Renault Clio RenaultSport 200 Turbo EDC Lux review
We love the turbocharged engine and EDC transmission, but it would benefit from even stiffer suspension and firmer seats
Renault claims the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, and we certainly wouldn’t argue with that figure. In regular mode, the car’s pretty slow to accelerate initially due to the damped throttle response and a bit of turbo lag, but it increases rapidly as you pass 3,000rpm. The best approach is to downshift when overtaking or exiting a corner in regular mode. Acceleration in Sport and Race modes is more rapid due to the freer throttle and quicker gear changes, and it’s these modes you’ll be using on twisting country roads and hilly routes. You can even perform a race-style launch in Race mode, which ensures you get the quickest start.
There’s a bit of torque steer when starting off in a hurry in Sport and Race mode, but nothing extreme, especially if you know it’s coming.
The car handles well enough for the most part, but we did feel a bit of body roll on some corners and there is more understeer than we’d like, even with the presence of the RS electronic differential. This meant that some corners provided more scares than thrills, but the greatest pleasure is to be had from powering out of a corner with a downshift or two rather than entering it at speed.
We were also a little dismayed with the car’s ride, which we think is too soft and bouncy for a car with sporty pretensions.
The appeal of the RS 200 Turbo EDC Lux is definitely the car’s acceleration and the effortless, ultra-swift gear changes of its dual-clutch gearbox. You can’t approach corners with the same confidence as in a car such as the Toyota GT86, but this a front-wheel drive hot hatch with decent rear seats and a large boot; you expect to make some compromises.
MULTIMEDIA AND TELEPHONY
One thing that surely distinguishes the RS 200 Turbo EDC from other hot hatches is Renault’s excellent R-Link navigation and multimedia system, which shames most, if not all, others. It has a 7in capacitive touchscreen with bright, colourful and easily navigable screens. The icons are easy to understand and the friendly interface invites you to use it. There’s no concern that you might inadvertently alter a setting and then not be able to undo it, and it’s easy to operate the system while driving.
We had no trouble inputting our destination (you can even change the keyboard layout to suit you) and the colourful map was informative and easy to understand at a glance. If you miss a turning, the system quickly updates to an alternative route in a just a second or two.
The audio screens are also particularly informative and easy to use, with album artwork and track details displayed large. You can select tracks and albums from a list that you have to scroll through, which could be laborious if you have a lot of music on your phone or USB flash drive. We’d like to see a search function on future revisions of the system.