2003 Renault Clio Cup 172 review from UK and Ireland

The car had a few scratches, a damaged wheel and a dent in the boot lid when I picked it up. However Renault sorted these out without any problems.

The indicators stopped working after about 20 miles and the heater controls also stopped working at the same time. Renault again sorted out the problems quickly without any questions.

The Clio Cup 172 is a real drivers car and needs to be revved to get the best performance out of it. My Cup is just about run in now and when you open it up, especially in 3rd and 4th around country lanes it is awesome. The power delivery is smooth up to about 5k and then goes crazy after that and you have to hold on to the wheel tightly.

The handling of the Cup us very precise, but it can be a bit twitchy on uneven surfaces. However out on the open road it is very sure footed and backed up by powerful brakes it stops very well.

The only downside to the Cup is that on long journeys the very stiff suspension does get a bit annoying and the lack of ABS during the recent snow made driving a bit exciting!!!

But who cares I love the car and once you get in and start the Cup up all that is forgotten and it is time to hunt down Civic Type R's!!!