Renault reveals Clio RS facelift – three variants on offer; new GT Line pack available for standard car

When Renault revealed its Clio RS 16 concept at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, there was an inkling that something good will come of it. Well, 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.

At the same time, Renault also introduced the new GT Line look pack, for customers who want a sporty look to their new Clio, but without the hot hatch performance. The pack includes Dark metal air scoops in the front bumper, lateral sills, 16- or 17-inch wheels as well as a Dark Metal rear bumper and an exhaust with a chrome tail pipe. The cabin features a blue design scheme and comes with the perforated-leather steering wheel of the Clio RS with the GT-Line badge, Clio RS seats and an aluminium pedal set.

The pre-facelift Clio RS was officially sold in Malaysia – we included it in our hot-hatch shootout with the Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Fiesta ST – but has now disappeared from the local line-up, leaving the GT Line as the sole Clio available. Is there enough demand for this facelifted Clio RS to make a comeback?

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