Hidden Depths

Renault’s 5 GT Turbo showed the world a new era of performance, but did the Clio then take the crown from the Peugeot 205 and open the world’s eyes to what a hot-hatch can do?

- Mat Bell

When Renault announces a new hot hatchback the world listens. The Renault 5 GT Turbo was one of the best in the business during the ’80s, so the newly introduced Clio had a lot to live up to when it arrived in the ‘90s. Forgetting the lower powered, basic Clios, the hotter models carried on the 5’s legacy with an abundance of hot versions that saw the model’s fan-following grow extensively.

We chart the development of the go-faster Clio over the years, from the mild RSi to the wild mid-engine V6 model. If you’ve found yourself priced out of the Peugeot 205 GTi, then these Renaults make for a much underrated and more affordable alternative.

Clio RSi 

The Clio RSi, which arrived in 1991, is one of those cars that falls into the warm to hot-hatch category. It would be difficult to produce this guide to Renault hot-hatches without mentioning it, since it was essentially the 16v and Williams building blocks; improved ever so slightly to produce a margin that the 16v and Williams occupy as the true hot-hatch Clios of the 90s. 

By no means slow, the RSi employed a 1.8-litre engine producing 108bhp. Weight was similar to the 16v which meant that 0-60mph dash was dispatched in good time: 8.9 seconds to be precise.

Ergonomically, the RSi was a marked improvement over the previous Renault 5 GT Turbo, but arguably it brought it in line with competitors of the time, rather than pushing it ahead.

It would be best to leave summing up the RSi to CAR magazine in the March 1994 issue: “Fast Clios are good cars and the RSi is no exception. A slightly raucous character can be irritation but when it comes to providing pace and feedback, the Clio is right on the money. Less ostentatious than the 16v, less extreme than the Williams, this Clio is all about a fine balance of performance.“