Clio RS is a right little raver

And it's not just the way it scars the tarmac on the take-off and the enthusiasm with which it rockets to 100 km/h in just 6,9 seconds that's impressive, but the way it handles when you start flinging it through the corners that makes this one of the most exciting road cars to roll out of the French carmaker's stable.

Renault has raised the performance bar by increasing the power to 147,5 kW and by upping low-down torque by 20% across a wider rev range which means the full blast of 215 Nm kicks in from about 5400 rpm.

Rampant ratios

To match this stepped up squirt, the first, second and third gear ratios of the six-speed box has been shortened so that it literally blitzes through the gears to a top speed of 225km/h - up a good 10 k/h over the previous model.

And in step with the Clio's punchier acceleration the suspension has been tweaked and the front and rear tracks have been widened.

Factor in its specially developed 215/45 R17 running rubber and you have levels of cling, handling and steering sharpness that even more expensive hot numbers will find difficult to match.

To really appreciate what this cocky Clio is capable of one really has to seek out the relatively safe environment of a race track, so it was to the tight Killarney course where Renault took our small group of Motoring Editors, handed us the keys and said: “Go and have some fun”.

Fun, with a capital F

And fun we had, in capital letters - first on a tight zigzag timed run weaving between cones and then out on the main track, with lots of tyre smoke, protesting rubber squeals and red-line revving.

One or two of my colleagues managed, after deliberately overcooking it, to get the Clio's tail to swing around but even under heavy whipping one has to do something dramatically wrong for things to become unstuck.

The Clio just clings, and clings and clings some more. The steering is beautifully weighted and perfectly precise.

The gearshift is silky smooth, both up and down, and swapping cogs with the stubby little stick is quick and precise.

Airbags keep even your knees covered

Stopping power is vital in a car as sporty as this Renault RS and the Clio's brakes are top-class, courtesy of high-performance Brembo callipers and 312 mm ventilated discs up front and 300 mm discs at the rear.

ABS anti-lock brakes with EBD are standard kit on the new Clio RS, as is the electronic stability programme (ESP).

Safety levels are further boosted by a fullhouse of front, side, curtain and knee airbags.

Some mutter matters

One of the few mutters about the previous Clio RS and some of the other Renault RS models was bone-jarringly taut suspension, but this new Clio is noticeably more comfortable, thanks to some clever damper adjustments. I drove it from Stellenbosch to Killarney and the road ride is now much better all round.

Many hot wheels are bouncy, cramped and far from ideal every day commuter cars, but I tell you what, I'll be only too pleased to do the daily stop-start crawl between Hout Bay and the city in one of these.

And quite practical too. OK, so the boot is not exactly cavernous, but the Clio can accommodate four adults with ease, albeit a bit of a tight fit at the back, depending on leg length and bum broadness.

Classy kit

The young and ritzy living space brims with high-tech cool showpieces such as a powerful 80-watt MP3-compatibale CD/radio (with six speakers, as well as plug and music connectivity for MP3 players, USB devices and iPods) and an integrated Bluetooth system for no-hands cellphone chatting.

Other classy kit include cruise control, automatic climate control, folding mirrors, tinted windows (specially for the kiddie boys with caps), smart leather seats and optional extras such as a Tom Tom navigation system and sunroof.

The strong sporty flavour of the driving quarters certainly also contributes to the excitement of this car, from the bold yellow rev-counter and F1 gearshift indicator when the revs run to the red to the zooty form-hugging racing seats, drilled aluminium pedals and leather stitched steering wheel.

Posing at the kerbside the Renault Sport certainly also looks the business with much more aggressive styling features than the previous model.

The F1 focus?

The front-end now has strong hints of race track focus, thanks to a front splitter and front-wing air extractors. The cheeky tail end features two big-bore exhaust pipes which are incorporated into the rear diffuser.

The Clio is one of Renault's all-time big success stories with more than 10-million of them having been sold in more than 100 countries since its introduction in 1990.

It certainly has a found a very loyal fan base in this country where more than 40 000 of them have found new owners.

I reckon this little tyke is going to plug local hearts strings and loosen the purse strings even more, in spite of the fact that it's up against some serious opposition in the shape of Opel Corsa, VW Polo 1.8 GTi, Mini Cooper and the fairly new Alfa Romeo Mito.

As to be expected the Clio Renault Sport is not a bargain basement buy, but for R249 900 you get a wildly exciting, comfortable, safe, high-tech car with a proud heritage and enough French flair to make you the envy of all your friends.

And not only do you get an inclusive three-year/45 000 km service plan and a three-year/100 000 km warranty with the RS - you also get a free high-performance advanced driver training course on a race track so that you can have the maximum fun in your new Clio RS.

Footnote: Renault has also introduced a new 1,6-litre Clio Dynamique at R188 000 which now replaces the previous 5-model range. More about this model soon…