Renault has launched in UK the special edition Clio Renaultsport 200 Raider. It will be limited to only 50 units and deliveries will begin this October.
The new Clio Rider will be painted in an exclusive matte Stealth Grey or Diavolo Red. Both colors will be contrasted by a gloss black finish to the roof, rear spoiler, F1-style front blade, rear diffuser and door mirrors. The car will sit on a new set of 18” Interlagos alloy wheels also painted in gloss black finish. They will be combined with a lower ride height, stiffer springs and dampers, quicker steering ratio and red finish to the Brembo brake callipers.
For the interior the model adds Recaro seats covered in leather, a zinc grey finish to the centre console and fascia inserts and a white rev counter. The list of standard equipments includes Bluetooth, USB connectivity, automatic climate control and Renaultsport carpet mats
The new Renault Clio - Renault’s offer for the B-segment market, has been caught testing for the first time in the European Alps. The mule caught testing combines the vehicle’s old body to a new front end and, even though it was covered in camouflage, we can still see that the new Clio will adopt a new look; expect to see a new grille incorporating the French manufacturer’s logo right in the center.
Despite the fact that the Alps were just covered in snow, Renault engineers still kept busy by doing some testing on the vehicle’s brakes. We can’t imagine the brakes would need a lot of work considering the Clio is only going to be powered by the milder engines in the current engine line-up. The 1.2 and 1.4 turbocharged tCe four-cylinders will return for the middle ground models, while a new 900 cc three cylinder engine producing 85 HP would be a spunkier alternative for the entry level model. As for the diesel lineup, Renault will be keeping the 1.5 dCi i4 which produces between 75 to 105 HP, but a 1.2 L turbocharged three-cylinder engine delivering 80 and 98 HP may also be in the works.
Expect to see the new Renault Clio at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012. Sales in Europe will begin shortly after and prices will be announced at a later date.
Last Sunday, the second episode of Top Gear’s 17th season aired and like most of the shows these days, we were treated to some hilarious segments, a rather pointedly pointless car review, some canned and scripted studio jokes, and - for once - a surprisingly fast lap on the Kia Cee’d. Par for the course for Top Gear.
In this episode, James May will tell you things about the Aston Martin Virage that you already probably know. This is then followed by a highly-entertaining hot hatch triple threat madness along the streets of Italy that included finding a dog, an ice cube, and branch from a cedar tree.
Comedian Russ Noble also stopped by for a little chat with Jeremy - an entertaining interview by our measure - after which the former strapped on his helmet for his hot lap on board the show’s Reasonably Priced Car.
The show concludes with a sort of dream of dreams, at least as far as Jeremy Clarkson was concerned: three laps around the Monaco Grand Prix. It probably didn’t matter that the cars they were driving were the same three hot hatches they drove in Italy. At the end of the day - Clarkson especially - had a blast to finally drive their way around Monaco’s world famous street circuit.
Full details after the jump.
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In what is apparently becoming an annual celebration of their partnership with the French National Rugby Team, Renault has once again released a special edition line of their Clio and Megane vehicles, which they’ve been calling the "XV de France" Editions.
We already showed you what last year’s models looked like, so now we’re here to give you a peak of what to expect for the 2011 version of the these special edition Renault compact vehicles.
For this year, both limited edition models have become special ’versions’ of the Clio and the Megane, which you can avail off with out the limited time basis attached to its predecessors.
“The 2011 ‘XV de France’ versions are very different from the limited editions of previous years," said Raphaelle Jarry, the Renault Megane’s product manager.
For this particular version of the Megane and Clio, customers can avail of the former through a number of styles, including estate, hatch or coupe body form. As for the latter, customers have a choice of getting it as a 3-door, 5-door, or estate.
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Our friends over at Autosblog.fr received this image of what looks to be the new 2012 Renault Clio 4. This image comes despite the fact that there’s been no official confirmation from Renault on whether it’s true.
Supposing that this image is in fact that of the new Clio 4, the car is a fresh take from what we’ve seen of the supposedly new vehicle in the past. For one, this image of the Clio 4 comes with a number of new designs and features, including redesigned headlights, the presence of door handles – yeah, cars need those, by the way - a new set of wheels, and an overall more aggressive approach.
Like we said, Renault hasn’t come out with any official announcement on whether this is really the new Clio. But if this is the real deal, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it in the flesh really soon. And if we’re betting people, we’d put some chips down on this hatchback making some sort of appearance at the brand’s hometown auto event, the Paris Motor Show, which, in case you didn’t know, will open its doors at the end of September.
Until then, we’re definitely going to keep all of you updated when something more definite comes up.
