First Drive: Renault Clio R.S. 220 Trophy

The Renault Clio has recently received a mild, mid-life refresh, with minor revisions to trim and styling, and this Renault Sport is among the very first of these updated cars.

What is it?

The regular Renault Clio Renault Sport is potent enough but this 220 Trophy model adds something extra anyway. 'Trophy' essentially translates to a track-focused chassis set-up. There's a mild 20bhp boost to the power, but the Trophy pack is more about what the car does in the corners rather than between them. It's 20mm lower at the front, 10mm lower at the back and features stiffer rear springs and a 10 per cent quicker steering rack.

What's under the bonnet?

A 1.6-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine, with 200bhp available in the regular RS and 217bhp for this Trophy model. In both cases the engine is paired to a six-speed EDC automatic gearbox, with a sequential manual mode and paddle shifts for that racetrack feel. Leave it to its own devices though and the Trophy will hit 60mph in around 6.5 seconds.