RE: Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup: Spotted
Thursday 4th December 2014
So now it is just Renault remaining. Ford produced a great fast Fiesta straight out of the box, Peugeot now has its own equal too and therefore the world is waiting on Renault to produce another legendary quick Clio. There is certainly potential in the current car; it is far from the lost cause many portray it to be. Let's wait and see. But hopefully not for too long.
No Recaros but good other than thatAnyway, that's more than enough justification, if any were required, to have a peruse of the classifieds for an old 200. The car that raises a smile to whomever you mention it to. The praise has been constant since its 2009 launch, addressing the flaws of the 197 while still being imbued with a heap of old school charm. What more is needed from a hot hatch than a engine willing to rev well beyond 7,000rpm, a six-speed manual and a chassis of the highest quality? You want it to be prettier? Well you can't have everything or nothing is perfect, choose your idiom. But 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engines aren't the future, it had to be replaced and, for now, the turbocharged and dual clutch Renaultsport Clio hasn't captured the imagination as previously.
Last of a line and cheap with it - do it!But we'll stick with the 200 for now. What's the ideal spec? Well really you want a Cup with the Recaros and some bright paint. Not only does this Gordini Blue car score on two of those (there are some with the seats but not many), it's also one of the cheapest 200s for sale at £6,945. And really, what more could you want?
Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup: Spotted
Still pining for the old fast Clio? Early 200s are now under £7K...
No Recaros but good other than that
On top of their dynamic excellence, the great thing with fast Clios is they're cheap. Bar the Williams and the V6, all the Renaultsport cars are depreciating or reached their lowest value. Don't forget the Trophy too, still available for less than £6K and surely worth every pound given the accolades heaped upon it.
Last of a line and cheap with it - do it!
The mileage isn't anything horrendous, having covered 10,000 miles a year in the first five years of its life. Being five years old it will be due a cambelt so there's perhaps some negotiating room there. Don't forget the full PH Buying Guide if you do fancy one. There's a long MoT and it's HPI clear but there's no mention of any tax in the advert. Regardless, it looks ready to plaster a grin across the face of whoever is lucky enough to be the next owner.
Without the limited edition status of something like a Trophy the Clio Cup will continue to depreciate but running costs shouldn't be an issue, thirst aside. There's a reason they downsized the engine and if you get into the 30s in mpg you're ... driving too slowly. It's still a Clio at the end of the day too, with everything good (many shared parts are fairly cheap) and bad (the interior perhaps) that that entails.
But for £7K, what other hot hatch would you have?
RENAULT CLIO RENAULTSPORT CUP 200
Engine: 1,998cc four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 200@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 159@5,400rpm
MPG: 34.4 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 195g/km
Year registered: 2009
Recorded miles: 54,000
Price new: £16,750
Yours for: £6,945
See the original advert here.
Discussion
I have an 11 plate Cup model as a second car which I bought in September last year - it's great fun for hooning around in and very sure footed and forgiving when driving it hard/on the track (my first track experiences were in this car).
Living with it day to day might be a bit tiresome, it's small, thirsty and the engine is fairly noisy due to the gearing at motorway speeds, but when you get a nice empty, well sighted b-raod, it's a brilliant little car - nippy enough, fun to rev out, composed and damned good fun, I found it to be a far better prospect than the VXR Corsa of the same age, which by comparison felt far more rough and ready when pressing on.
Living with it day to day might be a bit tiresome, it's small, thirsty and the engine is fairly noisy due to the gearing at motorway speeds, but when you get a nice empty, well sighted b-raod, it's a brilliant little car - nippy enough, fun to rev out, composed and damned good fun, I found it to be a far better prospect than the VXR Corsa of the same age, which by comparison felt far more rough and ready when pressing on.
Krikkit said:
Surely a Trophy is a better bet at this price point? I've never heard a bad word about it, and as long as you keep those fancy dampers in good nick they can't depreciate.
Well, I feel the Trophy and 200 are not direct competitors. The Trophy is older, a bit more analogue/raw, but also more cramped, tinnier and cheaper feeling, has a more awkward driving position (not saying the Clio 3's one is ideal) and a bus-like steering wheel. And then there's the looks, for me a Clio 2 RS is an evolution of a standard Clio 2, a Clio 3 RS (incl. 200) is a revolution when compared to the standard Clio 3. So an intersting comparision but slightly different cars for slightly different tastes imo. (For the record - have owned a Clio 2 RS and driven 3's.)PS Someone who owns or has owned a 200 Cup is welcome to describe the everyday usability of Cup suspension. Really interested.
I owned a 2010 (60 plate) full fat 200 with the cup chassis and recaro options firmly ticked for 3 years.
I have to admit I only racked up 20,000 miles in those 3 years but I did use it as both a weekend car and a commuter and would say it is perfectly usable with the cup chassis as long as you're realistic about not expecting Jag saloon spec wafting, and according to many reports not in the back seats - apparently that is whole new world of pain. I drove mainly in the deepest, darkest Kent and found it well damped on our agricultural roads and not prone to tramlining or ignoring my instructions. Really it only kicked up a fuss about potholes and sudden expansion gaps, but I felt that was understandable.
It is relatively torque-lite but if your just trying to mooch along in traffic it's fine in 5th/6th above 30 and won't embarrass you. If you want a bit more urge, you stick it in second and let it make some noise - it's no hardship.
A mix of hard driving and commuting gave it a 28.5 mpg average. My last tax bill was around £250/260 and a basic 12k service was around 200 quid from a main dealer. The brembo brakes are a bit wallet wilting; rear pads £190 fitted, front disks and pads quoted at around the £450 mark.
I only got rid of mine last month as I've relocated to the city and thought it was cruel to waste it's talents, I'd highly recommend one, with the cup pack, to anyone that feels a real performance car puts excitement before green credentials.
I have to admit I only racked up 20,000 miles in those 3 years but I did use it as both a weekend car and a commuter and would say it is perfectly usable with the cup chassis as long as you're realistic about not expecting Jag saloon spec wafting, and according to many reports not in the back seats - apparently that is whole new world of pain. I drove mainly in the deepest, darkest Kent and found it well damped on our agricultural roads and not prone to tramlining or ignoring my instructions. Really it only kicked up a fuss about potholes and sudden expansion gaps, but I felt that was understandable.
It is relatively torque-lite but if your just trying to mooch along in traffic it's fine in 5th/6th above 30 and won't embarrass you. If you want a bit more urge, you stick it in second and let it make some noise - it's no hardship.
A mix of hard driving and commuting gave it a 28.5 mpg average. My last tax bill was around £250/260 and a basic 12k service was around 200 quid from a main dealer. The brembo brakes are a bit wallet wilting; rear pads £190 fitted, front disks and pads quoted at around the £450 mark.
I only got rid of mine last month as I've relocated to the city and thought it was cruel to waste it's talents, I'd highly recommend one, with the cup pack, to anyone that feels a real performance car puts excitement before green credentials.
I had a 60 plate Cup for a period of time. I RARELY pipped 30 mpg. It was a bit grating to live with on a day to day basis, 3.5k rpm at 70-75, really noisy. But it did come alive on the right road and I can honestly say I went around roundabouts and corners occasionally at speeds that defy physics. It was a joy to throw around but would be more suited to being a weekend or second car, most definitely. 
Edit: Also changing headlight bulbs is a bit of a task..
Edit: Also changing headlight bulbs is a bit of a task..
Edited by Jimmy No Hands on Thursday 4th December 11:46
I've just sold my 2011 French Racing Blue (as the one in the article is, not Gordini blue) with cup-chassis and Recaros and I'm missing it... a lot, having replaced it with a Golf R and comparisons are very interesting.
The Clio is lithe, sinewy and immediate in its responses, despite the relatively untorguey motor — I'm finding the Golf to be strangely inert — and with a chassis that you can place with pinpoint accuracy on any road. The cup chassis is absolutely fine unless you were going to convert it into an ambulance.
The engine is revvy and lively, but (better than the Golf) can potter around London in taller gears. It'll do 28mpg all day long irrespective of how it's driven, so you might as well buzz it.
If the Golf is representative of the technology-driven cars that make their (impressive) performance by digitally managing everything, then the Clio RS 200 is perhaps the last hurrah for a direct uninterrupted, analogue driving experience.
I can't recommend it highly enough
The Clio is lithe, sinewy and immediate in its responses, despite the relatively untorguey motor — I'm finding the Golf to be strangely inert — and with a chassis that you can place with pinpoint accuracy on any road. The cup chassis is absolutely fine unless you were going to convert it into an ambulance.
The engine is revvy and lively, but (better than the Golf) can potter around London in taller gears. It'll do 28mpg all day long irrespective of how it's driven, so you might as well buzz it.
If the Golf is representative of the technology-driven cars that make their (impressive) performance by digitally managing everything, then the Clio RS 200 is perhaps the last hurrah for a direct uninterrupted, analogue driving experience.
I can't recommend it highly enough
My gf bought one of these recently to replace her 182. It's a super refined cruiser compared to the 182! Lower revving thanks to 6th gear, less rattles, and a much more conventional driving position and clutch weight. It can get a bit jiggly though - the Cup suspension seems harder than that on the old car.
Renault increased the cambelt interval from 5 years on the 197, to 6 years on the 200 (even though its the same part), so we can put that sizeable bill off now until 2016.
Renault increased the cambelt interval from 5 years on the 197, to 6 years on the 200 (even though its the same part), so we can put that sizeable bill off now until 2016.
Currently have a '12 plate Cup, white with no recaros, only done 13k but its been a great little car. Had it 2.5 years now and previous to this i was changing cars every 6-12 months.....still fun, still great to drive and very reasonable runnings costs (12k miles/24 month servicing).
Recaros werent a real need when i bought mine, heard enough bad stories on the forums regarding bolster problems and the stock seats are really excellent anyway!
Probably change it within the next 3-6 months though, we all like a change at some point!
Recaros werent a real need when i bought mine, heard enough bad stories on the forums regarding bolster problems and the stock seats are really excellent anyway!
Probably change it within the next 3-6 months though, we all like a change at some point!
chillbill said:
Krikkit said:
Surely a Trophy is a better bet at this price point? I've never heard a bad word about it, and as long as you keep those fancy dampers in good nick they can't depreciate.
Well, I feel the Trophy and 200 are not direct competitors. The Trophy is older, a bit more analogue/raw, but also more cramped, tinnier and cheaper feeling, has a more awkward driving position (not saying the Clio 3's one is ideal) and a bus-like steering wheel. And then there's the looks, for me a Clio 2 RS is an evolution of a standard Clio 2, a Clio 3 RS (incl. 200) is a revolution when compared to the standard Clio 3. So an intersting comparision but slightly different cars for slightly different tastes imo. (For the record - have owned a Clio 2 RS and driven 3's.)PS Someone who owns or has owned a 200 Cup is welcome to describe the everyday usability of Cup suspension. Really interested.
Regarding everyday usability with Cup chassis, its fine. I got used to dodging pot holes on my commute but the quick rack helped with that! It maybe a bit harsh but if you put driving pleasure above a bit of comfort its worth it. It still does everything a normal hatch does so its perfectly capable of daily duties. Now a Catherham or an Atom would be something to moan about on a rainy Monday morning but a Clio isn't too bad.
For the record, both cars were faultless too in a combined 5 years of ownership.
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