2004 Renault Clio Renault Sport 182 from UK and Ireland - Comments

I have only done 1200 miles so far so it`s abit too early to be listing faults.

There were a few minor "Niggles" when I took delivery, but i`m not going to mention them because they are of little significance because the dealership dealt with them very quickly without any fuss, they were very apologetic and did everything possible to keep me happy.

I have yet to take delivery of any new car without minot niggles.

Since then the car has had nothing go wrong with it... like I said a bit early, but there is nothing to suggest i`ll end up unhappy.

If I could sum up this car in one word i`d choose "Wow"

So many things give this car the "Wow" factor.

First of all its standard features, it would be easier to list what it hasn`t got as standard so here goes...

Ok I give in, the standard list is pretty impressive for a small car..

Climate control

Cruise control/speed limiter

Cd player (Remote operation)

Electric windows/heated electric mirrors

On board computer

Traction control/Stability control/ABS

Leather/Alacantra seats

Alloys with 205 tyres

Automatic windscreen wipers front and rear

Xenon headlights with automatic on function

Anti intrusion device

Cat 1 alarm/imobiliser.

I'm sure there is more, but there is that much it`s hard to remember.

So its very impressive with its standard equipment. You can upgrade to a Cd changer and there is the option of cup suspension pack which gives and even sportier ride and offers Anthracite grey alloys and there is a cup spoiler pack which offers a larger rear spoiler and front splitter. I went for the spoiler pack @ £150.The suspension upgrade is £200 and both upgrades are more than worth it if you fancy them.

This car was tested in group tests in all the mags..Evo, Auto express, Autocar and Car. It came out tops in all of them when pitched head to head with the likes of the Honda Ctr, Cooper S, Pug 180,Focus st170 and the Leon Cupra, all good cars in their own rights, but the 182 came out tops in all the reviews.. pretty impressive again. Having owned the car for 6 weeks now I can confirm it's a bit of a beast in the performance stakes. Its claimed 0-62 time is 7.1 but one of the mags tested it and claim its 0-60 time as 6.3 which I would go along with. After 60 mph it just keeps pulling and is quite scary at first, once the car hits 5000 rpm it has a noticeable kick. My first major encounter was when an Audi TT tried to take me on and lost by quite a margin, it was the 180 TT version so my car did nothing it shouldn`t of done, but that gives you an idea of this cars potential.. all this in a little Clio!!

It has two heads on it this car, as a family car its quite comfy and the gadgets and gizmo`s make driving or being a passenger a pleasure even on longer trips and when i`m out on my own without the kids its one hell of a play thing. Its presence on the roads is not overstated because it does not have excessive body kit, but its more than capable of turning a few heads, the responses I have had from friends and strangers caught me off guard.I've been stopped on car parks and asked about it, had comments from petrol pump assistants who see God knows how many different cars, something iv`e never experienced before.

I live out in the country so most of my driving is on twisty A and B roads and iv`e had more than my chance to chuck the car about and it handles superbly,certainly brings a smile to my face EVERY time i get in.

I looked at other options mainly the Honda Civic Type R and the Cooper S and am 1000% convinced I made the right choice.

If you are in the market for a hot hatch then go with what Evo claim... possibly the best hot hatch EVER.

Who are they to argue and as an owner with experience who am I to argue either... What a car.. its awsome!

(Hope I didn`t bore you with my ramblings, but at least I resisted the Va va voom comments!)

I completely agree with your opinion about this car, I myself now drive since April a black Renault Clio RS 2004 (185hp) and this is a beast off a car, much better then the 173hp.

So I hope you enjoy yourself as much as I do with the Renault Clio 2004.

Greetz

Ge Timmerman

Holland

ge.timmerman@wxs.nl.

Awesome! Cheers for that - I've been deciding whether or not to get one for about 4 weeks nows and you've finally just changed my mind. Only £11.5k brand new from motorpoint!

I too saw that EVO review and their comments certainly got me thinking. A hot hatch that oversteers will always have my hand hovering over my cheque book, and with performance like that, it only adds to the temptation.

To be honest, I know this car will be a grin a minute to drive without even seeing one, but having owned a 2002 Sport 172, it seemed to literally fall apart by the day. The dealers, and Renault UK were among the most uncaring, unprofessional and incompetent people I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. I hope Renault have got their quality control working for this new car, and a polite customer services team as a backup. I'm waiting for a bit to see. Once bitten and all that.

Enjoy - lucky so and so.

OK, Renault clio Sport 182. So I've had this car for a week now. No teething problems to date although maybe a little early to say.

Just running it in for a while before seeing if it lives up to its reports. It is such a smooth drive, I opted to go for the 'cup' upgrade which is a definite if you are thinking about buying this car. At first, I wasn't sure about the grey wheels, but they've grown on me and work excellently with the Arctic blue metallic paintwork.

The added tyres, suspension, spoiler, steering, dampers all tie together to give an easy drive.

I used to own a clio 172, which was good, but didn't have those extra visuals that give it that higher class hot hatch look. I test drove a civic type-r, but didn't get the right feel for it and it looks like a people carrier in my eyes.

Compared to the CooperS, Cupra, Type-r, Pug 180 and all the rest of them - I know I've made the right decision.

I have revved it a few times, get to 5,000rpm and the engine starts all over again with another kick all the way to the red line. The power is there all the time, and the handling is equal to the job. You can activate the ESP if you feel like it as well as many other things that come as standard.

The brakes are extremely sharp so no worries there. The petrol is good, although I have been running it in, all the hatches drink lots when testing properly.

3 years warranty, 3 years AA cover in the Uk and a brilliant service received from renault have left me a happy customer.

If you want a car that can be used for every day driving, this car can live with that offering you all the luxuries you need_ on the other hand if you want the speed and performance... its all there... this is the one!!!

I got my Clio 182 about a month ago now, received great service off the dealer and also managed to get 2k off the list price. I strongly suggest getting internet quotes as they will go down further than you think. I got mine in black with cup suspension kit and spoiler pack, I have had no problems with the car and it looks and performs amazingly.

I looked at similar hot hatches with the Mini Cooper S being the only strong competitor, but it costs so much more with the options and I don't think performs as well either.

I would recommend this car to anyone and everyone who I have taken out in it has been amazed. Got to say the 5000rpm kick is addictive and there is never any lack of power.

The car has more than you could possibly want whilst it cruises perfectly and is such hoot on country rounds, never fails to put a smile on your face.

Get a 182 and you will want to live in it. Evo is right it has to be the best hot hatch ever.

Congrats on your new car. I just got a 172 on May 5th and I am totally loving it. I added a review on it here. I fully believe you when you say you pulled ahead of the 180HP TT because I managed to do the same thing with my 172 in fact! Weight is the key factor here. Lighter is better. These clios are like little monsters for the road. So small yet so nasty when they want to be. Thumbs up for you and every other Clio Sport driver out there. Drive on my friend!

Agree about being firm with the dealer on prices, I got over 2k off the list price - take a few internet quotes.

The 182 is to replace a 240bhp Subaru WRX, and does the job. Slightly slower, brakes not as solid feeling and strange traction control are the negatives. Positives are much lower running costs, better equipped, better - more predictable - handling and better build quality.

Just as much fun to drive, and money in the pocket.

Interesting hearing the comments on the 182. I got a 172 in Oct 03. It took a while to get here, but seems the addition of cruise control/speed limiter happened unannounced - wasn't unhappy there!

Agree with all the positive comments on the Clio - it is a beast, but not in-your-face about it. It can give other cars a shock when they pull up next to you & see what happens! It seems lively at lower revs (2000-3000) but once you get into the higher revs it really livens up!

I looked at a few of the hot hatches around at the time (such as the Golf GTI 180) but was very impressed with the standard package that came with the Clio - which the Golf could not match. There have been a few teething problems with a rattle and an ABS system with a lose connection, but my dealer did their utmost to put it all right and all is well now.

I was a little disappointed when I heard that the 172 had been upstaged by the 182 - but like the improvements they've put on. I'm sure when I change this, the 182 will be at the top of my test drive list. Enjoy it!

I have read with great interest the reviews of the Clio 182. Having just ordered one last week I am now waiting impatiently for its arrival.

I've often heard of build quality issues with Renault, but having owned three Clio's since 'S' reg, the only problem I ever experienced was a slightly squeaky manual sun-roof in the first one. I just hope this reliability continues with the 182.

I can only reiterate those comments regarding price, I shopped around using dealers and brokers (but avoiding imports) and managed to save £2,500 on the book price. If you are tempted by imports I suggest you check out the under-sealing is to UK standards.

Having owned three Clio's before, a 1998 1.2 petrol, 2001 1.6 petrol, and a 2002 1.5 diesel I am a true fan of all Clio's. The equipment levels put them ahead of every car in the class, and they truly are a pleasure to drive.

I must admit, with the 182 I've done the unthinkable and ordered without taking a test-drive. But then I did drive the 172 a few times and I just know I'll love it, especially after reading these reviews.

The only unfortunate thing is that I'm about to start a new job and get a company car, so my wife will be driving round in the Clio all day! Nice as the Mazda 6 is, I don't quite think it will compare.

Weekends are a great thing!

Just counting the days till my Clio 182 arrives - gone for the titanium with cup packs etc.. I too have had clios for many years - 1.2 Mark1, 1.2 Mark2 and a 1.2 16v Dynamique (02) which was amazing fun round the bends. However, a few years back I got my paws on a renault 19 16v (new at the time) which blew me away. Ever since then I have been waiting for another car like it and am sure the 182 will make me happy and surpass the 19 16v's handling with ease. On the subject of build quality - I have never had any real problems with any of my clio's except for the squeeky sunroof on the dynamique which renault fixed immediately. Then again, the squeak did only materialise after a good thrashing.

Just wondering if there is anything in the fact that you cannot get the 182 with a sunroof? Too many rattles developing? I don't know, but what I do know is - I Can't WAIT! in approximately 1 week I will be stepping from my 75bhp clio into 182bhp of sheer pleasure. he he.

I have had my Clio 182 (Cup pack) for about a month. Again I have had a few minor problems with it, (more inconsistencies really, like the alarm not working all the time and some bizzare metrics coming from the on board computer). Like I said this doesn't affect the car at all and personally I love getting in the car each and every time.

I test drove the Civic type R, mini cooper S and Ford ST170 and apart from being offered the worst test drive possible from Honda (literally drive around the block, all speed bumped roads and don't go over 50mph!!!) so I can't really compare the Civic, the Renault wins hands down!!!

The 182 turns heads for all the right reasons and it's a drivers car and are still quite a rare sight on the roads. It's a great buzz when people slow down on the motorway to have a good look at your car, never had that before!!!

Hi all, Just read all the above comments and am in total agreement. I have just 2 weeks to wait for my 182. Gone the whole hog and gone for cup suspension pack and spoiler pack in artic blue. Tested the 182 against a civic type r and cooper s and the clio was way more involving and better equipped. Load of bang for your buck!! the dealer couldn't have been more helpful, asked for a test drive and was just given the keys to their demonstrator and off I went!!! They even invited me for a 2nd test drive to see if my wife wanted to try it!! and offered it to me for the entire weekend! Great dealer service.

I am waiting for my 182 Clio, in two weeks I will have it.2 days ago I have tested a type r and be sure that the 182 Clio that I have tested a week ago was faster more comfortable and better at 0 62 . the car I have tested had an chronometer fixed by another modification company and the clio reached 0 to 62 just at 6.8 seconds.

Reading all the comments it certainly seems like the car is a bunch of fun, and I'm sure it is. I was just a little amused to see that the author of the top report quoted all the peripherals as the first items which made the car so good, like Cruise Control, Alcantara and other cosmetics. Is the point of this car not about how it goes, handles and stops? What's the roll-stiffness like, direction change, gear ratios, brake balance, and all those things that should really be important? It's the same with the new Golf GTI, whose brochure first states that "in a GTI, the interior is all-important" and then only on the back page amongst the small-print specs mentions that the springs are 15mm lower than a standard one... It's a sad day that things like these are relatively unimportant in selling a car.

The problem with these cars is yes they are fast, but when the rain sensing wipers come on in the dry and already reports of iffy onboard computers and dodgy electrics have surfaced the novelty will very quickly wear off.

It seems to me Renault owners live in a different world to the rest of us, electrical and mechanical glitches and crappy build seems to be fine by them as do endless trips to the dealer. I have yet to meet a Renault owner who hasn't had a myriad of problems with their car.