Purists and fans watch out, as the new Renault Clio Renaultsport (it's a bit of a mouthful isn't it?) is here, but the 2.0-litre engine has gone, replaced with a turbocharged 1.6 instead. To compound matters there's no manual gearbox option, the Renaultsport Clio Turbo instead using the firm's Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic. Given just how raw, involving and frankly old-school (as well as successful and loved) the previous generation was this may not be viewed as the best news to come from Paris. Oh yes, and did we mention it'll come with five doors only? Sacre Blu.
Exterior
At least it looks mega. There's a cynically marketed F1-style 'blade' running across the front (expect the suits to tell you the inspiration has been directly lifted from success in the pinnacle of motorsport) as well as different bumpers, skirts, spoilers and a dual exhaust pipe at the rear. Wheels are 17-inch as standard, 18-inch optionally and the engineers claim the diffuser adds 80 per cent downforce, the rear spoiler an additional 20 per cent.
Interior
Despite Renault's trademark sporting colour being a vibrant shade of yellow, inside the Renaultsport Clio the overbearing hue is red. It's on the stitching on the bucket seats (leather's an option), the door handles, dashboard and centre console trim, gearlever and of course the seatbelts. Thanks to the dual clutch EDC gearbox there are shift paddles behind the wheel, sat next to a dedicated instrument pack and a new multimedia system with touch-screen satnav. Bluetooth is standard, as is USB connectivity and hands-free entry and starting, though you'll pay more for climate control or parking sensors. These specifications are for the UK market, which we assume Renault Ireland will closely follow for this low volume model.
Mechanicals
Previous models had this licked; punchy four-cylinder engine with relatively large displacement, a short-throw manual gearbox and a chassis that could dictate to all rivals on all roads. So the firm's claim 'Thanks to this careful balance between the engine, transmission and chassis, the new Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo will offer 'edgy' performance' sounds like it may have hit the nail on the head.
We'll have to wait until we get behind the wheel to confirm those claims, but in the meantime the spec sheet makes for interesting reading. The 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine makes 200hp at 6,000rpm and its 240Nm figure is 25Nm up on the previous car's motor. Best of all it makes that figure all the way from 1,750- to 5,600rpm. For those that worry, the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo also has 25 per cent lower CO2 emissions than its forebear.
More important for most are the chassis options. As before there's a choice between Sport and Cup, the latter being 15 per cent stiffer and 5mm lower than the Sport models. There's no need to worry about the EDC gearbox slowing proceedings either, as the three different R.S. drive modes - which modify engine, ESC, throttle, steering and gearbox settings - will drop cog changes to 150 milliseconds when in Race mode.
Anything else?
Plenty of personalisation has been introduced for this model, so customers can choose from four main themes that can be combined with different motifs and trim upgrades. Slightly stranger is the R-sound Effect control, which not only pipes enhanced engine noises into the cabin through the sound system's speakers, but also allows drivers to choose from a range of the firm's iconic engines thanks to the car's R-Link multifunction device. Renaultsport Clio 1.6 Turbo with an F1 soundtrack anyone? We're not sure if that's cool or crass...