2017 Renault Clio RS (facelift)
The French carmaker has now unveiled the new Clio
RS, which is based on the recently-facelifted Clio.
The Clio IV-based hot hatch comes in
three flavours : Sport, Cup and Trophy. According to Renault, each variant
comes with its own chassis setup and comes fitted with either 17- or 18-inch
wheels. Two engine outputs are also available here, again, dependant on variant
choice.
Focusing on the car’s chassis, the Sport
can be described as the “mild” Clio RS, whereas the Cup’s skeleton has been
strengthened to make it a little “spicier.” The Trophy is the “spiciest” of the
lot, which not only gets the beefed up chassis, but also gets a lowered ride
height – 20 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear – and a quicker steering
rack.
Under the hood, all three variants are
powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a
six-speed EDC dual-clutch automatic gearbox. As mentioned above, there are two
states of tune available – 200 hp and 220 hp. The former is applicable to the
Sport and Cup variants, while the 220 hp unit is exclusive to the Trophy
variant. Oh, you get a lovely Akrapovic exhaust system as well.
The 220 hp Clio RS will take just 6.6
seconds to make the 0-100 km/h sprint thanks to a launch control system.
Additionally, it’ll take just 14.5 seconds to cover 400 metres from a
standstill and will hit a top speed of 235 km/h. Renault’s R.S. Drive system is
also available here, which comes with a choice of three driving modes (Normal,
Sport and Race).
In terms of styling, some of the Clio RS
16 concept’s design cues is shared here. The most obvious being the LED lights
on the front bumper, which are arranged following the Renault Sport motif
called ‘R.S. Vision’. Elsewhere, there is a bodykit (front splitter, side
skirts, roof-mounted spoiler and rear diffuser), while finishing touches
include ‘RS’ badging, along with twin exhaust pipes and C-shaped lights.
