Renault Clio RS test drive since 2009 hatchback
French messenger. Renault Clio RS
The hot hatchback Renault Clio RS is one in two faces he can be completely flexible with a calm city ride, but turns into a real combat shell on a racing track. When we took the bright green Clio RS to the test drive, the representative of the company that issued the car inquired between the matter: do you, gentlemen, have sports driving skills? Is this car so unbridled that it requires special driving skills? It turns out that the moment was purely technical: to fully show his talents, the baby requires filling 98th gasoline, while the 95th is enough for a regular ride. Although, judging by the characteristics on paper and a rather aggressive appearance, Clio RS is still that little thing. Later, we learned that this model is one of the most popular with Sunday racers who come to the sports highway to Myachkovo to take their souls. In the meantime, we had to get out of Moscow traffic jams from the center, from Krasnobogatyrskaya Street, where the Renault car park is located, with a breeze to the outskirts is almost impossible.
Once, in a conversation with colleagues, the thought flashed that tuning lovers became less than a few years ago, since the automobile companies themselves began to produce very diverse model rows, designed to spend and fans of speed and supporters of traditional values. In this regard, we hasten to declare: Renault Clio RS will beat bread from any improvement. It can be seen that the Renault Sport unit tried to take into account all the canons of classic tuning, which were reinforced with a solid technical base. The appearance of the car cannot be called screaming, but its appearance unequivocally hints at increased potential. Squirrel landing, low -profile tires, additional air intakes behind the front arches, the rear diffuser with two peaks of the exhaust system and the RS nameplate will tell knowledgeable people more than sweeping airbrushing or hypertrophied body kit. By the way, it was the speaking appearance that made individual participants in the movement to provoke us to traffic lights. Is it necessary to explain that there are quite few competitors on city streets of Clio RS?
The main source of the joy of a hot hatchback is, of course, an atmospheric engine with a working volume of 2 liters and a capacity of 201 hp, conjured with a mechanical 6-speed gearbox. No turbines and involving failures and delays are only confident and assertive acceleration. At the same time, it seems that Renault Sport engineers deliberately did not set the goal of making a hatchback uncompromising shell, suitable only for driving in extreme modes. If you do not promote the engine above 2000 rpm, the car does not give out its own hole and allows you to go in a calm mode without straining (not counting, of course, a rather elastic adhesion pedal). However, the working area on the tachometer is allocated yellow up to 7500 rpm, which undoubtedly spurks to active actions. After 2000, the engine seems to wake up, acceleration under the accompaniment of the exhaust system that has passed to the bass tonality begins to increase and experiences the vestibular apparatus up to the strength until the cutting in each gear. Once again, I would like to note a very adult nature of a set of revolutions, characteristic, usually for cars with large engines. In passport data indicating acceleration for 6.9 C to 100 km/h, is willingly believed.
To match the dynamics and settings of the chassis, which, despite the obvious squeezing, forcing the road relief to the body, is quite elastic on irregularities in detail. But the most important car is so accurate in the trajectory that sometimes you begin to feel dangerous permissiveness. Brembo four-piston brake calipers with 312-mm disks in front and 300 mm behind, peering through 17-inch wheels, provide confident slowdown.
As for the salon, its finish is, of course, rustic, but there is nothing superfluous and at the same time there is everything necessary. The driver's seat is adjusted in height and lumbar fit, there is heated front seats, cruise control, rain and light sensors and climate control. The engine starts from the button, for this it is enough to keep the chip card in the pocket. The location of the climate buttons and the radio on the central console echoing the same Renault models. A separate remote control is provided to manage the audio system, however, it is not very convenient to use it: rather, a passenger will use it, so as not to distract the driver from the piloting process. A chubby steering wheel with a yellow spike in the region of 12 hours, sports seats Recaro, a catchy tachometer and pedals with perforated aluminum pads play on a sports image.
The basic price of Renault Clio RS is 999,000 rubles. Almost all equipment is already included in the complete set, so you can raise the cost only with three positions: the coloring of metallic for 20,000 rubles, navigation of Tom Tom for the same amount, as well as the sports seats without heating, estimated at 40,000 rubles. By the way, the average fuel consumption in the city was 11.3 liters, which, surprisingly, coincides with passport data. This is a bit too much for a compact hatchback, but not for Clio RS a person buying such a machine is unlikely to think about it. In the ratio of fuel per unit of pleasure, the denominator in any case will outweigh all other factors.
Source: Cars and prices
