Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Free revving 2.0-litre engine, finely balanced, agile, cosseting sports seats, good value.
Spartan, low-rent cabin, poor plastics, high carbon dioxide emissions.
Great fun to drive with a lively engine.
How much fun can you have for £15,750? If you take delivery of the new Clio RenaultSport 200 Cup, quite a lot.
This is the updated version of the RenaultSport 197 Cup and it coincides with the launch of the facelifted Clio. It's definitely striking but Renault's bold claim that it has F1-style frontal aerodynamics is pushing it a bit.
New alloys, rear diffuser and re-worked front and rear light clusters improve what was already a stylish hot hatch. As well as the cosmetic surgery, the RenaultSport Clio gets suspension and steering upgrades, a more powerful engine (3bhp extra) with better torque, reduced emissions and better fuel economy.
You can also pay a bit extra for better-equipped, yet softer RenaultSport 200 but you can pay £400 for the harder core Cup chassis. We suspect that many'll choose that option since those already hell-bent on securing a searing hot hatch are unlikely to baulk at shelling out that little bit extra to get all the kit and a supreme handling package too.
So, is the 200 Cup half empty or half full? Read on to find out.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Renault Clio RenaultSport
wrote on 28 08 2007