Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Race car looks, Recaro seats, sharp handling, incredible value.
Needs air conditioning, engine needs to be worked hard, lack of steering feel.
The most focused, hardcore, best-driving hot hatch money can buy.
The Clio Cup is not a comfortable car, but despite its hardcore sporting intentions, it remains a useable, if a little compromised, everyday car.
In fact on the motorway it's actually more relaxed than the last 197 we tested (the F1 Team R27), because along with the introduction of the Cup model, the Clio 197 also gains taller fifth and sixth gear ratios that improve motorway refinement. However, despite the less frenetic cruising, long motorway journeys will still take their toll and see a driver's whole body fizzing long after the Cup has been parked.
The ride actually isn't too bad and is relatively supple over large, sharp bumps, but the wide 215/45 R17 wheels transmit high levels of road noise and vibration - little damped since the majority of sound deadening has been binned.
Standard equipment includes the 17" alloys, ESP, trip computer, four airbags and the Cup sports suspension.
We recommend clawing back air conditioning from the options list (£525), optioning those incredible, but pricey, Recaro sport seats (£850) and ticking the box for the satin black alloys (£175). Finally, as a matter of personal taste, we wouldn't be able to resist the non-metallic Glacier White of our test car (£150).
This means the £1,000 saving over the regular car is effectively eliminated with some judicious box-ticking and sends the price rocketing to £16,715, exceeding the list price of the regular 197.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Renault Clio RenaultSport
wrote on 28 08 2007