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.
Renault is not renowned for building bulletproof cars but insists that its latest models have been stringently tested in the most extreme conditions.
However, Renault's customers haven't been an entirely happy bunch: in the 2008 JD Power customer satisfaction survey the Clio finished equal 59th out of 100 models and Renault, itself finished 22nd equal out of 28 in the manufacturers league table.
We have no reason to suspect that the 200 Cup will spend a lot of time in the workshop though: during our limited time with the car there were no coughs, splutters or any suggestion that the oily bits are fragile.
Inside the cabin it's a no-nonsense affair. The plastics are pretty cheap looking but they are functional and sturdy. The seats, in particular, look like they'll stand the test of time.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Renault Clio RenaultSport
wrote on 28 08 2007