Hot Hatch
by Ian Lynas (08 Jun 06)

Join the queue - F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella already have theirs - to get your driving hands on the Clio Renaultsport 197, which goes on sale on July 18, priced at £15,995. For some 16 years Renault has been producing these fast little numbers and this one is the fastest production version to date with 197bhp on tap.

The latest to join Renault's fast-lane family carries on from the Clio Renaultsport 182, but the 197 is a more refined and sophisticated car. In a way it has come of age - a perfect example of bringing technology and performance at an affordable price.

The market for hot hatches is on the up, no doubt fired by such cars as the new Volkswagen Golf GTi and one of the attributes of the modern-day offerings is that they not only deliver in terms of performance; they are also practical and can be employed as everyday transport.

Right at the heart of the Clio 197 is its two-litre engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox which has been developed in co-operation with Nissan. This combination can propel the new Renault from standstill to 62mph in just 6.9 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 134mph, where legal. Nothing accelerates faster for this price.

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