Wednesday 9th January 2013

Clio RS prices released

Belgian-market pricing hints at what we'll pay for the new turbo Clio 200

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Whether you’re keenly awaiting the arrival of the next Clio RenaultSport, or you’re of the conviction that a turbocharged engine and five doors will make it a lesser car than its predecessors, you’ll no doubt be interested to hear how much it’s going to cost. Well, while we’ve still no news on UK prices, Renault has released figures for the Belgian market on its website configurator over there.

New RS set to be priced confidently

We’re not sure whether it was intentional or an accidental slip, and it has to be added that there’s been no official confirmation that the pricing is accurate from Renault, but there’s no reason to assume it isn’t. That being the case, this new information gives us a clearer idea of how much the new RS will cost: €25,480, to be precise, inclusive of Belgian VAT.

Of course, working out the UK prices isn’t quite as simple as converting from Euros to pounds, but a bit of extremely advanced back-of-an-envelope extrapolation that Brian Cox himself would be proud of suggests that the Clio RS will sell over here for between £20,000 and £22,000. That seems a touch on the pricey side, pitching it directly at the Focus ST, and a good couple of thou’ above the Mini Cooper S, which is ostensibly a more natural rival. And let’s not forget that the Mini will likely boast better residuals, too.

That means one of two things: either the new Clio has ideas above its station or – more likely – the RS is going to be pretty special so that it justifies that price. Fingers crossed it’s the latter.

[Dazed & Confused]

These pedestrian friendly high bonnets are making most cars look so ugly - but this one is particularly bad.