The Renault Kadjar SUV is the main event for the French brand in Geneva, but there’s a sporty sideshow in the form of the Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy. As expected, the more outlandish of the two leaked pics we saw earlier (multi-spoke red alloys, R livery) is fake, while the more modest looking rear shot is of the actual car.
To go on sale in Europe this June, the Clio RS Trophy boasts increased power and torque, stop-start and reduced CO2 emissions. A refined EDC transmission, quicker steering, a lower and stiffer chassis and upgraded tyres up the temperature.
Thanks to revised engine mapping, the Clio RS’ 1.6 litre turbo engine packs 10% more power and up to 40 Nm more torque here, with 220 hp at 6,250 rpm and 260 Nm of twist. A ‘Torque Boost’ feature in fourth and fifth gears raises peak torque to 280 Nm. Redline is up from 6,500 to 6,800 rpm.
The hottest Clio also benefits from a larger turbo, an air intake designed to minimise pressure losses and a revised exhaust system to accommodate the latest Euro 6 catalytic converter and minimise back pressure losses. Despite the increased performance, CO2 output is down by 6 g/km to 138 g/km.
The EDC dual-clutch gearbox was also enhanced for the Trophy. Gear shifts are now up to 40% faster in ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ modes and 50% faster in ‘Race’ mode thanks to software recalibration. To go along with that, there’s a 30% reduction in steering paddle travel for more immediate manual changes.
In addition, earlier downshifts – under heavy braking on track, for instance – are permitted by optimised software calibration and the raised rev limit. RS says that ‘Sport’ mode is now more flexible with gearshift change patterns more reactive to the current driving style. Stop-start works in ‘Normal’ mode but is deactivated in ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ modes.
In the chassis department, the Clio Trophy is lower by 20 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear compared to the standard RS. Firmer shocks and revised springs (40% stiffer at the rear) are coupled to the existing “motorsport-derived” hydraulic bump stops. A faster rack (ratio reduced from 14.5:1 to 13.2:1) makes the Clio’s steering more direct. The helm controls top-shelf Michelin Pilot Super Sport 205/40 R18 rubber.
The numbered special-edition car gets some exclusive kit as well. Matte Frost White with a gloss black roof and rear spoiler has been added to the colour list, matched with 18-inch ‘Radical’ alloys. ‘Trophy’ badging is found on the front blade, door mouldings and door sills.
Inside, the ‘Trophy’ interior pack includes heated leather sports seats with integral head rests plus carbon-look air vent surrounds, door handles and gear lever base plate. The RenaultSport Monitor on-board telemetry system is optional.
After Europe, the Clio RS Trophy will be made available in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Malaysia is not mentioned, but since all the above are right-hand-drive markets, there’s no reason why TC Euro Cars can’t sneak in a few units if there’s demand. Want one? Tell them!
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have to give it to the french…whole world wants a manual…they just tell u to bugger off….write down new improved performance figures… with nothing changed…they are just too interesting
somehow the rear lamp reminds me very much of the new Mustang. Nice!!!!
i want, I want….TC/Glenn, when you can bring this car to Malaysia?
I wonder what’s the reliability of the gearbox when pushed? As a race car, its acceptable to have the car in garage 90% of the time with a team of experts tweaking & making repairs to it. However for day to day use,its going to be costly for owner to make the repairs, let alone the time needed for parts to be replaced. As much as we would like to believe, an auto gearbox that is able to handle high powered engines surely can handle demands of day to day driving, experience tells us that its not the case. Reliability of the auto gearbox does not equate to max rated torque capacity.
The “normal” version did not get good reviews esp when compared to the Ford Fiesta ST and Pug GTI. More more so since the Pug GTI is getting an upgrade…going by the specs, the Trophy would be a peach to drive. TC, please bring them in…
New polo mk6 do have manual trans as option and with higher power compare to DSG version. But don’t know vw my got balls to bring it in or not.
Is the dash surface all grey plastic or is it just the lighting? Any chance of getting a close-up, Mr. Journo?
Probably just normal black plastic, like the regular Clio.
Yes ! they maintained the EDC.
This is the car with duality characters when they built it. So you can race it at the track and drive it day-to-day for working in the city. This is why this clio is provided with EDC autobox with paddle shift.
How many of the hot hatch with 6MT owners willing to drive them day-to-day to work in the city??? I think the percentage will be very little (maybe 10%???). They only used it as weekend car for city to city long drive at highway or country road.
If they driven it with 6MT in the city with heavily jam esp. Klang Valley everyday, then I think substantially of our car in Malaysia will be in Manual box (even long hour jam caused misery to your right leg for Autobox, what about in Manual box???).
And also don’t forget how many of these 6MT hot hatch owners willing to pay hefty sum to book a race track just to fulfill their satisfaction (even Ferrari/Lambo owners also seldom do this too).
Why you don’t ask Ferrari/Lambo to give you 6MT???
So this Clio is truly a all-rounded car for you to use it day-to-day in the city or track. It has 4 doors as well, so if you wanted to bring more people, comfort will not be an issue.
That’s my 2cent of view.
Is Clio falls under B Segment? If this priced below than VW GTI I believed this model will get more favourable than the VW GTI..