheels and Dunlop Sport Maxx RT tyres, £595 for Flame Red i.d. metallic paint, £295 for Renaultsport Monitor)
Last month at a glance: Comparisons with hot Nissans offer hope of future improvements
Previous updates:
Clio arrives on the PH Fleet; faces an uphill struggle for popular opinion
PH 'accidentally' ends up in an impromptu Clio Cup race at Spa
Danny heads to Scotland in search of the Clio's hidden depths
Found - the Clio's wild side
Clio battles its Peugeot nemesis for Danny's affection
So, the Clio wants to be grown-up and mature - is it?
