Clio Renault Sport | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Renault Sport |
Also called | Renault Clio RS Renault Lutecia RS Renault Clio RS 172/182/197/200 |
Production | 1998–present |
Designer |
Patrick Le Quément (1998–2009) Laurens van den Acker (2009–present) |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Hot hatch |
Body style | 3-door hatchback (1998-2012) 5-door hatchback (2013-present) |
Related | Renault Clio |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 2.0 L I4 petrol (1998-2012) 1.6 L Nissan MR Turbo (2013-present) |
Transmission | 5-speed manual (1998–2005) 6-speed manual (2005–2012) EDC dual clutch (2013–present) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3,810 mm (150.0 in) (Mk II), 3,970 mm (156.3 in) (Mk III) |
Width | 1,810 mm (71.3 in) (Mk II) |
Height | 1,410 mm (55.5 in) (Mk II) |
Curb weight | 1,050 kg (2,315 lb)–1,150 kg (2,535 lb) |
The Clio Renault Sport (or Clio RS for short) is a hot hatch produced since 1998 by Renault Sport, the high-performance division of French automaker Renault. It is based on the Clio supermini.
The engine remained the same since the first Clio RS, a 2.0-litre straight-4 petrol engine, with an FF layout and a three-door hatchback body style. The latest version changed to a 1.6-litre engine with a five-door hatchback body style.
In 1999 Renault presented the first officially branded RenaultSport Clio, this was the third Clio produced by the RenaultSport division succeeding the Clio 16V and Clio Williams.
This new Clio, the 172 was based on the 3 door Clio II shell however had numerous features over the standard car including wider arches, restyled bumpers, side skirts and 15-inch OZ F1 alloy wheels.
Power was delivered by the F4R730 engine, a 2.0-litre 16-valve Inline 4 engine with a Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system via a dephaser on the intake camshaft pulley. The engine was a modified version of the F4R used in models such as the Laguna and Espace and was modified by mecachrome to deliver a power output of 172 PS (127 kW; 170 hp). Power was delivered to the wheels via a JC5-089 five-speed manual gearbox.
The 172 also featured interior changes over the standard car including Half Leather, Half Alcantara seats embossed with the RenaultSport logo and the car also came standard with manually controlled Air Conditioning.
A limited edition of the Phase 1 172 was produced and known as the Clio 172 Exclusive. This was limited to 172 units, all 172 of this "Exclusive" edition were 296 Scarab Green, featured BBS alloy wheels and a full leather interior as opposed to the half-leather half Alcantara seats featured in the standard car.
In 2001 the interior and exterior of the Clio II were face-lifted, the Clio RS followed suit shortly after.
This facelift of the Clio 172 included redesigned front and rear bumpers, the front bumper falling in line with the style of the face-lifted Clio II. The rear bumper was now less rounded and featured a strip of ABS plastic effectively splitting the bumper into two. The lights, bonnet and boot lid were also matched to the face-lifted Clio II.