Skip to content

Auto News

Automotive new latest information

Menu
  • HOME
  • AUTOMOTIVE
  • AUTO INSURANCE
  • CAR AUDIO
  • DRIVING TIPS
  • SITEMAP
  • CONTACT US
Menu

Renault Clio V6 – Hot Hatch Madness

Posted on October 20, 2022

The Renault Clio, a run of the mill small hatchback aimed squarely at the mass market. A reliable super mini driven by new drivers, mothers on the school run and old dears popping down to the shops. So what happens when you add an insane body kit, rip out the rear passenger seats and shove a growling 3.0 litre V6 in the back of one these sedate little motors? Well Renault decided to find out in 2001 when they did just that and unleashed the Renault Clio V6 Sport in Europe.

The Clio V6 was superficially based upon the MKII Renault Clio although in reality the two cars share few components. This was quite necessary to transform the standard Clio from a front wheel drive, front engine car typically using a 1.2 or 1.4 litre engine, to a mid engine rear wheel drive hot hatch. The major difference is of course the engine – the 3.0 litre V6 being sourced from the Laguna, Renault’s large saloon model, before being heavily tuned to deliver 252bhp.

The most obvious difference to the untrained eye is the Clio V6’s looks. You can still see the standard little Clio underneath the body kit if you squint but it’s a tough job, the original styling drowning in huge bumpers, air intakes and almost ridiculously wide wheel arches. This is not a subtle car and was not designed to go unnoticed. The design ethos extends to the cars practicality – it’s not. With the rear end of the car dominated by the engine, rear passenger seats are gone, the boot is gone, fuel economy is, yes, gone.

Even being as heavily modified as it was, the Clio V6 was not a class leader by any means. Unrefined and very heavy for its humble size, the Clio was little match around a track against the Japanese rivals of the time. And despite the engine, the extra weight meant that much more modest hot hatches could keep up with the Clio V6 in a straight line. Ownership was not a walk in the park either, the Clio V6 having a high price tag, low fuel economy and a high Clio insurance group. This was ultimately beside the point however. In a time of restraint and blandness in the motor industry, the Clio was a breath of fresh air. Quirky, a little bit mad and most importantly – fun.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts

  • How Your Renault Dealer Will Make You Feel Young Again
  • A Simple Trick For Driving Revealed
  • The Best Solution For Auto Part That You Could Find Out About Today
  • Analysis Auto Repair
  • Improving Your Company’s Cost Efficiency And Performance With Van Leasing
  • The Plain Reality About Driving That No Body Is Suggesting
  • Stunning Details About Auto Repair Told By A Professional
  • A History of Renault – The Post War Years
  • The Unexposed Secret of Driving
  • The 2009 Pre-Season Formula One Testing Reveals A Competitive Season

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Tags

authorities BMW Carlos Ghosn CEO details Driver Championship driving Europe facts Fernando Alonso Flavio Briatore Ford Focus Formula One France fraud French Renault Grand Prix India ING Japan Lewis Hamilton Louis Renault motorcycle NASCAR Nazi Germany Paris Red Bull Renault Clio Renault Company Renault F1 Renault Fluence Renault Laguna repair report Robert Kubica secret solution South America story SUV techniques Toyota Prius truck UK United States

©2023 Auto News | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme