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.
Surprisingly, the 200 Cup is remarkably compliant. We tested the car on a smooth racing circuit and tried it over a few lumps and bumps on the edge of the track and it absorbed them very well. We suspect that well-worn British roads might present a few issues, but hey, it's a hot hatch.
You do get fair bit of wind and road noise coming through, but you'll welcome the howl of the engine when you get above 5,000 revs.
The seats are quite fantastic: they offer just enough support and even if you are on the larger side you'll squeeze in and out without needing a trained nurse to help you.
Like any Clio, it's roomy. There's enough leg-and headroom in the back for people who don't have giraffe-style proportions and you can get a decent load of shopping in the boot.
It does feel a little spartan in there, though, and you may argue that this is what a hot hatch should be: all speed and no frills. There's a CD/radio with MP3 player (vital for cruising around town and looking like a berk) as well as a multi-function trip computer. However, the rake-adjustable-only steering wheel is overly purist.
Shell out a further £1,000 for the RenaultSport 200 and you get reach-adjustment on the steering wheel, climate control instead of simple air-con, one-touch electric windows, three height-adjustable rear head rests, a 60:40 split-folding rear seat, cruise control, curtain airbags, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, soft-touch dashboard, automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers, front fog lamps and body coloured side mouldings. You do get the rather less hardcore chassis set-up that's on the Cup version and if you want that it'll cost you £400.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Renault Clio RenaultSport
wrote on 28 08 2007