The reason I bought a renault sport model is because they are the best handling hot hatches out there.
That's about all they have compared to the competition though. Now I'm not saying that they are the worst at everything and everyone else is better I just mean that handling is the only thing they really come out on top on, they don't come top in reliability, customer service etc
With hot hatches though others have their own issues, vxrs have a crap load that goes wrong with them and it's not like their build quality is perfect, cooper s are overpriced and again are not built as well as people think.
The new clio sport doesn't interest me at all though, obviously I have no clue how it handles but it's ugly and the turbo engine has put me right off, part of the clios charm for me is that you rag the crap out of it and tear down country roads. I donm't want a turbo engine with lots of torque, I enjoy dropping down a gear (although my car struggles to get in any gear at the minute lol)