Is the controversial French hatch
better on UK roads without the optional Cup chassis?
Knowing how to spec a car can be agonising.
There are some things that I would always go for if I could afford them, like
the best headlights available (be they xenon or LED), while a DAB radio is
rapidly feeling like another important luxury to spec (my life being bereft
without the options of 4 Extra or Kiss).
It’s the dynamic options where things get
really sticky, though. Do you automatically go for the spangly upgrades or is
base better? For example, choosing between the manual ’box and the eight-speed
ZF on the M135i is a nightmare. Meanwhile, knowing whether bigger wheels on a
car will kill the ride or add a pleasing edge to the grip is the sort of thorny
dilemma to put you right off your eggs and bacon in the morning.
The
Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo is no longer a manic machine, and will attract
different customers as a result
Which brings us to the Clio 200 Turbo and
its $1,111 Cup chassis option. Tick the box and you get 15 per cent stiffer
springs and dampers, a lower ride height, bigger wheels (up to 18in from 17)
finished in black, and red brake calipers. Until now we haven’t had the chance
to try the Clio Turbo without the Cup chassis in the UK, and we were intrigued
to see how the standard set-up copes with our notoriously tricky tarmac, and
also to find out if the Cup chassis is really necessary, particularly as the RS
Clio seems to be trying to be a bigger, more grown-up sort of hot hatch these
days.
Bright
white LED daytime running lights give the Clio a distinctive appearance in your
mirrors
After a quick trip out in our Cup-spec long
termer to refresh the memory, I head back down the same roads in the non-Cup
car. The softer springs certainly don’t turn the Clio into a limo, but they do
noticeably round off the edges of the smaller bumps so that there is less
chatter down fidgety local roads. Turn into a corner and the initial reaction
is slightly more muted, with less weight and precision through the steering
wheel either side of the straight-ahead. What remains, however, is the
fundamental balance of the chassis, which feels superb once the Clio’s really
loaded up, everything pivoting around the nose of the car beautifully. On
slippery winter roads it’s remarkably easy to have the car balanced and sliding
through bends.
Although
upright and a little high, the driving position is within our expectations for
a new supermini
To be honest, though, the chassis has never
been a problem with the current Clio. The stumbling blocks are the gearbox and
the fact that it’s all hidden under what feels like a large, weighty body. The
main issue with the ’box is that it’s far too unresponsive on upshifts, so
progress feels considerably less sparky than it should. The shift paddles
(fixed to the steering column) also seem to be set too high in relation to
where your hands naturally sit at quarter to three on the wheel, so when you go
for a gear you feel like you’re only ever catching the very bottom of the
paddle with your index finger.
The
sense of roominess inside is even more apparent in the back
Conceivably for some, the four doors and
extra room of this Clio make it the only viable option from the current hot hatch
crop. Likewise the two-pedal layout may well be highly desirable for others.
Either way, I’d recommend splashing the cash for the Cup chassis and enjoying
the added sharpness that lets you key into the car’s talents more readily.
After all, if the best thing about the Clio remains its chassis then it’s nice
to be able to enjoy it to the full.
If you’re simply after a hot hatch that
rides the bumps better, then look no further than the Peugeot 208 GTI, which
has a lovely suppleness to its suspension. Refreshingly, the Pug also has no
wheel, chassis or gearbox options to fret over and lose you sleep.
