Renault cars

2013 Renault Clio GT 120 EDC

The Renault Clio GT 120 EDC is a tricky little car. On the one hand, you have to give Renault some credit for giving the car top-quality aesthetics and an aura of sportiness. That’s a pretty big deal, especially considering the market the car belongs to.

On the other hand, it’s not really all that powerful; at least not as powerful relative to the competition. That’s a pretty big deal, too.

So, when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place, you have to evaluate your options and determine what’s more important to you.

As far as our tastes go, we’re always looking for a car that can back up its sporty looks with performance numbers that’ll excite. The Clio GT 120 EDC doesn’t tickle our fancy that way.

But make no mistake, there’s still some admirable qualities about this car. It’s just that if given a choice, you can opt for a higher trim from the Clio range and get all that you want.

Click past the jump to read more about the Renault Clio GT 120 EDC

Alpine has Grand Plans to Follow in the Footsteps of Porsche

Renault has big plans for Alpine and apparently, it wants its new sub-brand to follow in the footsteps of another automaker: Porsche.

That much was said by Renault’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Design, Laurens van den Acker, who recently told Piston Heads of the company’s expectations for Alpine.

But before it can get to that level, it needs to have a sports car that can do what the 911 did for Porsche. Lofty goals, but one Renault hopes it can achieve.

"We need to create the 911 of Alpine," van den Acker said. "Then we can do the Panamera and Cayman."

For now, Alpine’s initial plans involve building an entry-level sports car that’s already in the pipeline. Set to be launched in 2016, the car is expected to carry some styling cues from the classic A110 from back in the 60s with an equally possible interpretation on the A110-50 Concept that was launched last year.

No details about the car have been confirmed but there’s word that it will carry a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces about 280 horsepower and mates to either a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch EDC automatic. It’s expected to carry a price of about £50,000 ($76,000) per unit.

Click past the jump to read about the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept

2013 Renault Twin’Run Concept

It looks like this past few weeks have been pretty busy around Renault’s design center. First, that strange-looking 2013 Twizy F1 Concept was unveiled at the end of April and today, at the 71st Monaco Grand Prix, the French company unveiled the Twin’Run - a concept that pays tribute to legendary R5 Turbo and Clio V6.

The concept made its first run at the Monaco Grand Prix with Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, at the wheel. Alongside it was a Clio V6 with F1 star Charles Pic at the wheel and a Maxi 5 Turbo driven by Jean Ragnotti.

While there is no chance for the Twin’Run to enter production, Renault did confirm that it previews the styling of the company’s future city car.

The unveiling of the new Twin’Run concept will be followed by a series of other dynamic demonstrations at various auto-centric events, like July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Updated 05/24/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.

Updated 05/27/2013: Renault unveiled a new video explaining the philosophy behind the new Twin-Run Concept. Enjoy!

Click past the jump to read more about the Twin’Run Concept.

2013 Renault Megane RS Red Bull RB8 Edition

A few days after Citroen introduced a special-edition RCZ Coupe to the masses, its French sister from another mother, Renault, introduced its own.

This one, though, has been a yearly tradition for the French automaker (at least since last year) owing to its partnership with Formula One’s Red Bull Racing team.

This is the Renault Megane RS Red Bull RB8 Edition. You might recall that last year, Renault released a similar special-edition version for the 2013 Megane RS called the Red Bull RB7 Edition.

One of the most distinctive features of the new special-edition Megane is the Crépuscule Blue finish of the car, the same colors adorning the Red Bull RB8. Keeping with the theme of the model, Red Bull Racing graphics adorn the rear and the sides of the limited-edition car. Platinum Grey details on the F1 blade, door handles, door mirror housing and rear lip spoiler, as well as a monochrome laurel on the rear side windows that celebrate the team’s 2012 Constructors’ world title round out the exterior treatment of the Megane RS Red Bull RB8.

Inside, there are more of the same distinctive features, including Red Bull Racing branding on the numbered aluminum sill guards and carpet mats, as well as Renault’s R-Link and R.S. Monitor 2.0. Also inside are Recaro seats trimmed in an all-new fabric/leather combo with Red Bull Racing logos embroidered on the headrests.

As with any Megane RS, this special edition comes with a 265-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that twists out 250 pound-feet of torque. This is enough to get the hatchback up to 62 mph in 6 seconds and up to a top speed of 158 mph.

The model is expected to be sold in 26 countries at a price of €36,000, which is about $46,300 based on current exchange rates.

2013 Renault Twizy F1 Concept

The other day, Renault teased a new electric concept car and we were expecting to see something big - something at least similar to the Alpine A110-50 Concept. Unfortunately, the new concept is quite disappointing, at least aesthetically.

The new Twizy F1 Concept has been developed on a single-seat racecar platform and, according to Renault, it is "a bridge between the world of F1 technology and that of production cars." The problem is that along with the technology, Renault Sport also decided to use some F1-inspired design elements that are just a little too much for the super-compact Twizy.

While the look is something questionable, what lies under the hood makes us completely forget about how wrong things went to Renault design laboratory this time. The technology behind the concept was developed by engineers from both Renaultsport and their colleagues at Renault Sport F1 and it is essentially the same as the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in the Renault Formula 1 cars.

UPDATE 05/17/13: If you thought that the Renault Twizy F1 Concept is just that, a concept, well, think again. Click past the jump to see how this little concept can throw down!

Click past the jump to read more about the new Renault Twizy F1 Concept.

Renault Teases a New Electric Concept

Renault has dropped a new teaser image for a concept vehicle that is going to be unveiled at the company’s Valladolid plant in Spain in just two days. The teaser image reveals nearly nothing about the concept, but Renault announced it will be an electric vehicle with technology inspired by the Formula 1 race cars. Sounds pretty cool, huh?

Renault confirmed that the concept will feature "muscular styling and impressive performance credentials, provides a bridge between the world of Formula 1 and that of electric vehicles. It’s a concept car that will make a lot of noise...but, in total silence."

The new concept was developed in cooperation with Renault Sport and, as we can tell from this first teaser image, it will feature a window that provides a glimpse of the electric motor that powers the car.

Full details on this new concept will be unveiled on April 25th. Stay tuned for more details.

Click past the jump to read more about Renault’s EV technology

Alpine A110 Successor Expected to Carry 280 Horsepower

The Renault Alpine 110 sports car has been churning out quite a bit of buzz in the past few months.

Recently, Renault chief Carlos Tavares added some more details in the basket, saying that the car will be catered to the younger market with hopes of competing against the Alfa Romeo 4C.

Tavares also gave updates on how far along the car is, explaining that styling is about 70-percent done, a pretty surprising percentage, given that it hasn’t been that long since the announcement was made that Renault Alpine and Caterham were collaborating on the development of the sports car.

Design details involving the Alpine A110 appear to indicate that the car will have a few retro details added to it, including the distinctive round headlights of the original Alpine. It’ll also carry an "arrowhead nose" and some side scoops, giving it a retro modern look that we’re pretty excited to see.

There’s also growing speculation that the sports car will carry a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that will produce about 280 horsepower and mate to either a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch EDC automatic.

Finally, the car is expected to hit dealerships sometime in 2016 with only 1,000, or so, models scheduled to be built at a price of about £50,000 ($76,000) per unit.

Click past the jump to read more about the new Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept

2013 Project SST-77 by Miguel Jimenez

Mexico is becoming quite the haven for lightweight sports cars. Over the years, we’ve seen numerous brands coming from the country introduce their respective models. But to say that classic sports cars were foreign to Mexico is a little short-sighted. After all, one of the most famous sports cars of the 60’s and 70’s was the Renault Denalpin, which can trace its roots to Mexico.

All that said, there appears to be serious intention coming from some businessmen in Mexico to build a new sports car, called the SST-77.

The renderings of the SST-77 pretty much give away what Mexican businessman, Miguel Jimenez, wants to do with this sports car. It’s a re-imagined Alpine that was designed along the same veins of the original Alpine-110 with some pretty striking details, including the sweptback headlights, circular fog lights and those wide-open air intakes.

According to Autoblog Mexico, the SST-77 is being prepared to take the form of a lightweight sports car that will be made out of fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber. On top of that, it will be built on a platform that will be created in Sahagun City, Mexico, which, incidentally is the same birthplace of the original Dinalpin. We’re not sure if there’s a rationale behind the decision to build the car in that location or it’s plainly coincidence.

Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how the SST-77 develops from here on out.

Click past the jump to read more about the original Renault Alpine-110, or as it was called in Mexico at the time, the Dinalpin

Renault Set to Present Two "Performance Oriented" Concepts at Goodwood

French automaker Renault has got a whole shindig planned for the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming July.

In attendance will be a host of its current models, including the Clio Renaultsport 200, the Captur crossover, and the ZOE, as well as some of its historical race cars and famous racers like Alain Prost, Susie Wolff, and Jean Ragnotti.

While that list is no doubt impressive, what really piqued our interests was the announcement of two "performance-oriented" vehicles that will make their debuts at Goodwood.

Renault has given no details on what these concepts will look like, but it did say that one of the models will be powered by pure electric, whereas the other will feature a gas engine.

That’s the most in the way of details the French automaker has given us. Lack of information notwithstanding, we expect a pair of notable concepts from Renault this coming July at Goodwood.

Read Renault’s press release after the jump

2013 Renault Twin’Z Concept

As teased a few days ago, Renault in cooperation with Ross Lovegrove has unveiled today the official details on a new Twin’Z Concept Car. The concept features a design language inspired by nature and under the hood it features an all-electric drivetrain.

With its compact dimensions: a length of 142.79 inches and width of 67.12 inches, the new Twin’Z Concept is the perfect car for city driving. Also, thanks to its electric range of 100 miles, it becomes the perfect choice for short rides around the home.

The concept will be painted a nice shade of blue - a tribute to its natures underlying blueprints. The concept sits on a very interested set of wheels, with design also inspired by nature. We are not very sure about that green paint, but, of course, it’s another tribute to the nature that inspired the concept.

Updated 04/08/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.

Hit the jump to read more on the new Renault Twin’Z Concept.