Carshop First Drives: Renault Clio RS 18 F1

What is it?

Renault's Clio first launched in 1990, and promptly won COTY (car of the year) a year later. In South Africa the 'mk2' would arrive in 2000 - it also won COTY. And that's great but let's not forget that this is a car crafted by a company who at one point thought yes, let’s shoehorn a V6 into a Clio and see what happens, so they did.

Crucially, they're also one of the only manufacturers who can truly justify putting an F1 badge on their cars (it's not just marketing shpeel) having been competitive at the pinnacle of motorsport for many decades. They in fact have a motorsport heritage of over 115 years and as a result their 'track to road' ethos is solid.

This then, the special edition F1 was created to commemorate 40 years in Formula One and that means it gets Sirius. Really Sirius.

The styling is murder

I refer to that black on black paint work including the Renault logo on a black grille, badges, a la RS and more of that nature, all lovingly rendered in the dark stuff, set against that black metallic paintjob. Sirius Yellow adorns the front F1 aero blade. It’s also the chosen colour for various accents hither and thither the exterior and interior.

It is a five door hatch that thinks it's a three-door so far as to hide its rear handles in the C-Pillar. There are many visual clues here, alluding to the performance underfoot, such as 320mm brake discs (over the 258mm standard issue brakes) frivolously tinseled with red brake callipers, hidden behind 18 inch alloys shod with Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. The sort of running gear that shouts "it's business time!"

Hop inside and the fetishism continues with an Alcantara and leather-rimmed wheel, carbon finishes around the cabin, a production number stencilled on the door sill and exclusive to the F1, rear parking assist with video. Sporty. You also get the RS Vision lighting system - essentially a clever LED flag for better night-time visibility. We assume should you wish to race at the 24Hr Le Mans.

A car so dynamic then, even the fog lights corner.

Performance comes standard

From its 1.6 litre turbo Renault have wrung out 162kW and 280Nm. This translates into a 6.6sec sprint from 0-100kph and a top speed of 235kph, but not before decimating the quarter mile in 14.5sec. Sound effects are by Akrapovic for the first time, via a pair of carbon-tipped, letterbox-sized exhausts, further augmented via the love it or loathe it RS sound pipe - an acoustic box in the firewall letting engine noise into the cabin.

Then there's Renault's beloved race technology dubbed RS Drive; essentially three driving modes - Normal, Sport or Race with each affecting ESP, steering and mapping settings. We're not done yet.

For snappy shifting Renault have fitted their dual clutch EDC transmission, with paddles now ergonomically tweaked for a better feel. Depending on mode it'll shift in 200ms, 150ms or 120ms (like a Gallardo) with multiple down changes now possible simply by holding the left paddle.

Launch control is simple stuff: left foot on brake, pull both paddles till launch control lights up (circa 2550rpm) and you're off. But why even bother if your Clio F1 doesn't offer race telemetry? Well it does, and includes engine readouts, torque and power, laptimes and temperature gauges, traction and slip - a Gran Turismoer's wet dream, data which you can then transfer to USB stick if that's your sort of thing.

Add to that an electronic differential, the stiff Renault CUP chassis and it's a very special Clio indeed, yours for R449,000.

A very complete car

Yes, the new VW Polo GTI is R70,000 cheaper. Yes, the next Ford Fiesta is shaping up to be very special despite only having three cylinders. But the Renault Clio RS 18 F1 is a very special limited edition that shirks none of its practicality (except maybe a bit of ride comfort).

You get cruise control, climate control, a hands-free key card, 60:40 back seat split, smart technologies including a 7 inch touchscreen media navigation with Bluetooth connectivity. Then there's the Five Star safety; that's active and passive plus an army of acronyms in place such as ABS, ESP, EBD and so on. Not to mention F1 technology such as coatings on the cylinders and, and... oh I forgot to tell you how it goes on the track didn't I?

To put it simply, like an absolute menace, wild and unbridled but perfectly pointy. We were unleashed on the small but oh so fun Zwartkops Raceway for 10 laps or so and I can report that despite moving to forced aspiration, the turbo charged Clio RS is both fierce and predictable. It boasts an electric chassis far removed from the perceived safe handling of its B Segment rivals.

You can point the nose with the steering wheel or the throttle. First a little, then a lot(tle). Mesmerizing is equal parts engagement and entertainment and all to the guttural tune of four angry little cylinders. I like this car very much.

Renault Clio RS 18 F1 Specs: