RENAULT Clio RS Gordini Review

This is a chapter where the Clio RS Gordini impresses just as much as it does out on the open road and this is because it is not only the most potent car in its segment but also the most comfortable.

We drove the more rigid Cup chassis, but still felt that we could live with it everyday. Both the ride heigh and the suspension setup allow you to use this car in a way that would make you bleed in certain hot hatches.

Yes, the suspension is pretty firm, but it’s still got a few traces of decency, while the seats are great, even though they’re not perfect. During our test, we drove the car on all sorts of surfaces, from flawless highway tarmac, to pothole-affected urban roads, unpaved roads and sand and we can tell you that even the worst surfaces were quite acceptable if tackled at the right speeds.

Compared to the Megane RS Cup (we just can’t help putting the two side by side in our minds), the car feels a bit more rigid. As for the soundproofing, this is OK, with the exception of long highway cruises, when the engine noise becomes just a bit intrusive. The vehicle also comes with a moderate amount of toys that managed to offer a decent experience for the passengers.

The bottom line is that you can use the Clio RS Gordini for daily commute and long trips, even in the Cup form, but you will be shaken on certain occasions. The rear seats offer enough space for two adults, even on long trips, while the 288 liters of the luggage compartment fall within the limits of the segment and can cater to most of your needs.

We don’t even know where to set the focal point for the start of this chapter: should it be the engine, a powerplant that rewards you for every rpm you ask it to perform, or the chassis, which possesses a level of balance that would make a ballet dance cry.

We can’t help but open the tiny bonnet of the car and kick this chapter off with the 100 hp+ per liter powerplant. We have to start that the engine block is the same one Renault has been using for its hot hatches since the Clio Williams.

However, the 1,998cc 82.7 mm bore - 93 mm stroke unit has come a long way since then, moving from 147 hp at 6,100 rpm & 175 Nm at 4,500 rpm to 203 hp at 7,100 rpm and 215 Nm at 5,400 rpm.

The facelift received in 2010 brought an extra 3 hp and made 20 percent more torque available at lower revs. This was achieved as Renault introduced a new cylinder head, continuously variable intake valve timing and a fresh ECU map.

The first three gear ratios of the six-speed have also been shortened, but the car offers a top speed of 225 km/h (139.75 mph), which sits 10 km/h (6.2 mph) higher than that of the pre-revamp model. In addition to this, Renault Sport claims that the new ECU map also reduces fuel consumption by 0.7 liters per 100 km and lowers CO2 emissions by 14 grams per km. As for the bits in between the gears, the manual is so precise that it seems to swallow the shifter into gear once you approach it.

As for the bits in between the engine and the wheels, we have to tell you that the Clio RS chassis comes with wider front and rear tracks compared to the standard Clio, while the wheelbase has also been slightly increased. In addition to that, the revamp also brought additional valves in the dampers, which offer greater comfort, while the anti-roll bars have been thickened.

You can choose between a “Sport” chassis, which aims to offer a compromise between ride and handling, and a “Cup” one, which favors the latter. While we drove the standard one, the Cup comes with a 7 mm (0.27 inches) lower ride height, increased damper ratings (an extra 27 percent at the front and 30 percent at the rear). In addition to that, on the Cup, the overall torsional rigidity has been increased by 10 percent, while the steering comes with a closer ratio.

The aluminum-gifted front suspension uses what Renault calls an “independent steering axis layout”, which, together with the CSV electronic limited slip differential wannabe make you forget about understeer. The latter is a system that can't be deactivated, even when the ESP is put to sleep, but it manages to do a goob job, even though it doesn't offer the trust given by a proper, mechanical LSD.

Since we’ve still got the Gordini badges in our minds, we’ll start with the goodies brought inside the car by this equipment level. First of all, we have black and blue leather for the seats, steering wheel and gear shifter (not the the handbrake lever though), with the last one also getting a retro handle. We also received branded floor mats, as well as a numbered plaque that tell us the production number of the car.

The RS part of the deal brings aluminum pedal covers and special instruments, while the white stitching on the seats and dashboard is also a nice touch. There's also an optional RS monitor, which shows acceleration times and G forces and this is a great toy to have (we played with it on the Megane RS), but, unfortunately, our test car had forgotten its one at the factory, so we saw the outside temperature instead of the intake one when we checked out the center console display.

Being a member of the Clio family, the vehicle inherits features like remote entry and engine start, cruise control with speed limited, a single-zone automatic climate control system, as well as a rain and light sensor and an audio system that, even though doesn’t shine, offers an auxiliary and a Bluetooth connection, as well as as a steering wheel column mounted controller.

Since there are so little toys in the car, the dashboard comes with a clean layout and we have to tell you that there aren’t many things we felt like we needed and we were missing. However, we would’ve liked a two-zone climate control system, as well as perforated leather on the entire surface of the seats.

The Clio went through the Euro NCAP hell back in 2005, with the vehicle receiving a five-star safety rating. The testing procedures include spending even more time in the boiling pot right now, but the French car hasn’t been re-evaluated.

The car offered satisfying result results in most areas, with the only exception being the protection offered to pedestrians where it only received 9 out of 36 points. However, the facelift received by the Clio brought a much larger front overhang, so this should have been improved.

However, despite its high level of power, the Clios RS Gordini is an extremely safe car. Being a Renault it has extremely aggressive electronic nannies, so your girlfriend won’t crash when taking it to the supermarket and even once you fire these the neutral handling and the Brembo brakes will help you avoid foreign objects.

However, while the ESP and the ASR can be put to sleep, the the CSV electronic limited slip differential wannabe can’t be deactivated. Even though this is not as capable as the Megane RS’s mechanical LSD, is is a great toy to have and feels less intrusive than, for example, the similar system on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV.

Let’s sum up this car quickly so we can leave the keyboard behind and get back to driving it: the Clio RS Gordini is one of those cars whose steering wheel and gear shifter you never want to let go. Seriously, we really considered not letting the car rest for the night(s) during our test drive.

It’s not just the fact that it’s fast, because at a naught to naughty time of 6.9 seconds, you can laugh in the face of normal cars, but, in a straight line, most performance cars will defeat you, but it manages to mix these with a lot of fun, as well as with a certain level of comfort. Thus, the Clio RS Gordini is so much more than just a toy, it’s a proper car.

In fact, this straight line performance is its weak point. It is the best B-segment hot hatch, but it can’t go past the limits of its class and therefore if you’re willing to use is as ego food, you might end up hungry. Sure, it can devour many cars on a track and it will take you up to 230 km/h / 142 mph (this is the on-dash figure), but a good diesel V6 will outrun you on the highway, while a compact hot hatch will beat you at drag racing.

All these thoughts make you lust for its big brother, the Megane RS, which comes with a proper, mechanical LSD, shaves a full second off the 0 to 62 mph time and can take on the big boys. But, you see, the Clio offers a level of the purity that can’t be found in the Megane - It feels more natural, more like an extension of your body.

The Clio RS starts at EUR20,800 (USD 26,900 at the current exchange rates), while adding the Gordini equipment level bumps the price to EUR22,300 (USD28,870). We have to say that this supreme Clio equipment treat does and doesn’t deserve it’s money.

If, like many of the of the buyers of this car, you are looking at it from below and you’re stretching to buy it, you won’t miss a thing brought by the Gordini trim level, so it’s OK to go without it.

However, if you’re looking for a car that keeps the traditional values of fun, can be driven everyday, but you’re not that tight on the budget, you can go for the Gordini, as all the exterior and the interior goodies are worth it. And don’t worry, this is a numbered special edition, but Renault is well known for extending this kind of cars, so you will be able to get your hands on one. Either way, the Clio RS deserves every penny, it gives you back a storm of positive emotions every day you drive it.

 And there’s another thing about the Clio RS Gordini: in their pursuit for ever greater performance and efficiency, hot hatches are jumping into the turbocharging boat, so this is one of the last naturally aspirated engines still standing and this is something you want. By the way, at the moment when this review was written, Renault was throwing the first teasers of the next-generation Clio on the web. Want to take a guess on what engine the RS version will use? Probably a 1.6 turbo...

While you're parked, you might want to check out the video below - it's a short film directed by Jean-Christophe LIE, which perfectly ilustrates the feeling of freedom you get when you drive a Gordini.