Have always considered this a viable option for my next car, considering that I have no need for practicality, so I arranged a test drive with the dealer who was selling it.
Went to view it and talk to the dealer. Went back the next day for the test drive I booked.
Dealer came with me (dont think I would trust anyone by themselves either!) and we went out for about 20 mins.
The garage was right out in the country so it was a good chance to blast it down the B roads to see how it felt.
The first thing you notice when you get in is "hmmmm...I cant believe Renault didnt change a single thing in the interior". All the cheap plastics were still there and the only difference was the colour coded dashboard mounts. The interior is screaming for some recaro seats instead of the standard Renault Sport seats.
I soon forgot this once I started her up
One word: Incredible. The noise is smooth yet ferocious at the same time. Once we were on the B roads I was suprised at how light the steering was. It was a lot sharper than my 172, but my 172 has a lot more weight behind the steering, the V6 felt too light for my liking.
The gearbox was a surprise too, coming from a 172 where the 5 speed feels long winded and slow, the 6 speed in the V6 is short, sharp and really precise. Coupled with the close pedals, it was perfect for heel and toeing. Downshifts were great, with the exhaust spitting and popping.
I couldnt fault the breaks, they were really sharp and responsive and eager to bite hard without the ABS cutting in too early.
As for the handling, I was really impressed. I didnt take it anywhere near the limit for obvious reasons, but had some nice hairpin 2nd gear moments and the Vee was just gripping and gripping. It felt tight and flat all the way round the corners. Im sure this is a different story in the wet
Performance......in a nutshell I was dissapointed. The pull from 1000rpm to 6000rpm was probably one of the smoothest I have driven, but there was no sense of urgency, which is what im really after. It gives you power no matter what gear you are in and the torque is incredible, but I wasnt impressed by it. My friends Focus RS felt a lot faster from launch and delivers the sense of urgency I want. It really felt lacking in power. The first thing I thought to myself when I saw it was "this is going to be fast". How wrong I was.
The heat from the engine wasnt really noticable in the heat of saturday at 12pm. The aircon, which is the same as my 172 did a good job keeping me cool.
Final comment: I cant see me parting my hard earned cash on a 17k Clio!!
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