There's a whole generation of petrolheads that grew up on a steady diet of Renault Clio RS. Oh sure, some of them have families and are driving boring Passats to work, but the secretly want to know if the current generation of the hot hatch is just as fun.
Of course, all of them know that Renaultsport gets the car completely wrong for the first two model years. For example, the 197's variable valve system didn't give it enough torque at low revs. These flaws were fixed with updates, so it's only natural to think that the all-new Clio RS 220 Trophy fixes everything that people hated about the 1.6-liter turbo and its EDC twin-clutch partner in crime.
But British magazine XCAR says that's not the case. In his typical bombastic style, presenter Alex Goy hypes us up with awesome numbers only to reveal that the Trophy is a disappointed. Thanks to a new turbocharger and engine mapping, the 1.6-liter engine produces 20 more horsepower, while the gearbox changes cogs up to 50% faster. Yet, it's still not perfect.
The paddles are too far from the steering wheel and grabbing them is a not-too-pleasant experience, "like squeezing an orange". That's why some manufacturers put the paddles on the back of the wheel, not on the column.
And what's the point of having an automatic gearbox on this type of car anyway? You're not buying it for practicality since the trunk of a Golf GTI or Focus ST is larger. With a smaller 1.6-liter turbo engine, the Clio is not going to win drag races against BMWs either. So the FUN box is the only one needing to be ticked, yet Renault misses it completely by using the wrong kind of cog swapper.
The 220 Trophy is not to be considered a complete failure. Many folks will appreciate the fact that such a small engine now delivers as much power as a Golf GTI. The automatic gearbox also means it can be a comfortable everyday cruiser. But the starting price of £21,780, this specialist tool is aimed exclusively at track day enthusiasts and hardcore Clio RS fans.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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