What's the news?

Renault has confirmed more details for the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo - and it is lighter, faster and cleaner than before. There are also some features that are unusual and either very cool or quite geeky; such as on-board data-logging. Pricing will be announced by the end of February and the new hot hatch is expected to start at just under £20,000, with the order book opening in April and the first cars arriving by June.

Exterior

The five-door body comes in a choice of five colours including the signature Liquid Yellow exclusive to Renaultsport; white, red, deep black and 'Mercury' are also available. Apart from the supposedly F1-inspired aerodynamic aids there is an 'RS' badge at the front, beneath the Renault diamond, and there are LED running lights in the lower part of the bumper.

Interior

As we covered in our report from the Paris Motor Show the Clio's interior will have drivers seeing red. Not because there is anything enraging about it but because the colour crops up in the stitching, around the air vents and the seatbelts. To add a sense of occasion when starting the Clio the rev counter and fuel gauge come to life with 'a fun display'. We'll have to wait until we drive the car to find out exactly what that means.

Mechanicals

Weight is down by 36kg compared to the previous Renaultsport 200. That's a reduction of slightly less than 3%, which is matched by a similar drop in the claimed 0-62mph time to 6.7 seconds. Fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions are also improved to 44.8mpg and 144g/km respectively.

The six-speed, dual-clutch transmission incorporates a multi-change down function; holding the appropriate paddle while braking changes down several gears at once. Renault says the Clio is the first non-supercar to feature this facility.

Anything else?

Artificial engine noise can be piped to the interior thanks to the R-Link tablet; seven engine sounds are available, three of which are specific to the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo. Nissan GT-R is one of the possibilities or, if you prefer sporty old French cars, the sounds of the Alpine A110 and R8 Gordini are also available.

If changing the soundtrack doesn't appeal the R-Link also includes R.S. Monitor 2.0 telemetry software. Circuit information can be uploaded via USB port and driving data recorded to be reviewed or shared later.