KingStromba
21-08-2005, 19:23
This review is available from the daily telegraph motoring section. I though it was a more realistic review than seems to be the norm.
Does the limited-edition, UK-only Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy really offer the most fun you can have in a hot hatch, as its maker claims? Tony Dron decides
It was a bold mission. At its dedicated factory in Dieppe, Renaultsport set out to create what it said would be "the finest handling, most fun front-wheel-drive hot hatch ever". Based on the successful Renaultsport 182 Cup model, the Trophy is a final shot at producing the ultimate road-going 182 before production of the Clio II comes to an end in September and the new Clio III gets underway.
Raring to go: a larger spoiler, discreet logos and a lower ride height are all that denote the Renaultsport Trophy from its more ordinary 182 brethren
Just 500 right-hand-drive Trophies will be made, all in bright red, with a numbered plaque on the base of the driver's seat to authenticate them. Outside the UK, which remains by far the biggest market for Renaultsport products, a couple of dozen Trophies will go to Swiss drivers and that will be that. There is no plan to sell them anywhere else, not even in France.
The Trophy is distinguished externally from other 182s by its larger rear spoiler, as used on the Clio V6 255, its lowered suspension and discreet Trophy logos on the rear of each sill. Inside, black Recaro Sport Trendline front seats provide excellent lateral support and lower the seating position by a centimetre.
The standard Clio 182 is a quick car anyway so there was no need to alter the 2-litre 179bhp engine or five-speed manual transmission but, thanks no doubt to its lower stance, the Trophy is rated 1mph quicker on top speed - 140mph. The standing-start acceleration is also slightly improved, down from 7.1 seconds to 6.9 seconds for 0-62mph (100kph), which must result from slightly lower weight and improved traction thanks to the suspension changes (both run on the same 16in Michelin Exalto 2 tyres).
Based on a competition set-up, the most interesting aspect of the Trophy's special suspension is the use of lightweight Sachs Race Engineering dampers, which have a remote gas/oil reservoir. This leaves more space inside the damper itself for a thicker and stiffer damper rod but it also enables the ride height to be lowered even more, improving turn-in response and reducing initial understeer.
Equally significant with these dampers is their resistance to overheating, thanks to that remote reservoir. The only snag is that they are said to cost 10 times the price of a normal damper - it's just as well that they should never need to be replaced.
In view of the relative handful of cars to be made, one wonders why Renault chose to invite a small group of British journalists to try the 182 Trophy, and also see the cars being made in the Dieppe factory. Without doubt, all 500 will be snapped up pretty quickly, so I concluded that the company was simply proud of its new baby and wanted to show us what it can do.
At Renaultsport, cars are made in a somewhat old-fashioned way: it looks efficient but these are special cars made in small numbers and there's a great deal more human input than you see in the latest car assembly plants.
Our test drive took us round Normandy and included a long session on the Pont L'Eveque circuit, a pretty but tricky little place packed with tight turns and a main straight on which it was just possible to reach 6,000rpm in third gear (75mph). Here was a chance to test that bold claim to the full and discover whether the 182 Trophy is indeed the finest handling, most fun front-wheel-drive hot hatch of all time.
My first impression was that, yes, it does turn in well, and it is mighty quick round a track like Pont L'Eveque. Equally impressive, you can keep going at maximum effort for as long as you like and the trusty Trophy does not wilt. The brakes did not overheat and neither did those Sachs dampers - they just keep on doing their job.
But the finest handling? That's a big claim. It's certainly safe and the temptation is to enter corners too fast, wind on a lot of lock and apply too much power. The ABS and especially the EBD systems keep the braking totally stable even when used hard while entering a corner. You can abuse it and get away with it. It's quicker, however, to exercise a bit of self-control and avoid twirling the wheel too much once in the corners. When switching left/right through tight S-bends, it is possible to hang the back out a little but it tends to resist swinging its tail around.
In short, it's not like the little Peugeot 205 GTi of old, which was happy to go sideways when the throttle was lifted and thus provided endless controllable entertainment. Renault's 182 Trophy is a quicker car, a much more modern car and perhaps it can argue its corner to claim the finest handling but, no, I can't concede that it is the most fun hot hatch. It's a bit more grown up than that and drivers who appreciate a very fine, high-performance front-wheel-drive chassis, powered by a magnificent twin-cam engine, will revel in it.
On the road, it's punchy and satisfying yet seemingly effortless to drive and the Recaro seats and excellent controls reduce fatigue to a minimum. It cruises easily on the motorway, too. This is a car which should appeal more to the true expert than the boy-racer.
At speed on rural roads, the 182 Trophy takes humps and dips in its stride and it's only at low speeds on the worst surfaces in towns - such as cobbles - that the suspension can seem a little harsh. But that will not trouble the people who will buy this very specialised car, nor should it.
Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy
Price/availability: from £15,500. On sale in the UK now.
Engine/transmission: 1,998cc in-line four-cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC petrol; 179bhp at 6,500rpm, 147.5lb ft of torque at 5,250rpm. Five-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive. Performance: top speed 140mph, 0-62mph in 6.9sec, EU Urban fuel consumption 25.0mpg, CO2 emissions 194g/km.
We like: High-quality components and years of development make this hot hatch convincing: it's exclusive, well-priced and quick.
We don't like: Some might find the ride too firm on poor city roads.
Does the limited-edition, UK-only Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy really offer the most fun you can have in a hot hatch, as its maker claims? Tony Dron decides
It was a bold mission. At its dedicated factory in Dieppe, Renaultsport set out to create what it said would be "the finest handling, most fun front-wheel-drive hot hatch ever". Based on the successful Renaultsport 182 Cup model, the Trophy is a final shot at producing the ultimate road-going 182 before production of the Clio II comes to an end in September and the new Clio III gets underway.
Raring to go: a larger spoiler, discreet logos and a lower ride height are all that denote the Renaultsport Trophy from its more ordinary 182 brethren
Just 500 right-hand-drive Trophies will be made, all in bright red, with a numbered plaque on the base of the driver's seat to authenticate them. Outside the UK, which remains by far the biggest market for Renaultsport products, a couple of dozen Trophies will go to Swiss drivers and that will be that. There is no plan to sell them anywhere else, not even in France.
The Trophy is distinguished externally from other 182s by its larger rear spoiler, as used on the Clio V6 255, its lowered suspension and discreet Trophy logos on the rear of each sill. Inside, black Recaro Sport Trendline front seats provide excellent lateral support and lower the seating position by a centimetre.
The standard Clio 182 is a quick car anyway so there was no need to alter the 2-litre 179bhp engine or five-speed manual transmission but, thanks no doubt to its lower stance, the Trophy is rated 1mph quicker on top speed - 140mph. The standing-start acceleration is also slightly improved, down from 7.1 seconds to 6.9 seconds for 0-62mph (100kph), which must result from slightly lower weight and improved traction thanks to the suspension changes (both run on the same 16in Michelin Exalto 2 tyres).
Based on a competition set-up, the most interesting aspect of the Trophy's special suspension is the use of lightweight Sachs Race Engineering dampers, which have a remote gas/oil reservoir. This leaves more space inside the damper itself for a thicker and stiffer damper rod but it also enables the ride height to be lowered even more, improving turn-in response and reducing initial understeer.
Equally significant with these dampers is their resistance to overheating, thanks to that remote reservoir. The only snag is that they are said to cost 10 times the price of a normal damper - it's just as well that they should never need to be replaced.
In view of the relative handful of cars to be made, one wonders why Renault chose to invite a small group of British journalists to try the 182 Trophy, and also see the cars being made in the Dieppe factory. Without doubt, all 500 will be snapped up pretty quickly, so I concluded that the company was simply proud of its new baby and wanted to show us what it can do.
At Renaultsport, cars are made in a somewhat old-fashioned way: it looks efficient but these are special cars made in small numbers and there's a great deal more human input than you see in the latest car assembly plants.
Our test drive took us round Normandy and included a long session on the Pont L'Eveque circuit, a pretty but tricky little place packed with tight turns and a main straight on which it was just possible to reach 6,000rpm in third gear (75mph). Here was a chance to test that bold claim to the full and discover whether the 182 Trophy is indeed the finest handling, most fun front-wheel-drive hot hatch of all time.
My first impression was that, yes, it does turn in well, and it is mighty quick round a track like Pont L'Eveque. Equally impressive, you can keep going at maximum effort for as long as you like and the trusty Trophy does not wilt. The brakes did not overheat and neither did those Sachs dampers - they just keep on doing their job.
But the finest handling? That's a big claim. It's certainly safe and the temptation is to enter corners too fast, wind on a lot of lock and apply too much power. The ABS and especially the EBD systems keep the braking totally stable even when used hard while entering a corner. You can abuse it and get away with it. It's quicker, however, to exercise a bit of self-control and avoid twirling the wheel too much once in the corners. When switching left/right through tight S-bends, it is possible to hang the back out a little but it tends to resist swinging its tail around.
In short, it's not like the little Peugeot 205 GTi of old, which was happy to go sideways when the throttle was lifted and thus provided endless controllable entertainment. Renault's 182 Trophy is a quicker car, a much more modern car and perhaps it can argue its corner to claim the finest handling but, no, I can't concede that it is the most fun hot hatch. It's a bit more grown up than that and drivers who appreciate a very fine, high-performance front-wheel-drive chassis, powered by a magnificent twin-cam engine, will revel in it.
On the road, it's punchy and satisfying yet seemingly effortless to drive and the Recaro seats and excellent controls reduce fatigue to a minimum. It cruises easily on the motorway, too. This is a car which should appeal more to the true expert than the boy-racer.
At speed on rural roads, the 182 Trophy takes humps and dips in its stride and it's only at low speeds on the worst surfaces in towns - such as cobbles - that the suspension can seem a little harsh. But that will not trouble the people who will buy this very specialised car, nor should it.
Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy
Price/availability: from £15,500. On sale in the UK now.
Engine/transmission: 1,998cc in-line four-cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC petrol; 179bhp at 6,500rpm, 147.5lb ft of torque at 5,250rpm. Five-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive. Performance: top speed 140mph, 0-62mph in 6.9sec, EU Urban fuel consumption 25.0mpg, CO2 emissions 194g/km.
We like: High-quality components and years of development make this hot hatch convincing: it's exclusive, well-priced and quick.
We don't like: Some might find the ride too firm on poor city roads.