Photo: original image by autoevolution
Notice the composure displayed by the Clio RS 200 EDC in the image above. This is what the new generation is all about - sure, it’s still a spicy hatch, but the aim was to make it appealing to a broader audience, so it had to become more civilized. Manners or no manners, we are now bringing you the usual HD wallpaper sextuplet.
Yes, you can still kick the tail out via the handbrake. In fact, the superb balance of the chassis means you’ll be able to push the little Clio to unimaginable heights (should we say widths?) and still be able to bring things back on track.
Just like in the old Clio RS, stepping off the gas mid-corner makes the car give up on the mild understeer it shows. Alas, while the previous model let the rear slide a little bit, this one simply becomes neutral. The front axle may not use a mechanical LSD such as the one in the Megane RS, but it’s electronic impersonator also takes the rear wheels into account.
You can easily use the Clio RS EDC inside the city, with those three letters at the end of its designation standing for Efficient Dual Clutch. You have three driving modes and you can even use the craziest around town. Renault’s RS division has always been good at building fast, manageable cars and the new Clio takes this even further.
To our eyes, the new Clio RS looks like an angry terrier on roller skates. Our tester was also helped by the now-famous Liquid Yellow hue, as well as by the optional 18-inch wheels. By the way, we’d stick with the standard 17-inch units. Aside from the pricing and comfort drawbacks, you might have noticed the tires were almost ready to come off the wheels in one of the pics above - the thick sidewall doesn’t help at all when it comes to keeping the asphalt and the edge of the rim separated.
We'll once again mention the Liquid Yello hue of our test car, as this allowed the Clio RS to perfectly fit the beach scenery. Sure, nobody would ever mistake the hot hatch for a spec of golden sand, but we though the car simply lookwed awesome with such a background. In fact, you can get a complete view in the HD photo gallery of our Renault Clio RS 200 EDC review.
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