Here are my first impressions after a fantastic weekend and 650 km in the new Clio RS:
- looks: looks are very subjective, all I can say is that I applaud the fact that Renault did their best to make the car look as sporty as possible, even with 4 doors. Seats provide a lot of support!
- interior: the quality stays a bit poor, a lot of "plastic feel" but the dullness is gone because of the use of different materials (some shiny black, some chrome, some orange brushed metal)
- handling: the chassis still is superb, in high speed corners the car stays stable and the back end doesn't slide one bit.
- performance: despite the fact that the car also has 200 bhp just like the previous one, the car feels faster, especially when exiting tight corners. The higher torque, the limited slip diff and the fast shifting gearbox are the cause of this. On a fast circuit, you won't gain a lot, but on a slower, tighter circuit the new RS will kick the old RS's ass. The engine also produces a nice grunt when the boost kicks in at low revs.
- gearbox: I'm not a fan of flappy paddle gearboxes, but this one is comparable with the DSG gearbox of VW and that's a compliment for Renault. The car senses your intentions very well and reacts fast.
Summary: making this car more practical and mainstream has had some effect on how the car feels. You're less involved in driving because you have to do less yourself, but when you hit the throttle, the car definitely is faster than the old one. Rumour has it that Renault is preparing a 230 bhp Cup version at this moment and that extra 30 bhp would make the car outstanding in it's class. If I compare the Clio 4 RS with the Mini JCW or the DS3 Racing, then the Clio wins easily. It's better handling than the others, cheaper and more practical in daily use.
I hope you all can understand what I'm trying to say and that I didn't write a lot of mistakes.