New Clio Renault Sport Details, First Photos Inside

Renault has finally unveiled the official information for the 2009 Clio RS, a high-performance model that relies on a wide series of sporty elements. For example, there are several aerodynamic parts inspired from Formula 1, as the French manufacturer said in a statement for the press, including a front splitter, front-wing air-extractors and a rear diffuser.

To get straight to the point, the new Clio Renault Sport comes equipped with a normally-aspirated 2.0-liter 16V engine that develops 203 horsepower (147.5 kW) at 7,100 rpm and 215 Nm of torque at 5,400 rpm (compared with 5,500 rpm for Clio III RS). In terms of overall performance figures, the new model jumps from a standstill to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, with top speed going as much as 225 km/h (139.8 mph) - 10 km/h higher compared with its predecessor. The engine is mater to a six-speed manual transmission.

The sportiness is continued inside the car too, with Renault Sport seats, yellow rev-counter with audible and visible gearshift indicator greeting the driver when stepping in. The bucket seats designed and developed with Recaro are equipped with lateral airbags.

Other highlights include Carminat TomTom - an integrated GPS solution - , hands-free card, 80W RadioSat Classic audio system with six loudspeakers, opening sunroof, cruise control with speed limiter, automatic climate control and combined rain/light sensor, plus a series of high-performance elements, such as 17-inch alloy rims, Brembo brake calipers, twin exhaust tailpipes and 215/45 tires.

There will be two different versions of the new Clio Renault Sport: Sport - a chick and sporty version as the French manufacturer said - and Cup - a version engineered for outright performance - it is 36 kilos lighter than the other version.