Fans of the hot hatch faced a period of discontent when the Clio Renaultsport 182 ceased production last year to make way for the all-new Clio Renaultsport.

The good news is that the wait for its successor is already over – the British launch of the new right-hand drive Clio Renaultsport 197 is 18th July – the opening day of the British Motor Show, in London.

There has not been the normal two or three year wait for the hot version while the engineers set to work modifying the standard car because at Renault, they have a separate company, Renault Sport Technologies, who develop all the high performance road and race track cars. They have been developing the Clio Renaultsport 197 side-by-side with the normal model for the last three-years.

But the bad news is that there is no confirmation, as yet, about the Australian release of this new model. The previous Clio Renaultsport 182 built up a small but solid band of Australian enthusiasts.

Renault has a rich heritage in performance sport hot hatches, and Renault’s new Clio Renaultsport 197 is no exception. With best in class power, an impressive level of standard equipment, the Clio Renaultsport 197 ensures it is a very worthy successor to its predecessors.

With a 2.0-litre engine producing 197hp, (hence the name '197') at 7,250rpm and 215 Nm of torque at 5,550, a new six-speed gearbox, this results in 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 215.6 km/h (134mph), customers would need to go up a class to find a car that matches the new Clio Renaultsport 197’s.

Sporty looks and style as standard

There’s no doubting the new Clio Renaultsport 197’s vigorous performance, tenacious road-holding and refinement, and its exterior and interior styling makes it obvious that this is a car to have fun in.

New Clio Renaultsport 197’s long list of standard features include specific Renaultsport sports seats with extra lateral support, height and reach adjustable Renaultsport leather steering wheel with stitched red centreband and soft touch carbon dashboard with satin chrome instrument dial surrounds and interior door handles and drilled aluminium pedals.

On the outside an extended front spoiler, wider wheel arches to accommodate 17” Renaultsport alloy wheels and the latest 215/40 Continental Sport Contact 3 tyres, while body-coloured electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors (with driver’s blind spot eliminating) are also standard and add to the new Clio Renaultsport 197’s striking, sporty looks.

There are five colours available on Clio Renaultsport 197, three metallic and two non-metallic. There are three new colours to the range, Ultra Red (non-metallic), Deep Black and Albi Blue (metallic illusion). The non-metallic Racing Blue and metallic illusion Nimbus completes the colour choice for the European market.

Comfort and technology assured

New Clio Renaultsport 197 ensures driving passion and pleasure with its top performance, road-handling and sporty good looks, and its many standard features also mean you can travel in comfort too.

Air conditioning, height adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment, reach and rake adjustable steering wheel, electric windows with driver one touch control, cruise control, speed limiter, variable assisted power steering and 60:40 split folding rear seat all come as standard on the new Clio Renaultsport 197.

Additional standard equipment includes the practical Renault hands free Key Card for unlocking and ignition, multi-function trip computer, 30W RDS radio CD with fingertip remote control and removable smoker pack.

Safe and secure

Renault is renowned for its safety as the only manufacturer to have eight cars to have achieved the maximum five-stars in independent crash tests by Euro NCAP.

As well as Formula 1 technology, the new Clio Renaultsport 197 also benefits from Renault’s safety expertise with eight airbags as standard.

Driver and front passenger airbags, front lateral airbags, curtain airbags and anti-submarining airbags in the base of the front seat cushion, all come as standard as well as ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), ESP with disconnection function for when owners take to the race track, new generation height adjustable front headrestraints, two height adjustable three point front seatbelts with integrated pretensioners and load limiters, three height adjustable rear head rests, ISOFIX child seat mounting points on front passenger seat and outer rear seats with front passenger airbag deactivation and three point rear seatbelts with integrated pretensioners and load limiters.

Helping to keep your vehicle safe and secure is the insurance approved engine immobiliser (Thatcham category 2 - UK rating), insurance approved alarm system, (Thatcham category 1 - UK rating), remote central locking with deadlocking and RAID (Renault Anti Intruder Device) which automatically locks the doors when travelling above 8 km/h (5 mph).

F1 aerodynamics

With two consecutive wins in the first two races of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship, Renault F1 Team is off to a flying start of its title defence giving a perfect demonstration of Renault’s engine and technology expertise.

Now some of that knowledge has been translated into the New Clio Renaultsport 197 with the groundbreaking air diffuser incorporated into the rear bumper – never before seen in this segment – which is derived from Formula 1 aerodynamics.

The rear air diffuser not only makes a striking visual impact but also a technological one on the car’s stability.

Previously only seen on range-topping high-priced sports cars, the new Clio Renaultsport 197’s air diffuser reduces rear-end lift and maintains stability at high speeds by channelling air flow to increase the suction effect, almost like gluing the car to the road. The radius of the diffuser’s curve is engineered to provide a zone of low pressure beneath the car which adds to the suction of the car to the ground.

For optimal stability, the system reduces lift by a factor of three and produces the equivalent of up to 40kg of rear downforce without detracting from the car’s carefully honed aerodynamics which are designed to achieve a low CdA. This means that the rear air diffuser generates such downforce that it eliminates the need for a rear spoiler which would normally counter the lift.

Even the location of the twin exhausts is critical to the car’s performance showing the  thought that has gone into the car. The flush-fitted dual exhausts are housed within the outer channels of the diffuser so as not to interfere with the aerodynamics and to maximise its effectiveness.

The front of the car’s dynamic and sporty looks are enhanced by the Renaultsport extended front guards with integrated side air extractors, which also come as standard on the new Clio Renaultsport 197 as does extended rear wings and sills.

As well as adding to the car’s striking exterior, the front guard extractors also have an aerodynamic function reducing turbulence to optimise the car’s drag co-efficient. The hot air and flow from under the bonnet of the car is facilitated by the extractor vents, whilst also directing air flow along the sides of the car at the same time, enhancing performance even further helping ensure the new Clio Renaultsport 197’s best in class power and 0-100 km/h (62 mph) figure.

Derived from that of Mégane Renaultsport 225, the new Clio Renaultsport 197's braking system ensures effective, durable stopping power, plus progressive, easy-to-dose pedal travel. The system comprises 312mm-diameter ventilated front discs with Brembo four-pot callipers and 300mm diameter discs at the rear.

Availability

Hitting UK showrooms from 18th July, the new Clio Renaultsport 197 looks set to join Renault’s long established list of hot hatch legends from the 5 Gordini, 5 GT Turbo, Clio Williams to the Clio Renaultsport 172 and 182.

There is no confirmation, as yet, about the Australian release of the Clio III or the Clio III Renaultsport 197. But the Next Car team expects the Clio III to arrive in Australia anytime now, but certainly no later than the 3rd quarter this year and we expect the Clio III Renaultsport 197 to be in Australia by the end of this year.

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