13 Apr 07
There's no more power - the same 197bhp 2.0-litre engine is fitted, so the acceleration and top speed figures are unchanged - and there's no fancy limited-slip differential to help put the power down properly. What there is, though, is a special Cup chassis. It'll be offered as an option on the regular 197 Clio later in the year, but for now you can only get it with the Clio F1.
The front springs have been stiffened up by 27% and the rears 30%. The ride height has been dropped by a barely noticeable 7mm. The Clio F1 also gets darker alloy wheels, darker window tints, Recaro seats (usually a £850 option), plus some audio upgrades.
So there are changes, but they don't exactly transform the Clio 197 into the drivers' car to have. You still have to rev the nuts off the engine to get anywhere as the maximum 159lb-ft of torque is reached way up at 5,500rpm. Couple this with the fact that the rev limiter cuts power at seemingly random points between 7,250 and 80,00rpm at the ECU's whim, and you never really feel that you and the car are working as one.
When driving hard, the Clio works best with the ESP stability control system switched off, which allows the supreme chassis to show off its talents without any electronics getting in the way. Lift off the throttle and it will tighten the cornering line, and the Brembo brakes bite hard to scrub off speed. They can actually be a little too effective if you're brutal on the middle pedal as the Clio squirms around as if the back of the car wants to overtake the front. But hold your nerve - and the steering wheel - and the huge amount of grip shines through.
