Renault Clio 2.0 Renaultsport 197

Road Test

Your Say

Renault Clio 2.0 Renaultsport 197

Test date 25 July 2006 Price as tested £15,995

For Fabulous chassis, comfort, quality, design

AgainstOutright pace, steering feel, not cheap

We Brits have fallen behind when it comes to being world leaders, but we rule with omnipotence in one category of life: we buy more fast Renaults than anyone else – even the French. In fact, we buy enough to warrant a UK-specific edition of the last Renaultsport Clio called the Trophy.

And enough to make it worth optimising this all-new car, the £15,995 Clio Renaultsport 197, for British roads. Savour this rare dynamic fillip – a car designed just for us – because it doesn’t happen very often.

To appreciate the 197, you must disregard its apparent lack of grunt. Renault has taken a tangential approach with this car: it is the first entirely new hot hatch philosophy from Dieppe since the original Clio 16v back in 1991. The difference lies in the chassis, and specifically how the engineers have tuned its behaviour. The best news is that, of all the places it will be sold, the 197’s quite brilliant chassis shines brightest in the UK.