Renault Clio Renault Sport

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Renault Clio Renault Sport

Manufacturer	Renault Sport
Also called	Renault Clio RS Renault Clio RS 172/182/197
Production	1999-present
Class	Hot hatch
Body style	3-door hatchback
Engine	2.0 L I4 petrol
Transmission	6-speed manual
Length	3810 mm (Mk II), 3970 mm (Mk III)
Width	1810 mm (Mk II)
Height	1410 mm (Mk II)
Curb weight	1050-1150 kg
Fuel capacity	51 L
Related	Renault Clio
Similar	Honda Civic Type-R Mazdaspeed 3 Mini Cooper S Peugeot 206 RC SEAT Ibiza FR/Cupra R Volkswagen Polo GTI
Designer	Patrick le Quément

The Renault Clio Renault Sport or Clio RS is a hot hatch produced since 1999 by Renault Sport, the high-performance division of French automaker Renault. It is based on the Clio supermini.

The engine has remained the same since the first Clio RS, a 2.0-litre straight-4 petrol engine, with a FF layout and a three-door hatchback body style.

The Clio Sport has always been a powerful car, overcoming the Mini Cooper S (162 bhp), the SEAT Ibiza FR (150 bhp) and more recently, the Peugeot 206 RC and the SEAT Ibiza Cupra R (both rated at 180 bhp).

1 Clio II RS (172/182)
2 Clio III RS (197)
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Clio II RS (172/182)

The first Clio RS followed as the second car from Renaultsport division after the Renault Spider. Renault presented the Clio RS in 1999. They used the body of the original Clio II from 1998 and added sportive features such as running boards and bigger wheels.

The interior and exterior of the Clio II were facelifted in 2001, and the Clio RS followed shortly after. The engine remained the same but the design changed a bit.

The equipment of included xenon headlights with washers, six-disc changer, four airbags, leather seats (with a "Renaultsport" logo) and 16 inch alloy wheels.

In 2004, the Clio II was refreshed again. The black/gray headlights were now only gray, new wheels and more equipment were added, but the design stayed the same.

The Clio RS changed a lot more than the regular Clio. The engine was upgraded to 182 bhp with the addition of a dual exhaust system and different 4-2-1 manifold.

However, the final Clio II RS ("Trophy" - of which 550 were made worldwide) included suspension revisions such as Sachs remote-resevoir dampers from the Clio Cup race car, a lower ride height, lightweight Speedline Turini 16" Anthracite wheels, spoiler from the Clio 255 V6, Recaro seats and exclusive Capsicum red paint with Trophy decals on the sills and an individually numbered plaque on the driver's seat base. 500 went to the UK, while a further 50 (with subtle differences) went to Switzerland. The Trophy has been heralded as one of the best hot hatches of all time and won 'Evo' magazine's People's Performance Car of The Year, 2005, beating rivals such as the Lamborghini Gallardo and other exotica in the process.

[edit] Clio III RS (197)

The new Clio III drew technology from Formula One, including a rear diffuser and brake cooling side vents, they upgraded the engine, now to 197 bhp. The car is heavier than its predecessor, but the acceleration figures are lower due to the new six-speed gearbox with shorter gearing and Renault's marketing strategy (The 182 achieving 0-62 mph in 6.7 s).