Renault Clio Sport

[Smurf]

All the articles I read rate the Clio Sport. Has anyone ever had a drive. How was it. Is it as good as they say.

[cefiro]

Yeh a mates got one, they go well and all the reviews, as you have read rave about them. punchy engine and you can throw the thing into corners as well.

go test drive one and I am sure you will be impressed, there should be a new one on the next year, but go and get in one. they could do with a bit more power but thats what you expect when you step out of a 300kw car.

[sewid]

I didnt drive the Sport but i drove a Clio 1.9 diesel around europe for 3 weeks and i loved it. Renaults are great.

[writeoff]

I test drove one an loved it's instant torque, handling and standard equipment levels. The styling is less convincing. I like the front, I think the rear looks shite, and the interior doesn't have a 'special' feel to differenciate it from the garden variety Clios. But for $35k nothing (new) will touch it.

There is a website dedicated to french cars: aussiefrogs.com , and I know the Renault Sport Clio (RSC) drivers have their own site.

Edited October 19, 2005 by writeoff

[Ronin 09]

I love it... all i can say is throttle response (something I haven't experienced for a while now!)

[Tosh]

I've driven a Clio Cup (only 85 in AUS) and it was incredible... so punchy... so nimble and handled very well...

DEFINATELY worth buying one

[Squizz]

Lost my licence in a 182. I love them.

[ansch]

^^^ Like what was said, responsive car with instant torque. Obviously torque steer like a high power fwd does. Need to be a contortionist to sit in the back seat, so it's really a 2 seater with room for a couple of small dogs Fun car to drive though.

[Big Rizza]

If you're looking at buying one, keep in mind the fact that the new Clio is not far away may affect the resale value - if you care for such things

[scathing]

I'm assuming we're talking about the 4 pot and not the V6...

The ergonomics leave a lot to be desired. The steering wheel is angled like a bus, and the seating position exacerbates the feeling that you're driving a van.

The plastic cover over the instruments is at the perfect angle to catch the light and turn opaque. I found the throttle too touchy when commuting; it was hard to make minor speed adjustments. The "tallbody" style also catches crosswinds very easily, and doesn't have the weight to keep it steady.

I almost turned off the F3 and went back to the dealer because of how uncomfortable I felt, but as soon as I hit the Old Pac the thing just wrapped around me and read my mind like a psychic nymphomaniac gymnast.

They're an awesome car to drive. I got to test drive it up the Old Pac and, even after not driving for 2 years, I hopped in to it and was instantly fast.

The thing is just so chuckable, and the motor itself makes a fair amount of power (even without its lack of weight). The handling is good, but might be a little touchy for some. It'll oversteer at the drop of a hat, but with FWD you can just keep the boot in and pull yourself out of the corner.

Needless to say, once I reached Berowra and dropped back to normal speeds I got over those niggling ergonomic problems. It came real close to convincing me not to insist on RWD when I was looking for a car.

Its the kind of car that will shit you to tears Monday to Friday, but put a massive grin on your face on the weekend.

[TokyoTaxi]

The only input I can offer is that one of the guys here at work has one ( 4 cyl 2003 model from memory ) and it's been in the shop under warranty 7 times. I don't know if there's any way to find out the frequency of warranty work carried out for a particular make / model of car, but it could be worth looking into to see if this is common or not. Hope that helpfull in some way.

[scathing]

Oh yes, that might happen to. I forgot to mention that.

The car's awfully..........French. Which means it won't stay together. But, when it does, it'll be a ball.

[Charly]

Lost my licence in a 182.  I love them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol, thought I might find you posting in here.

Yep, I'll also vouch for the goodness of the Clio sport. I gave squizz all sorts of crap when he told me about it and was forced to eat my words after a drive in it.

It's an awesome little car.