Studies the world over tell an interesting story when it comes to road safety. You might imagine the constant evolution of our roads is a good thing, a safe thing, the best thing. Wider, bigger, clearer and smoother is better. However, reflectors and chevrons are proven to increase average speeds on our roads, as do sign posted sections warning of sharp bends ahead, as does smooth, new tarmac – fact.
A perfect example is Bainskloof Pass outside Wellington – Thomas Bains’ magnum opus to road building. Blown out of sheer rock-face with tons of dynamite and reputed to have taken the lives of several slaves who built it, no wonder it’s so intimidating to drive.
The majority of road users would never even consider it a viable thoroughfare over the mountains, and how safe is a road so ‘unsafe’ you won’t even drive on it? That’s the very definition of ‘safe’ if you ask me. You can’t crash off Bainskloof if you decided to take the tunnel or better yet stay home and host the business meeting over Skype instead.
It’s recently been upgraded however, which means you might consider using it, and if you do you’ll be going faster on it than ever before. Very fast at the base of it with all the shiny, new crash barriers and cats eyes massaging your ego. And by the time you reach the descent with only the white, ‘Bain’s tombstones’ (as some have called them) separating you from the valley below, I guarantee you would’ve slowed down. Easier is faster, difficult is safe – fact.
The Renault Clio RS Gordini is probably the best automotive equivalent of this. And I’m not saying the mad Renault is fast and easy, and therefore unsafe. No. Quite the opposite in fact. I’m saying that by the same rationale, it is actually the safest car in the world.
The Renault Clio RS is so fast and so connected and so unable to massage your ego – it’s like driving surrounded by ‘Bain’s tombstones’ everywhere you go. With a hard ride that pummels your kidneys even on the smoothest roads, a razor sharp steering input that darts you off the road if you so much as blink an eyelid, and a throttle so eager its driven itself halfway down the road each morning, before you even wake up, the Renault Clio RS is all about producing the most switched on driving experience possible.
The Gordini is only differentiated from a standard Clio RS (with the Cup suspension) by all the white on blue Gordini stickers. Which sully the cars no frills, maximum thrills appeal for me personally, but just like the standard Clio RS, it’s still an absolute screamer.
Pull away in the Clio RS feels like someone shot you down the road from the barrel of a bolt action rifle. The acceleration is immediate and the excitement this car delivers is second to none. The Clio RS makes a staggering 147.5 kW and 215 Nm from its normally aspirated 2.0-litre engine that revs clean up to 8 000 r/min and chugs out a meaty bark in the process. Then you set off in a burst of tyre squeal and you just need to hold on for dear life from there. 0 – 100 km/h comes in less than seven seconds, but the sound and the chaos makes it feel like half that.
The torque takes a while to kick in if you’re driving like a pansy, because maximum only runs rampant between 5 000 and 8 000 r/min. I like this though, because that’s too high for my girlfriend to ever reach. She doesn’t know what I’m going on about when I say the RS is so fast. She likes the torque where it’s easy to find. Say 1 000 r/min. The Clio RS needs full commitment from its driver to get the best of it. Not that that’s difficult because the throttle response is so instant, unsanitised and addictive.
My only misgivings about the Clio RS Gordini are the following: The hard ride and stiff chassis, coupled with the short wheelbase make it very bumpy and really uncomfortable on a daily basis. This also means in less than ideal conditions, even if you are driving purely for fun, it can be downright difficult to drive quickly. That’s the ‘Bains tombstone’ effect coming into play I guess. You also need the concentration and considered muscle twitch fibres of a tai-chi sensei to get a smooth gear change out of it if you’re not driving like you stole it.
What there is to love – is that at the end of the day this crazy, hot-hatch doesn’t hide you away from the action. It doesn’t wrap you in kid gloves and tell you everything is going to be okay. You’re so involved in the drive that your mind is clear and you’re not worrying about anything else ever. That makes it safer than all the chevrons and smooth tarmac in the world.
What we like…
- Maddest, most fun hot hatchback you can have for the money.
- Petrol motor delivers high in the rev range.
- The Normally aspirated motor feels and sounds ‘old school.’
What we would like…
- While its cool to be ‘old school’ it still lacks torque.
- Them to ditch the stripes, or you can just buy a standard RS.
- For the love of all that is holy – soften the ride or just avoid the Cup chassis.
| Quick Facts | |
| Base Price | R279 900 |
| Warranty | 5-year / 150 000km |
| Engine Capacity | 1 998 cm³ |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4-cylinders, In-line |
| Aspiration | Naturally aspirated |
| Power | 147.5 kW @ 7 100 r/min |
| Torque | 215 N.m @ 5 400 r/min |
| Transmission | 6-Speed Manual |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Acceleration | 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds (claimed) |
| Top Speed | 225 km/h (Claimed) |
| Fuel Consumption | 8.2 l/100km (claimed combined) |
| CO2 Emissions | 195 g/km |
Ray Leathern has been test driving and critiquing cars for four years now. He is South Africa’s 2010 Motoring Journalist of the Year in the magazine category, as well as a member of SA’s 2011 Car of the Year jury. What Ray writes, we read, and we suggest you do too.
