Clio naysayer

Having just read your test of the Renault Sport Clio Trophy alongside the Ford Puma Racing in your ‘Specials’ issue (evo 262), I felt I had to give you my opinion of this special Renault.

Back in 2014 I owned an ex-swissmarket Trophy, number 40 of 50. And… I didn’t really like it.

When I bought it, I had read a lot about the car and I guess my expectations were very high. The fact I had (and still have) a 997 GT3 certainly didn’t help. The little Renault [pictured above] was acquired as a weekend toy – small, light, pure and, as everyone seemed to agree, an enormous thrill.

Well, the Recaros seemed nice until you sat in them and realised the seating position was still very much too high and not sporty at all. The interior is pure Renault from 2005 but that’s OK, except the hideous steering wheel, which was not a delight to the touch. The gearlever was also not particularly direct or nice to use, all being a little vague.

Dynamically? Well, trick dampers it may have had, but I hated the way the car couldn’t brake in a straight line as soon as you had two degrees of steering lock applied. No weight on the tail meant the back was always trying to switch places with the front every time you braked hard. It was fun at first, but soon became tiring, and was quite stressful if you encountered something unexpected in a corner. Then again, I was used to the planted feel of the GT3 under braking.

The engine was strong enough for the car’s weight, but the sound was as dull as that of any basic fourcylinder. It was not a joy for the ears to rev the 2-litre all the way, but it was necessary to make decent progress.

I ended up selling my Trophy six

months after buying it. Were my expectations too high, or are reviews too subjective? Cyril Haegeli