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A selection Of Press Articles On The Clio 172 Mk1.

Fast Fleet - End of Term Report - EVO

It's a hard life being an evo long-termer, even harder when you're the most popular car on the fleet. But that's just the life W744 WTR led for nine breakneck months. And do you know what it never missed a beat.

After driving the 172 at the international launch just over a year ago, I decided on the spot that I had to have a long term test car. Failure was not an option. Pity then, the poor Renault PR man who I pounced upon before we'd even managed to check-in for our flight home.

Three months later my gleaming silver 172 arrived in the car park. It was one of the very first in the country, and for a good three months or more it drew admiring glances like a magnet. Clearly there was a buzz about this car, and i soon lost count of the number of you who e-mailed to tell me you had a 172 on order.

Less than a week into our tenure, W744 was press-ganged into a 14 car hot hatch test. we criticised the amount of dry weather torque steer and wet weather tail happiness, and consequently the 306 GTI-6 and 106 GTI pipped the Renault into third place. If only we'd known about the suspension geometry was a long way out.

My first few weeks with the Clio highlighted the mildly awkward driving position. You sit quite high and the pedals force your ankles to bend more than normal, but i did eventually find a good compromise of seat and steering wheel height adjustment. Apart from that the Clio's air conditioning, punchy stereo and luxuriously trimmed seats made life very tolerable, even on long journeys.

Exhaust specialists Magnex gave me a call a couple of months after the 172 arrived, asking if they could use it to develop a new stainless performance exhaust. The payoff was being able to keep the prototype system, which sounded like a good deal to me. After a few days in the workshop and a day on the rolling road, the Clio returned with a fine looking, fine sounding cat-back system that yielded a useful 5bhp increase in peak power. If you want the same for your Clio, call Magnex on, 01773 876300.

At 12,000 miles the 172 required its first service, which was carried out at our local dealership, DC Cook of Northhamption. The only problem we had encountered was an intermittently sticky throttle pedal, which we reported on dropping the car off. Despite a test drive and checking the linkage, the chaps at Cook's were unable to find a fault or get the damned thing to stick while they drove it. the sump gasket was also found to be leaking, but a temporary fix saw us through the next 12,000 miles without a problem. The resulting bill for £155 (including a through valet seemed like good value for money.

Shortly after the service, the front Michelins needed replacing. We stuck with the OE Pilot Exaltos (£131 for the pair) and had them fitted at Central Tyres in Wellingborough. It was while the tyres were being fitted that the Clio's geometry was found to be way out, and on its return felt like a new car. The torque-steer and tail-twitchiness had been all but eradicated, to the point where I'm sure it would have beaten both the 106 and 306 Peugeots in the GTI group test. Still the Clio's time for revenge would come.

Throughout my time with W744 I was constantly impressed with its fuel consumption. Considering that it was never driven anything less than hard, it seemed amazing to me that it would routinely manage 32mpg, rising to 37mpg on long motorway runs. The only downside was its need for increasingly expensive (not to mention hard to find) Super unleaded. Oil consumption was negligible.

It was in the Clio that I first became acquainted with the Northampton Camera Safety Unit. The operators were clearly impressed with my pace in the Clio on my way to work, because they took a photo of us and kindly posted it to the office, along with a £40 fixed penalty fine and a trio of points as a souvenir. Needless to say i have learned my lesson and only speed when it's foggy and the 'Safety Cameras' can't see me. That's a joke by the way.

By the time the Clio was due to go back to Renault I had really gotten attached to it. It was always entertaining, rapid and easy to live with. Its reliability was a welcome surprise too, as the experiences of friends and family who owned Clio Williamses had led me to expect more than a few problems. Clearly Renault has worked hard on the durability of its hot hatches.

Perhaps my affection for the 172 made me biased, but I took great glee in driving the sock off it at MIRA in an attempt to elevate it above its big-arsed brother, the Clio V6 for our EPR cover story last month. I didn't quite manage it, but with less than 1% between the fifteen grand 172 and the twenty five grand V6, I think my efforts did the little silver bullet the justice it deserved. Perhaps more gratifying was the way in which it kicked the new Impreza WRX's butt.

It's just not the same around here without the big hearted Clio but, judging by the number of 172's I'm now starting to notice blatting around , the message has got through. Like the old Impreza Turbo, it's a hero car for those of us on real world budgets. If you haven't done so already get down to the local Renault dealership and start worshipping.

RenaultSport Clio 172 Long Termer Review by Top Gear magazine
The little silver car looks innocent enough, almost like any other Clio. But as I get closer I take in the lowered suspension, the smart 15-inch alloys and the deep front spoiler, plus the subtle badge on the tailgate saying 'Renaultsport' to remind all comers that some of Renault's formidable Formula One engine tuning experience has found its way into this four potter. I've got 72 hours to enjoy what is virtually the hottest production hatch ever made.

With 172bhp under its bonnet, this car can cover long distances easily, especially with a claimed top speed of 138mph. I've found its ride to be firm but not uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels as though there should be a sixth gear, but that's only on the motorway. The gear change itself has a longer throw than is ideal, and sometimes isn't the smoothest of shifters, but its not a problem to live with. The driving position needs some getting used to, but we've already done the trip from London to Scotland without even a gripe, let alone an aching body part.

The Clio's 195/50 tyres just keep serving up traction. I leave the braking a fraction later and get the power on a fraction earlier with each successive bend. I'm growing in confidence all the time. I refrain from exploiting the Clio's talent for progressive lift-off over-steer, but the odd occasion is too good to miss. Especially with roll free turn-in as good as this.

The steering is as information as the Encyclopedia Britannia and the neoprene like material covering the wheel is a tactile pleasure. There's just one worry: despite having discs all round, the brakes don't have as much feel as I'd like, and what little they do have seems to be ebbing away. Perhaps the pads need replacing. I've found that the clutch gets a little nifty at times, too.

This power plant is the perfect complement to the Clio's sporting chassis. Providing plenty of torque from low engine speeds to launch the car out of corners. Peak torque is a healthy 147lb ft at 5,400rpm and the full 172 is available at a screaming 6,250rpm. Soon after that (7000rpm) a tiny gearlever shaped light comes on in the dash, telling you to change up before you ping off the rev limiter.

This engine is just so responsive during both acceleration and deceleration, an the effective engine braking is something I'm beginning to appreciate more and more. At the services we fill up with the Clio's preferred fuel super unleaded. This has become a little to frequent. The average consumption of 28.8mpg is absolutely fine but with a tank of just 50 litres, the range is undeniably short.

Coming off damp roundabouts, all that power results in some inevitable torque steer, but its quickly cured by easing off the throttle. Those same front wheels will often follow the ruts worn into the carriageway by heavy trucks. Any trip in the 172 feels special. It always imparts the feeling that you're going faster than the speedo says, thanks to the intimate chassis and the instant engine responses. For £15,495, it's most definitely a performance bargain.

RenaultSport Clio 172 Long Termer Review by CAR Magazine
Renault's 2.0-litre hot hatch may not have been the easiest of cars to live with, but its hard to imagine more performance and fun for just £16k. It makes so much more sense than its mid-engined 3.0-litre brother.

She's right the woman in the Renault Clio adverts, that is. Size does matter...at least up to a point. She's bang on in another department, too. She tells us to remove all aggression before we drive. Now whether you should do it by smashing up a designer pad is between you and your psychotherapist, but as a fundamental principle of sensible driving, you can't argue.
There are exceptions to every rule, though. Size might be important but I can assure you that it's what you do with it that really counts. And when it comes to aggression, that fact remains that some cars require you to stir the pot vigorously. That much is obvious if you've lived with Renault's Sport Clio 172 for the past nine months.

Its arguably easy to ignore France's largest marque as createur d'hot hatch, because biggest rival Peugeot still basks in all things 205 GTI. Renaults attempts to add a soupcan of that something have always had narrower appeal - think 5 Turbo or Clio Williams - but the fact remains that when they put their minds to it, Renault's engineers seem to have what it takes.
Williams derivatives proved so popular in their limited-edition way, that Renault eked three versions out before a parting of the ways between the marque and the eponymous grand prix team (and the all new Clio) signaled an end to that particular goldmine. New era, new seam arrived early in 2000 in the form of the 2.0-litre 16V Clio 172. With the help of Renault's motorsport division, an extra 20 odd horsepower was extracted from the four cylinder block used in the Laguna and wedged unceremoniously into the nose of the Clio. We always knew there was going to be enough power; what mattered more than size was what they did next. Well aside from fettling the Clio into what I would argue is the most involving car of its kind today, Renault got a bit carried away. If you can fit two litres of grunt into a Clio, why not three?

That Clio duly arrived, in road form at the end of last year, amid significant hype and even greater expectation. Was this to be the breathless descendant of the mid-engined Renault 5's of the 1980's. No. In 3.0-litre V6 mode, the awesome looking Clio was anything but. Fast, naturally, but short on thrills. In fact, in all but styling, we were hard pressed to think why you would fork out the £10,000 premium (£26k compared to £16k) to lay your hands on the V6.
We're probably uniquely qualified to level that charge. In the past months we have covered thousands of miles in both Clio's, and always reached the same conclusion: they're both goods cars, but there's little between them, except that gaping price differential.

Side by side your eye is instinctively drawn to the bigger car. Outrageous flanks and pugnacious nose make this one of Renault's visual masterstrokes - a genuine attempt to go beyond the accoutrements of motorsport that are chucked haphazardly at other sports cars. This Clio races in its own series around Europe and the championship cars look exactly like the road version.
But don't let all that ocular overload distract you from the Sport Clio 172. For out of the shadow of the V6, this remains a bold interpretation of the standard car. From the minute it arrived in May 2000, it received considerable praise for its styling. In our car park, forever a mix of the beautiful and the boring, the Clio somehow always stood out. Its muted silver paintjob is a must (far better than the blue and muddy red versions I've seen) and it's all set off by those small but cool, 15 inch alloys.

While the V6 screams the virtues of outsized everything, the 172 is the opposite - a featherweight boxer compared to a crunching heavyweight; hinting at potential rather than bragging endlessly about it. You know it's going to be good when you see it, but you're not embarrassed to be in its company.

Inside its more of a curate's egg, dividing opinion on whether the blue plastics, alcantara and leather make for pleasure environs or a ghastly attempt at snaz. I grew to like the cabin - neat, well laid out, and at the least, a change from the usual dirge of dimpled greys and blacks. Interior specification is decent as well, with a six disc CD changer, air con and supportive bucket seats alongside twin airbags, remote locking and a pleasingly cavernous boot. Downsides? The overly rubbery steering wheel came with 10 degrees of negative camber which resisted all adjustment. Over nine months you get used to its wrist twisting angle, but its was annoying from day one. There were rattles too, from behind a speaker panel, but that's about it.

It's hard though to criticise the 2.0-litre cars decor alongside that of the V6, for the entire cabin has been lanced from the one and stitched into the other, wonky wheel and all. While it stands up to scrutiny in a £16k vehicle, it is woefully short of what is required when you're paying the equivalent of a BMW, Audi or even Mercedes. and then, of course, there's the not insignificant matter of losing your rear seats and boot to several hundred kilos of engine and support materials. we're yet to find anybody who's prepared to excuse the V6 its interior failings.

Failings of another kind come to light once you're under way, and while you can't pin them all on the more expensive of the pair, when you are totting up the pros and cons, our long termer still comes out comfortably ahead. Both cars are uncompromising - one obviously so, but even the smaller Clio surprises by the way it refuses to cede to daily urban drudgery.

From the first turnover, the 2.0-litre engine reveled itself to be buzzy and highly strung, capable of delivering enough low-down torque to be of use in most situations, but all the time berating you to open the throttle and explore the higher margins of its range. Above 4000 rpm, the surge in power is always enough to spin the front wheels, whether wet or dry, and the torque steer gives your arms a good workout should you ask for too much, too soon.

Regardless, I am a big fan of the pointy steering, something that others feel is far too removed from the solid accuracy of the original Clio Williams. Admittedly, it is light and somewhat inert around the straight ahead, but as you feed in more power and lock the payback is kickback that makes you feel challenged. Remember what I said about aggression? For the unwary, this car is prepared to lead. You have to try to reverse the roles.

All of which sounds like a considerable effort in what is, after all, just a Clio. And it can be just like that. The car's logbook is littered with accusations from colleagues who felt that life with a Clio 172 was too much like hard work. And to some extent, they are right. The clutch action is as snappy today as when we took delivery, which makes for the tricky town runs we've frequently reported to you in our long term updates. The brakes are also unsuited to short journeys, the pads - indeed the whole feel of the system - providing for fierce retardation as soon as you brush the drilled pedal with the sole of your foot.

Let's pause for a minute, however, for I'm making it sound as if our car has no redeeming features. not true. This is one fast Renault, endowed with prodigious grip and provider of many a toothy grin on roundabouts, race tracks and pet roads. Weighing 1035kg, and with close gear box ratios, you'll easily hit 60mph in 7.0 seconds; those with a less sympathetic clutch foot can break into the six-point something bracket. That's fast enough to blush the cheeks of any rival hot hatch, a fact that makes this the best A-to-B car of its kind.

it comes at a price (with both top Clio's, every plus comes with a minus). In the 172, you extract that extra performance at the cost of your wallet and your eardrums. Never a particularly frugal car when it comes to super unleaded its beverage of choice, we struggled all year to squeeze more than 30mpg from it. typically the return, with plenty of town driving involved, was around 26 or 27. With the extra pennies for the high octane petrol, it's not a cheap car to run, but at least it swallows 50 litres of the stuff, giving you 300 miles on a tank.

And there's the noise. From the outset the Clio had a distinct buzzing whine as you climbed through the 4000rpm power hike. raucous and distracting, this pleased and pained drivers in almost equal measure. But the problem lay not in its chainsaw engine note, but with the extra vibrato resonance that raised their heads over the course of the long term test. We never really discovered where all those squeaks and groans came from, but best guesses remain a loosening exhaust manifold shield and maybe a loose baffle in the silencer. Typical growing pains from an overworked, highly tuned Clio. Part of Renault's problem with its V6 derivative was that a nearly 40 percent price rise produced little more than a 172 with better torque and top speed. Obviously there was not the inconsequential matter of the V6 driving the rear, rather than front, wheels, but that aside there is little to persuade us of extra merit. In acceleration, its shaves tenths rather than chunks from the 0-60 times. Grippy? Yes, but not much more so than the 172. Put simply the 172 is still demanding of its driver, but at least offers rewards. Clio V6 offers little more than a heart flutter.

With us for nine months, our Clio 172 never quite reached its first, 12 months or 12,000 mile service requirement. Even so, it was beginning to feel like it needed rest at a Renault health farm.
Those aforementioned rattles aside, it was time someone took a look at the wear on the brake pads (remember this car took part in out demanding Performance Car of the Year track day) and the ABS system, which twice seemed to activate - a strange juddering of the brake pedal under your foot as you sat at the traffic lights - once the car had come to a rest. Whether a software glitch, or just a sensor needing replacing, it was on the list for that first overhaul: £126 for the first service and £89 all in for a new set of brake pads.

So its goodbye to our Clio after a sometimes fraught, always fun, long term test. Whether it would be your cup of tea we simply cannot say. More certain, however is the wisdom of taking the 172 over the Clio V6, a car that simply cannot withstand the examination beyond that stunning exterior. Size you see, doesn't always matter.

Le Hot hatch is back. The Renault Clio 2.0 16V Sport 172 (to give it its full moniker) has a very tough act to follow in the shape of the old and much missed Clio Williams. All the 172 has to do now is worm its way into buyer and trade affections if it is to emulate its predecessor's remarkable residual and fan base.

That seems unlikely to happen at the moment, because the 172 has a production number as limited as the Williams 3. That is they will build as many as they can sell. Also, 172 sounds like a bus route rather than the name of multi-world championship winning grand prix team.
Test pilot Franey says it is a hoot, if hard work to drive, but the TV image of the Renault lady in full PMT flow hasn't helped the street cred. that's what the Williams and even older 5GT turbo had by the bucket load. So if the 172 can get the attention of buyers who are looking further east these days, and the specialist performance dealers decide that a forecourt full of 172's is a good thing, then maybe its fortunes will change. at the moment though, the 172 is just another Renault and that means it is no stranger to depreciation.

Take a glance at some of the pessimistic fleet estimates for the next three years / 60,000 miles and its residual prospects are not particularly good. Thirty five percent or less of the list price isn't much to look forwards to. Indeed what is the list price these days? Officially the Renault dealer on the road figure is 15,495. Trouble is doesn't take long to phone around the importers and brokers and get that figure down to £12k.

So what will the trade actually give for a used one? The 172 doesn't book in the trade price guides yet, so it is a bit of a guesswork. dealer demos and registered delivery-mileage examples are advertised at a strong £14995, although they will argue that you still have the balance of the manufacturer's warranty. It would be a brave bid of 12k, bearing in mind the imports offered. The rock hard trader might only bid £10k on the basis that there aren't many in the classified yet. There is some novelty value, but not a lot.

The Sport Clio has it all to do then. So is le hot hatch really back? Cue Gallic shrug.






Group Test (Clio 172 vs 206 GTI vs Proton GTI) by Driven
Introduction

Penny Mallory: 'Ah, a beautiful day, a country lane... the perfect place to find out which of our three superminis is the best in this week's Driven 100.'
Jason Barlow: 'Now just hang on a minute there... yes indeed these are superminis, but there's a much, much better way to describe these particular runabouts.'
Mike Brewer: 'Oh yes, welcome back to the hot hatch. They might be pint-sized flyweight shopping trolleys, but all three of this week's cars pack a seriously heavyweight punch.'

Remember the incredibly popular Peugeot 205GTI and the legendary '80s Volkswagen Golf GTi? Hot hatches fell out of favour due to high insurance costs, victims of their own popularity, but now they're back with a bang. After almost a decade in the wilderness, it's fashionable once again to stick a whopping great engine in a small car, spray it silver and call it a hot hatch.

They've all got tweaked suspension, high-revving powerplants and monstrous alloy wheels. They're all built for speed, and that can only mean one thing - time to hit the racetrack. Car number one is the brand-new Renault Sport Clio with about 170 bhp lurking beneath the bonnet.

Contender number two is the current market-leader, the 137 bhp Peugeot 206 GTi...

... and number three is the new pretender, the 133 bhp Proton GTi, a car that's rumoured to deliver big performance at a bargain price.
These are all seriously fast small cars. But which is the best one you can buy?

We have three of the very latest hot hatches, cars that we're always being told are aimed at boy-racers. So to kick off this week's Driven 100 we've found three of the very best boys who race in this country, and they're going to tell us which they think is the most driveable and desirable. They might be fresh-faced young whippersnappers, but these hotshots are widely tipped to be the next generation of Formula One superstars. So what do they make of our hot hatches?

Penny: 'Now, Renault has an excellent reputation - a very hard-earned reputation - in motorsport (just ask Damon Hill) and I think it's very decent of them to let us have a slice of the action. To put it quite simply, the Renault Sport Clio is the most potent pocket-rocket of all time. Renault claims this car will get from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and to a top speed of 136 mph... Well, it certainly feels fast, and I'm not even driving. How does it feel, Marc?'

Marc Hynes, 1999 Formula Three Champion: 'Not that much grip at the moment! Basically, the car's pretty good. We'll see here... Turn in, it's pretty slidy, get back on the power and lift - and here's a nice little drift so it's quite good fun. The engine sounds pretty nice as well as we're going round. The only thing I'm not too positive on is the brakes: they're a little spongey and the car tends to squirm around a bit on the brakes which is slightly disconcerting. It's pretty nice to be able to come here and have a go in such a cool car, though - they've sold it to me, anyway!'

Jason: 'Pocket-rockets, hot hatches, call them what you will, but Peugeot has been at the very front of the grid ever since the legendary 205 GTI appeared in 1984. This little baby, the 206 GTi - I like the name, very logical - should do the trick. Anyway, the person who's making me feel so ill is Richard Lyons, a Formula Three or Formula 3000 contender for the year 2000. Right, Richard, what do you like about this car then? It feels to me like a hot hatch that's as good on the track as it is on the road, which is quite something, isn't it?'

Richard Lyons: 'Yeah, well, with some cars they just stick a GTi badge on it and try to spice it up, but this car is a true GTi. It's so responsive, especially the steering and throttle, it's just magnificent, absolutely brilliant. The only problem is getting to the brake pedal; I find it quite difficult - I've actually missed it a few times. I don't mean to make you nervous, but that's just the way it is!'
Jason: 'Yes, I don't like to hear that you can't reach the brakes. That's not a good thing...'

Mike: 'Renault and Peugeot are famous for building fantastic little hot hatches, but just watch the established superheroes tremble as a new car blasts into view... Yes, it's the incredible Proton GTi! Proton has jumped into bed with Lotus and this is what they've produced. After all, Proton owns 80 per cent of Lotus, so it makes sense for them to get them to tweak the chassis. This is Ryan Dalziel; Ryan was last year's runner-up in the Formula Vauxhall championship and he's a pretty demon driver... Ryan, what do you think of it?'

Ryan Dalziel: 'The initial impression - it's not got as much horsepower as I was expecting.'
Mike: 'Well, it's got the lowest horsepower of the three at 133 bhp, but it's still got plenty of grunt.'
Ryan: 'Yeah, it's got a lot of high revs and torque. You can use the power bands quite easily.'
Mike: 'What do you think of the interior? At least with this car the seats are quite good - they've gripped us in quite nicely. But that steering wheel doesn't look very nice, nor does that dash!'
Ryan: 'They've done the white dials but it's not enough. They really need to try something, especially with the steering wheel, because that looks really out of place. It handles nicely, though, and does everything that's asked of it. You wouldn't think you were driving a Proton.'

Time to find out what our three racing drivers thought of the hot hatches... and one of them has come out as a very clear winner.
Marc: 'It has to be the Clio, doesn't it? It's got everything you want out of a hot hatch: it's got the power, it's got the chassis, and it looks good.'
Richard: 'In the corners you really felt as if you were in a sporty little car. I would have to say, though, that the Peugeot is the most fun car of them all to drive. You could throw it about any shape you wanted and you just got away with it - we never came to any grief with it at all.'
Marc: 'It's got the precision you want, and on the throttle it's nice and twitchy. And it's good fun.'
Jason: 'What did you think of the Proton?'
Marc: 'Dull and boring. Didn't like it at all.'
Penny: 'And do you all agree with that?'
Marc: 'You quite liked it...'
Ryan: 'I think the Proton had the best brakes, but it didn't have the interior, and the Clio was what won it for everybody. We're here to talk about hot hatches and, strictly speaking, the Clio really wiped the floor with the other two.'
Richard: 'At the end of the day, everybody likes them. Boy racers like them: a bit of speed on the road, a bit of punch whenever they pull out to pass another car...'
Marc: 'It looks cool, the Renault Clio...'
Penny: 'So in the driveability and desirability stakes, the Renault Clio wins. All three have lived up to their racy image on the track. But are these cars a serious option for those who want a small five-seater road car that you can also have some fun with?

Are these cars a serious option for those who want a small five-seater road car that you can also have some fun with? Well, you do have to make some sacrifices: harder suspension might help race-track handling, but it also affects ride quality. On everyday roads, the Renault Sport Clio is the least compromised. But what about their interiors? As tasty as these three cars look on the outside, you don't notice that when you're driving them because you're on the inside. Interior appointments are very important to cars with sporting pretensions, so... Proton GTi - here we have some nice, firm, supportive Recaro seats. We have an aluminium-effect gearknob, although it's a bit rough to the touch. But to be honest, after that it all falls disastrously to pieces. What is this carbonfibre-effect stuff doing here on the dashboard? It looks like the sort of thing you'd buy off some dodgy bloke in the High Street.

There's nothing as dodgy as that in this Peugeot, apart from, of course, the acres and acres of plastic. It looks like elephant hide and it's horrid. Apart from that, everything's very functional and nicely laid out. The seats look good, although they're not nearly as supportive as in the other two cars, and if you look carefully at the seats, someone has taken my nice silver coat and woven it into the fabric. But my favourite bit is this - you can't beat a bit of suede.

If you like suede, you're going to love the Clio Sport because this car is absolutely swimming in it. Well, it's Alcantara actually, which is a fake suede, but there are some nice inserts on the lovely comfortable leather seats. You also get Alcantara on the steering wheel - it's very grippy and feels as smooth as a mouse's bottom, and the gearknob is beautiful polished aluminium. Great to look at, but a tad cold to touch. But how driveable are these cars really?
Penny Mallory: 'Now, you may not realise it, but when you put a big engine in a small, light, front-wheel-drive car, you can compromise its driveability. Our next test should demonstrate how. Right, I'm in the Renault Sport Clio. Have you ever had that experience at a roundabout when you accelerate really hard to get into a gap and suddenly you're fighting hard for the steering wheel? Well, that's called torque-steer, and we're going to try and show you how badly these cars suffer from it.'

'Now, there's a white line in front of me, and I'm going to just amble forward. This is the easiest test I've ever been given on Driven because I haven't got to do much. I'm going to take my hands off the wheel and accelerate hard, and see how it launches across the white line... up to second gear... oh my goodness, I'm going to have to grab the wheel back before we end up in the trees! I'm afraid the Renault Clio suffers from torque-steer very badly. Let's see how the Peugeot gets on.'

'I'm in the Peugeot, nearly 140 bhp and, of course, front-wheel drive... OK, so I'm going down the white line, I'm going to take my hands off, accelerate hard and across to the left, up to second gear and... yes, it definitely pulls to the left. It's not such a violent pull as in the Renault but still there's a lot of torque-steer. Let's see how the Proton gets on.'

'Right, I'm in the Proton now, with 133 bhp, so it's the least powerful of the three cars. Again, I'm over the white line. Now I'm going to take my hands off and floor it... and it's much less violent a pull to the right than the Clio, but does show that if you are going to put a big engine in a small car, the car will torque-steer. If I had to choose a winner, it would have to be the Proton, because it torque-steered the least. It's the best-behaved in a straight line, with both the Renault and the Peugeot needing a firmer grip on the wheel. Now the important bit: the Driven 100 ratings.
We've got 25 points up for grabs in each of our four categories, which are driveability, desirability, practicality and cost of ownership, and a maximum possible score of 100.

Move your mouse over headings below for more detail
DRIVEABILITY
Sport Clio 21
206 GTi 19
Proton GTi 16



DRIVEABILITY DETAILS
First up is driveability. We all rated the Renault Sport Clio on the road, and so did the racing drivers on the track. Everything is just as it should be, and it has nice positive steering, though it did suffer from pretty serious torque-steer - a score of 21. The Peugeot did very well too, but it lacks that real edge - it scores 19 out of 25. The Proton, despite having handling by Lotus, is outclassed in this company, but it's still quite an enjoyable car, so it gets 16 - a good, respectable score.

DESIRABILITY
Sport Clio 21
206 GTi 19
Proton GTi 16



DESIRABILITY DETAILS
Next, desirability - which of these cars would we really like to own? The Clio scored well again: loads of power, loads of fun, very enjoyable, it gets 21 again, with the 206 close behind on 19. The Proton Compact GTi? The Proton badge doesn't mean very much, but the GTi bit makes it more desirable and it gets 16.

PRACTICALITY
Sport Clio 17
206 GTi 17
Proton GTi 17



PRACTICALITY DETAILS
Now, just how practical are these cars? Pretty good, so 17 across the board. That is fair, as none of them is better than the others in the practicality stakes.

COST OF OWNERSHIP
Sport Clio 17
206 GTi 18
Proton GTi 19



COST OF OWNERSHIP DETAILS
Which just leaves money - how much do these cars cost to own? Here there is a very clear winner: the Proton GTi. It's pretty cheap all round, it's in insurance group 9 and, at just under 42 pence per mile to run, it gets a score of 19. The Clio and 206 get 17 and 18 respectively.

OVERALL
Sport Clio 76
206 GTi 73
Proton GTi 68



OVERALL DETAILS
Overall, that means third prize goes to the Proton GTi, with 68 points. It's a great little car but it's not quite there yet. In second place, it's the Peugeot 206 GTi, with 73: a great little car, but it doesn't quite live up to the legendary status of the old 205 GTI. So that means in first place, with one of the highest scores we've ever given on Driven... the racing drivers loved it, it's the Renault Sport Clio, with a top score of 76.
That's a hell of a score. Hard to beat, it's our highest-scoring car so far in the Driven 100. The Renault has everything we're looking for: it's affordable, practical, can seat five people and it's a really great drive. Will it be car of the series? There's still some stiff competition ahead.



THE EPR (EVO Performance Rating) TEST
See how the Clio 172 faired against some of the best cars in the world.

Some elements such as styling and quality of the engine note, simply can't be measured because they're entirely subjective - we all have our own preferences. However look at dynamics - the single most important constituent of an EVO car - and there is scope to produce a rating because its basically a cars ability to go, stop, grip and change direction.

We call this test of dynamics the EVO performance rating - EPR. The exercises that contribute to EPR are: 0-100-0mph, which measures ultimate accelerating and braking power; Time Exposed to Danger (TED), which illustrates overtaking response; the Slalom, which tests agility; and Lateral g, which shows ultimate concerning grip.

Fourteen cars tested were: Caterham R500, Porsche 911 Turbo, Maserati 3200 GT, HSV Holden GTS-R, Mitsubishi Evo VI, RenaultSport Clio V6, Renault Clio 172, Subaru Impreza WRX, Toyota Celica 190, Lotus Elise, Peugoet 306GTI-6, BMW X5, Ford Puma, VW Lupo GTI

0-100-0 Test
For all the criticisms that can be leveled at it, standing start acceleration is the most evocative way of describing a car's performance. The test combines maximum acceleration with ultimate braking, and the choice of 100mph lessens the influence of the vagaries that compromise the more often quoted 0-60. Good or bad traction of the line traction is proportionately less of a factor, while the car makers habit of gearing their cars so that they can just squeak past 60mph in second gear is rendered irrelevant.

One benchmark of a decently quick car is the ability to reach 100mph in under 20 seconds. The Clio V6 gets away well, but not as solidly as you might expect given that there's a dirty great V6 pressing the rear tyres into the road. With 100 bagged in 17secs dead, the Clio V6 hauls up in a slightly wobbly 4.8secs for a total of 21.8secs. The surprise is that its little bro, the front wheel drive Clio 172, is next up, storming to 100 in 18.2secs and anchoring up in 4.9secs for a combined time of 23.1secs. That'll please the enthusiastic band of 172 owners out there, though they'll be even more ecstatic to learn the in this discipline the new Impreza WRX is no quicker. Although the old version would have seen off the Clio 172 with a sub 15sec 0-100.

TED (Time Exposed to Danger)
We've all been stuck behind a sluggardly articulated truck, waiting for an overtaking opportunity. When it comes the faster you can accelerate past, the less time you'll spend on the wrong side of the road - exposed to danger - and the safer you'll be. This is the TED test, an exercise rooted in the real world that offers a more genuine representation of outright pace than the 0-60 sprint.
In the TED test each car creeps up to 45mph, the steady speed of our theoretical artic , in the most appropriate gear (usually second) and then accelerate all out. TED represents the time it takes to pass our phantom truck and pull safely back in.

The fastest was the Caterham (3.75secs), the slowest the VW Lupo GTI (6.25secs). The Clio V6 manages 5.3secs (7th place) through sheer muscle, while the front wheel drive Clio 172 isn't far behind on 5.5secs (8th place). The new Impreza WRX manages 5.7secs.

Slalom
If there's one way to catch a chassis out, its with rapid direction changes. A stern test of body control, balance and steering response, our slalom test is designed to uncover any nasty traits that might remain hidden through constant sweeping curves. The slalom is approached in second gear at close to 50mph. Its a speed that ensures the chassis has to work hard to control the heavy cornering loads, momentum, and awkward weight transfer. Eight cones are set 75ft apart.

The Clio is simply sensational for a front wheel drive car. Hugely tenacious front end grip allows and encourages you to attack from the first cone. No understeer and a surprisingly well behaved tail means you can work the throttle more, providing a pendulum effect that gets the car turned in harder and faster. The fastest was the Lotus Elise (6.61secs) and the slowest the BMW X5 (7.88secs). The Clio 172 managed 7.07secs, an incredible third place, whilst the Clio V6 only managed 7.36 secs (10th place).

Lateral G
Lap a 150ft constant radius circle as fast as you can. Fastest of the front drivers is the Clio 172. It's a bit of a hooligan, with lots of front end grip and lots a traction. You can feel it edge onto three wheels but it stops short of overwhelming the outside front tyre. The fastest was the Caterham R500 (0.84g) the slowest the BMW X5 (0.68g). The Clio 172 was seventh (0.74g), whilst the Clio V6 was fourth (0.76g).

Dry Handling
Designed to contain all aspects of the EPR tests plus the usual track demand - traction out of corners, turn in, turn in on the brakes etc. The Clio V6 was (fourth), whilst the Clio 172 was (sixth).

Final Result
The Clio V6 and the 172 finished in seventh and eight place respectively overall. Not only does the Clio 172 finish with almost four more points than the 306 and on the brink of 70%, it also sees off the Celica 190 and new Impreza WRX. The Clio 172 has overtaken the Peugeot 306 GTI-6 on puree ability. It gets its considerable power down cleanly and is considerably more poised at all times than the 306.

RenaultSport Clio 172 Review by Channel 4 'Driven' team
Introduction

Remember the Clio Williams? If a car could claim to be the hot hatchback of the 1990s, this was it: a politically-incorrect blast on gold wheels. Now, Renault has repeated the formula, brought it up to date, and launched the Renault Sport Clio 172 2.0 16V.

Most powerful engine in the class

Based on the recent Laguna and Scenic 2.0-litre 16-valver (with a different cylinder head from the older Williams/Megane Coupe unit), the Sport Clio's 172 bhp engine features a bigger plenum chamber, a four-into-one tubular exhaust manifold, revised settings for the variable valve timing, and ports gas-flowed by Formula One engine-builder Mecachrome. At least 85 per cent of the 148 lb ft torque peak is said to be available between 2500 and 6500 rpm.

Wider track, firmer suspension

Clio Williams springs and lower wishbones, Megane hub-carriers and Laguna brakes make a fine front-end suspension cocktail for this sportiest of front-engined Clios. The track is 27 mm wider than the regular Clio 16V's, and the tyres are squat 195/50 R15 items. The steering features the quicker-responding rack already seen in the Clio 16V 1.6. There is no traction control, which points to a sound suspension design with good traction.

Close gear ratios

To suit the engine's power and torque characteristics and give a sporty drive, the ratios are spaced closely. First gear has significantly longer 'legs' than is usual, while fifth is still sufficiently high for relaxed cruising. A change-up indicator in the instrument panel lights up at 7250 rpm in first gear, 7000 rpm in the others.

Sporty but discreet looks

Renault says the Sport Clio is more compact GT than sports car, but it's still no shrinking violet. The widened front wings, still in bash-proof plastic, flow into sill skirts and a deep front bumper containing large air intakes and driving lights. There's a spoiler above the rear window, and the OZ alloy wheels feature six pairs of thin spokes. The bonnet is made of aluminium, as in the Clio 16V 1.6.

Rear suspension modified for new role

The torsion-beam rear suspension, Renault's first such system, is similar to that of other Clios, but the track is 17 mm wider. So there's even more 'increased lateral wheel track', to use one of Helene Mahieu's favourite phrases in the 'Size matters' Clio TV ads.