2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 Review

You’d be forgiven for thinking the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 is a car aimed at cashed-up members of the Greens Party, but what BMW actually offers in its newest addition to the 3 Series range is a seriously quick sports sedan for drivers looking for as much grunt as green smarts.

Despite its eco-conscious image, the $97,700 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 is actually the quickest model in the 3 Series range with the exception of the M3.

The 3 Series hybrid shares its 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged petrol engine with the conventionally powered 335i. Supported by a 40kW electric motor and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery, the ActiveHybrid 3 produces a total system output of 250kW/450Nm, making it good for a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.3 seconds.



That’s two-tenths quicker than the $91,400 BMW 335i and faster even than the latest Porsche Boxster.

It also feels quick right from the get-go, displaying none of the restraint normally associated with hefty hybrids. This is one hybrid that simply never feels like you’re driving a hybrid, especially in its Sport and Sport Plus modes.

Turbo lag is non-existent thanks to the electric motor producing its full compliment of torque (210Nm) from a standing start.



In-gear acceleration is just as potent due to the engine’s unusually broad torque band, which delivers maximum torque of 400Nm between 1200-5000rpm. And then there’s the bonus 50Nm from the electric motor. Even a light dab of the throttle traveling at 80km/h produces scintillating acceleration that simply doesn’t quit.

The ActiveHybrid 3 gets a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, which is an exceptional bit of hardware (and software). Gear changes are super smooth and dual-clutch-style quick, and you won’t catch this unit in the wrong gear, regardless of your driving style.

Switch from the default Comfort mode to one of the Sport modes and things get even more entertaining. Shift points are held until near redline and throttle response is noticeably sharper.



At the other end of the spectrum, Eco Pro – as the name suggests – makes full use of the electric motor in the pursuit of optimum efficiency. Among its features is a highway ‘coasting’ function, which uses clever technology to shut off the engine and declutch it from the transmission for silent, zero-emission running at high-speeds.

Around town the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 is capable of running solely on electric power up to 75km/h for a range of up to four kilometres, provided the battery pack is fully charged and you’re easy on the throttle.

We found the all-electric propulsion entirely useful and efficient when roaming streets or shopping malls in search parking spots.



More impressive still is the transition from electric power to engine power or a combination of both for maximum performance – it all happens so smoothly and seamlessly that you’re barely aware it’s happening at all.

It’s a similar experience with the standard stop-start system on board the ActiveHybrid 3 – it’s virtually imperceptible from inside the cockpit.

The ActiveHybrid 3’s efficiency-enhancing technology combines to make it more than 25 per cent greener than the 335i on the official combined cycle (5.9 litres per 100km versus 7.9L/100km), although that’s only if your daily driving diet includes a healthy dose of peak-hour crawling.



We struggled to get close to the official number, however; instead recording an average of 10.5L/100km in a week that included both enthusiastic spurts and reserved suburban trips.

Clearly, BMW has first and foremost tuned this hybrid for performance, and like us you’ll most likely find it more difficult than expected to resist the urge to apply reasonable throttle whenever conditions permit.

There’s an inspiring snarl from this powerplant that’s evident right across the rev range. Even at idle there’s a high-tempo burble to enjoy.



Ride and handling have always been hallmarks of BMW cars and, by and large, the ActiveHybrid 3 delivers on most counts.

Despite its current standing as the quickest F30-generation 3 Series sedan, the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 gets the same MacPherson Strut upfront and five-arm rear axle suspension set-up found on the standard 3 series range.

The result is a deceptively fast performance sedan that isn’t quite as buttoned-down as it should be. At speed across uneven roads it can feel under-damped with too much movement in the chassis and a tendency to thump over larger bumps.



The ActiveHybrid 3 otherwise provides a mostly comfortable ride around town and on freeways.

BMW does offer adaptive dampers for $1400, but the M Sport Suspension isn’t available on the ActiveHybrid 3 – even with the optional M Sport package, as was fitted to our test car.

Cornering on the other hand is excellent, with the car turning in quickly and accurately, despite the hybrid carrying an additional 135kg over the standard 335i.



There’s loads of grip on offer, but less feel than we would like from the electric power steering.

Stopping power at speed is huge, but at low speeds brake pedal force isn’t consistent, or linear. It’s a feature commonly associated with cars utilising regenerative braking systems as the ActiveHybrid 3 does.

Like all 3 series sedans the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 offers comfort, space and practicality in equal proportions.



The big surprise is boot space. There’s lots of it, despite the hybrid system’s battery pack sitting under the boot floor – although that does rule out any room for a spare wheel, even a space-saver.

There’s 60:40 split-fold rear seats providing more than enough space for this reviewer to carry his 6ft 6in surfboard.

Rear-seat legroom is particularly generous as is storage space around the cabin.



The ActiveHybrid 3 is well equipped, too, boasting an extensive list of equipment including bi-xenon headlights, interior and exterior mirrors with anti-dazzle function, automatic headlights and wipers, full leather trim, front and rear parking sensors (although there’s no rear camera), and satellite navigation with an 8.8-inch screen. The 600-watt Harman Kardon audio system features 16 loudspeakers and produces great sound.

The $6100 M Sport package adds a set of superb, suitably bolstered sports leather seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, M leather steering wheel and various design elements inside and out.

Earning a five-star ANCAP safety, the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 comes standard with six airbags, stability and traction control, ABS with brake assist and corning brake control.



The BMW ActiveHybrid 3 currently has no direct petrol-electric competitor, and it will continue to enjoy a monopoly of the market until the introduction of the all-new Lexus IS300h in the third-quarter of 2013.

While we’re not convinced it’s a serious contender for any environmental awards, we’re more than comfortable in naming the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 the best performance hybrid available today.
 

Source : http://www.caradvice.com.au/209013/bmw-activehybrid-3-review/

Categories: BMW

2013 Holden Cruze Review

Calling it an assimilation process is a bit much, but the 2013 Holden Cruze has for the past 18 months been re-worked by local engineers to become more suited to Australian conditions and “feel more like a Holden”.

On the outside, both the Holden Cruze sedan and hatch look near-identical to the Series II models that first rolled off the Australian production line in March 2011 – and those cars in turn looked a lot like the Korean-built Series I from 2009.

Because the Holden Cruze is a General Motors ‘world car’ the local designers weren’t permitted to alter the styling. But local engineers were happy that most of the facelift budget was spent on a re-engineering effort.

The 1.6-litre turbo SRi and SRi-V models are the ‘hero’ cars of the range, quite different to the entry-level Equipe and CDX models in this review (read 2013 Holden Cruze SRi Review). But the entry Equipe, particularly, gets the killer $19,490 price tag, with seven-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth and internet streaming, 17-inch alloy wheels and fog lights now standard (read 2013 Holden Cruze pricing and specifications).

The standard 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine still struggles to impress, however. This is a two decade-old engine, revised over the years with variable valve timing, and in this latest iteration, it gets a new control unit with software designed to “iron out the flat spots in the rev range”, according to one Holden engineer.

But Cruze 1.8-litre models weigh 1389kg as a manual, and 1415kg with an auto. By comparison, a Toyota Corolla 1.8-litre weighs from 1250kg – a full 140kg less. Producing an unchanged 104kW at 6300rpm, and 175Nm at 3800rpm, the Cruze 1.8-litre continues to feel slow to rev and sounds harsh when extended.

Driveability, however, is transformed thanks to a new Generation II six-speed automatic transmission tuned by Australian engineers. Holden admits the previous Cruze was criticised by both customers and journalists for a transmission that defaulted to tall gears each time the throttle was released, only to hunt back through gears on hills, which affected both refinement and economy.

The new auto has a hill-detection mode and a Performance Mode Lift Foot (PMLF) function that allows steady-state throttle on hills by holding lower gears, even when the throttle is lifted.

It works brilliantly. Finally, the Cruze 1.8-litre auto offers a cooperative and smooth driving experience. Only when maximum acceleration is requested does the 1.8-litre reveal itself as slightly off the small car pace. The auto in the Equipe and CDX also lacks the excellent Sport mode standard on the SRi.

Performance anxiety issues are addressed with the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, but it adds $4000 over the 1.8-litre petrols. Now available with an automatic transmission only, the $25,690 Equipe and $28,190 CDX diesels slightly lose their value message at this level. The fixed price service schedule also favours the petrol engines – to three years or 60,000km, petrol Cruze owners will pay $185 per 12 month or 15,000km genuine service, compared with $335 for the diesel.

With unchanged outputs of 120kW at 3800rpm and 360Nm at 2000rpm, the diesel engine is both punchy and reasonably refined on the move. The six-speed auto is a Generation I unit, not a Gen II like in the petrol, so it regularly defaults to top gear. Unlike the petrol engine, however, the diesel has real torque and never suffers a lack of driveability.

Claimed fuel economy is also unchanged at 6.7L/100km, or 1.1L/100km more than its Hyundai i30 rival, but that car produces only 94kW and 260Nm. Whether performance or fuel economy matters more largely decides the call between them. The Cruze diesel is more economical than the 1.8-litre (rated at 7.4L/100km) but is only slightly more frugal than the 1.4-litre turbo petrol Equipe (6.8L/100km). The $23,190 Cruze Equipe 1.4 wasn’t available to test.

With a new ‘comfort’ oriented suspension tune, the Cruze Equipe and CDX models are now slightly softer than before.

Without back-to-back testing it’s difficult to measure the changes, but the 17-inch tyres on both models lack the sidewall width of the previous CD model’s 16-inch tyres. That’s possibly to blame for the slight restlessness at freeway speeds on ostensibly smooth surfaces, but the control over large bumps is excellent, and comfort over wrinkled urban tarmac fine.

The grip from the new Bridgestone Turanza tyres is also far beyond that of the previous car, which used Korean-made Kumhos. Steering feels light and consistent, but far too vacant on centre, with only the Equipe 1.4 sharing the SRi’s superior electro-mechanical steering. Those models also uniquely get a more sophisticated Watts link rear suspension set-up, but the Equipe and CDX Cruze models at least now offer grippy handling to match their decent balance.

Beyond the addition of the seven-inch touchscreen with MyLink infotainment system, very little is changed inside the 2013 Holden Cruze Equipe and CDX.

The plastics remain of the hard and durable variety, and the mismatched plastic and ill-fitting sunglasses holder atop the dashboard makes the interior design the least impressive of the small car crop.

Refinement levels, however, continue to impress – this is a far quieter car than a Mazda 3 – although the Bridgestone tyres do seem to throw up more road noise on coarse-chip surfaces than the previous Bridgestones. Front and rear legroom and seat comfort are above average for the class, while 413-litre boot on the hatch, and 445-litre sedan, are among the largest in the class.

The Holden Cruze still isn’t the most polished offering in the small car segment, and the Equipe and CDX models pale alongside the rejuvinated SRi range.

If Holden had matched the boldness of the pricing with an equally bold decision to flick the 1.8-litre and make the far superior 1.4-litre turbo standard, this facelifted Cruze would be even better.

All are roomy and refined, however, and with more standard equipment, lower prices, and markedly improved driveability, the 2013 Holden Cruze is now a force in the market, holding the fort until a major styling change arrives late next year and the all-new Cruze follows in 2016.

Source : http://www.caradvice.com.au/218684/2013-holden-cruze-review/

Categories: Holden

2013 Holden Cruze SRi Review

 

This is where it’s at with the 2013 Holden Cruze – the new 1.6-litre turbocharged SRi and SRi-V models.

With 132kW of power, 230Nm of torque, and an 8.4-second 0-100km/h claim, the Holden Cruze SRi offers higher outputs and faster performance times than any petrol-engined competitor within sight of its $22,490 starting price.

As a gauge of how far the value equation has improved with this facelifted Holden Cruze pseudo-sports model, that price isn’t just a full $3500 less than the old SRi, but it also gets the 0.2L-larger engine, and adds part-leather trim, a seven-inch touchscreen and rear parking sensors to the standard equipment list (read 2013 Holden Cruze pricing and specifications). Even more tellingly, the SRi automatic is now $350 cheaper than the old base model CD 1.4-litre turbo that wore hubcaps over its steel wheels…

So it might come as a surprise, then, that adding value and performance isn’t the end of the Holden Cruze SRi story.

Holden’s Australian engineers have sprinkled their magic dust over the Delta II chassis, the underbody parts of which are shared with the European cousin to the Cruze, the Opel Astra. Clearly, that dust is made of the same stuff that has continued to make the VE Commodore a dynamic star, seven years after its launch.

According to the engineering team, step one was to flick the Korean-made Kumho tyres used on all Cruze models, as they lacked grip. The replacement Bridgestone Potenza tyres – 17-inch for SRi, and 18-inch for SRi-V – are less squeal-prone and complement the revised suspension settings.

Where the Cruze Equipe and CDX models use a new, softer ‘comfort’ suspension tune (read 2013 Holden Cruze Review), the SRi and SRi-V go the other way. Holden borrowed a stiffer ‘twist beam’ for the rear suspension used in sporty Opel Astra models. The SRi now sits lower, with shorter springs, a new rebound spring in the front strut, and firmer dampers.

What all this engineering-speak amounts to is a more dynamic drive, with very little penalty in terms of comfort. Only on the freeway does the Cruze SRi fidget and jiggle a little too much, but its rough road absorbency is outstanding. There’s much less bodyroll than before, the body remaining impressively flat during higher-speed cornering. Expectedly, the tyres grip well. Push harder and the Cruze SRi doesn’t push the nose wide of the corner, but nor does it savagely kick its backside out if the throttle is lifted in the middle of the corner. Instead, it tucks its nose in, and remains neat, stable and neutrally balanced.

With this facelift, the Cruze SRi moves into the dynamic big league alongside the Mazda 3 and Ford Focus – long the handling benchmarks in the small car segment.

The electro-mechanical steering has also copped a “global re-tune” to make its steering less feather-light than before. But if anything, it’s made the steering slightly more resistant to inputs, blunting the on-centre response that remains, as before, quite immediate. Holden engineers had to accept what the global team offered, and the result is good, but not brilliant like a Mazda 3 or Ford Focus.

The $2200-optional six-speed automatic thankfully was tuned by Holden in Australia, and it’s a beauty. Like the re-tuned auto in the 1.8-litre four-cylinder Equipe and CDX, the gearbox now detects hills and holds a lower gear to allow steady state throttle. It’s also equipped with what Holden calls Performance Mode Lift Foot (PMLF), which similarly detects hard driving and holds a gear when the throttle is released after powering out of a corner.

Unlike the 1.8-litre models, the SRi and SRi-V get a dedicated Sport mode that also downshifts automatically when braking for a corner and is quicker to upshift between gears. The contrast with the sluggish old Generation I automatic is stark. The new auto has a tipshift manual facility, but it doesn’t need to be used.

Only occasionally does the auto second-guess the driver and get it wrong. Sometimes it can be too quick to ‘think’ the fun driving is over and slur into a taller ratio. Holden admits that in the final round of testing it was decided that the Sport mode they originally had planned was too annoyingly aggressive, so they went for a slightly safer setting.

The 1.6-litre turbo still feels at its best with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, however. Third gear shows off the fine flexibility of this engine, pulling effortlessly from low revs and swiftly through the mid-range. It’s no hot-hatch, but it’s definitely higher on the Peri Peri scale than most rivals.

Like the Equipe and CDX, the SRi models are also reasonably quiet, but the new Bridgestones do seem to throw up more road noise on coarse chip surfaces than the old Kumhos. It’s especially noticeable on the SRi-V which gets even wider tyres – typically, the bigger the contact patch with the road, the greater the noise.

It’s in the areas Holden engineers haven’t fixed that the Cruze remains average. The interior design, like the exterior, is now four years old. Plastics quality is of the hard and durable type, but the ill-fitting sunglasses holder atop the dash is an example of sub-standard finish.

The seats are comfortable, and the new touchscreen MyLink entertainment system intuitive, although the $26,490 SRi-V no longer gets satellite navigation standard (it will be added later this year when the new VF Commodore system is configured). That said, the SRi-V works on a similar value equation to the SRi, costing $3000 less than before and adding other equipment like climate control. The SRi-V also now adds 18-inch alloys and a reversing camera.

Both SRi and SRi-V are available in hatchback or sedan configuration, each with capacious 400-litre-plus cargo capacities and 60:40 split-fold rear seat capability.

All Holden Cruze models get fixed price servicing, costing $185 per service, every 15,000km or 12 months for up to three years and 60,000km.

The Holden Cruze has never been like the Mazda 3 or Volkswagen Golf. It has always been inferior. The Cruze SRi still isn’t like them, but it now offers its own, slightly brash personality, and from a performance and value perspective, presents as a fine alternative to both class benchmarks.

Source : http://www.caradvice.com.au/218722/2013-holden-cruze-sri-review/

Categories: Holden

2013 Aston Martin DB9 Review

Tweaked for more power and boasting an edgier range of technology, the 2013 Aston Martin DB9marks more of an evolution of the car’s soul rather than its beautiful body.

From the front the new DB9 is the spitting image of the now discontinued Aston Martin Virage – adopting the same elongated headlamp assembly with LED daytime running lamps.

Aston says it’s made subtle improvements to the front splitter for improved airflow to the carbon-ceramic brakes, but seriously, you’ll be hard pressed spotting those.

The similarities extend to the rear of the car too, except the latest Aston Martin DB9 gets a new ‘flipped up’ boot spoiler for reduced lift, along with more muscular rear haunches for slightly stronger differentiation between the two models.

Inside, we were hoping for Vanquish-grade ergonomics with its lowered centre console and new centre stack, but the layout remains largely unchanged from the outgoing DB9, except for the proper polished glass switchgear.

You can smell the leather-infused aroma oozing out of the Bridge of Weir hides, as you sink into the most perfectly cocooning sports pews – only this time there’s a hand-stitched welt running down either side of the console, which requires a 1.8-metre continuous piece of leather.

The low-slung seats and small-ish diameter steering wheel in the DB9 combine to provide the prefect driving position, ensuring the driver feels at one with the car.

Everything is special inside here. It’s all real metal, real glass and real carbonfibre – several levels above luxury.

The real surprise, perhaps, is that it actually costs less than the outgoing DB9. Priced from $349,500 for the Coupe and $380,500 for the Volante (tested) the latest iteration of Aston Martin’s grand tourer offers savings of $12,455 and $12,463, respectively.

Mechanically, there’s more of the same under the DB9’s alloy bonnet, with Aston’s 6.0-litre V12 that’s powered it since launch.

The difference is this time there’s a revised block, new head and various other tweaks that bump power and torque up to 380kW and 620Nm – increases of 30kW and 19Nm respectively.

That’s enough to propel the Aston Martin DB9 from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and onto a top speed of 295km/h.

But even with the engine upgrades, the DB9 Volante is outgunned by several lower-priced rivals – at least from a standing start. The BMW M6 Convertible is priced from $308,500 and can reach 100km/h in 4.4 seconds, as can the $363,500 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible.

The brakes have also been uprated to massive cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic rotors with six-pot Brembo calipers up front, and four down back, for proper fade-free stopping, all day long.

The DB9 boasts the same ‘Gen4’ VH architecture as the more expensive Vanquish, which is not only stiffer than the previous car, but also includes Aston’s next-generation adaptive damping and all-round double wishbone suspension.

Push the crystal-tipped glass key fob into its spring-loaded slot and hold firm until the V12 lets out its signature bark. While we love the aural component, it all feels a bit too theatrical in this age of keyless entry and push button start.

Like all current Astons with the electronically controlled Touchtronic2 six-speed transmission, drive modes are engaged by a series of glass buttons at the top of the centre console (P, R, N and D), rather than a conventional shifter.

Below these are three more glass buttons that control the suspension damping (Normal, Sport and Track modes) along with a sport button.

There aren’t many corners along Miami’s South Beach strip, so we set off with the suspension locked in its most comfortable setting.

As far as we can make out, potholes and busted-up roads don’t exist in the Miami Dade County, but those insignificant-looking expansion joints are properly felt in the DB9, even in the normal suspension setting.

They’re not enough to unsettle the chassis (that’s rock solid stable), but it’s a very firm setting to be classed as ‘Normal’.

We tried the other two settings and frankly, they may as well have been labelled Firmer and Firmest. It’s not quite in the bone-shattering category, but still way too stiff for anything other than billiard-ball-smooth US highways.

The upside is that body roll is simply non-existent in the DB9 allowing for high-speed cornering while remaining utterly composed and planted.

Tap the Sport button, load up the throttle and start throwing the big Aston into a few corners and the DB9 suddenly morphs from a capable GT to bona-fide sports car.

The DB9’s hydraulic steering is extraordinarily good – Astons are like that. Perfectly weighted, very quick and with scalpel-like precision for racecar-like directness and feedback, which only serve to enhance the driving experience.

You’ll need more than twisty canyon roads to get anywhere near the handling limits of the DB9 – it’s a tremendously well balanced machine that urges you to keep piling on the power for more of that deeply emotive V12 howl.

Wind it up to 5000-plus-rpm on the dial and you’ve got 620Nm of twist for all the overtaking grunt you could ever need. Its all the more enjoyable in the soft-top Volante.

It feels properly quick from anywhere in the rev range and there’s a tonne of grip, but dial up a moderate dose of over-zealous throttle and the DB9 will light up the P Zeros down back.

Better still, pull the magnesium-fashioned right paddleshifter and you’ve got full control of the transmission.

There are no electronics to shift gears for you in this mode (definitely a good thing) – hold any ratio long enough, and you’ll be bouncing off the rev limiter until you shift up – manually.

The DB9’s Touchtronic transmission is certainly smooth-shifting, but it can’t match the more common (in this class) dual-clutch transmissions for sheer gearbox response and driver involvement.

But these irks don’t spoil what is essentially a class-leading GT-slash-sports car that has been bolstered for even better performance.

Aston Martin has really nailed it with the latest DB9. This is a much improved and more focused car than its predecessor, a figurehead of English automotive styling with a bit of added grunt.

Throw in the cut-down pricing and it’s all the motivation cashed-up punters will need to stake their claim on a classic.

Source : http://www.caradvice.com.au/218925/2013-aston-martin-db9-review/

Categories: Aston Martin

2013 Renault Clio RS Review

The all-new Renault Clio RS 200 EDC takes the light hot-hatch segment to an entirely new level. Whether it can still satisfy the Renault Sport purists is a different question, however.

Unlike the previous two generations of Renault Clio RS that made use of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine coupled to a six-speed manual, the new car makes use of a Nissan-Renault engineered 1.6-litre turbocharged four.

It puts out the same power as the previous model, at 147kW (200hp, hence the RS 200 moniker) and comes up with 240Nm of torque – 25Nm more than before, but over a wider rev band. For the first time ever, a Renault Sport model utilises a dual-clutch automatic transmission, without the option for a manual gearbox.

This may upset some Renault Sport purists, in the same way that Porsche’s decision to make the 911 GT3 auto-only irked many this week. However the generally negative initial reaction towards the choice of a dual clutch transmission mated with a turbocharged engine – with the potential for turbo lag further diluting driver connection – is thankfully unwarranted.

There’s no doubt that a manual transmission offers greater engagement levels, but not only is the auto faster and more convenient, but it’s hard to argue that it will also lure in an entirely new buyer group who would never have considered an RS in the past. This is important because in this day and age the folks at Renault Sport have to justify their existence to the bean counters.

On the whole, the new Clio RS looks the business. While its competitors tend to look like lightly modified versions of their originals, the French looks far more ‘enhanced’ than its vanilla siblings.

To drive the new Renault Clio RS, we came to Granada, Spain, where the roads are twisty and narrow and the rain relentless. Here was our first taste of the new 1.6-litre turbo that will also power the forthcoming Nissan Pulsar SSS.

Unlike with the Pulsar, the folks at Renault Sport have worked the engine, choosing a smaller turbo (for quicker maximum torque), enhanced air intake, bigger air filter, modified exhaust line and even a sound pipe that goes from the air intake to the cabin so you’re constantly audibly reassured of your weapon of choice.

Although the old 2.0-litre naturally aspirated unit was a gem, the new 1.6 turbo is far more elastic at low revs, enhancing driveability, while it still loves to be pedalled enthusiastically. Then there’s the fuel economy figure of 6.3L/100km, a vast improvement over its predecessor.

In the country side the hot hatch is king and the Clio RS is no exception. Press the RS Drive button, which goes from normal to sport and race mode, select Sport and away you go. In this setting the accelerator becomes more responsive, the electronic controls accept more sliding before intervening and the dual-clutch transmissions shift times are reduced from 200ms (normal) to 170ms.

Feed in power and the turbo comes to life, instantly. There’s that overwhelming intake sound throughout the cabin which is not only delightful for any car enthusiast but provides feedback on the turbo’s state.

Around bends the Clio RS is miles ahead of its rivals in terms of engagement and feedback. The steering is spot on, with even the tiniest input resulting in a corresponding output. There’s a genuine sense of connection to the road and you can feel the instant the Clio is about to lose grip, long before the computer steps in – a sign of any well-engineered sports car.

It does have a tendency to oversteer if you lift your foot of the accelerator pedal mid-corner, particularly in the wet. This is a familiar characteristic to current-generation Clio RS owners and is a source of undeniable fun.

The dual-clutch transmission is a little bit of a downer in normal mode, as it tends to find it self confused at times and champions saving fuel more than anything else. Thankfully the Clio RS’ dual-clutch also has a dual-personality disorder that makes it instantly comes to life when in Sport or Race mode.

In those modes there’s no longer a care for fuel efficiency and you’ll find yourself in the perfect gear nearly every time. You can, of course, use the steering wheel-mounted paddles, which are borrowed from the R35 Nissan GT-R (and don’t move with the steering wheel, like a proper race car), to do the job yourself but we found the Race mode capable enough.

It’s worth noting that the Clio RS’ gearbox can drop down multiple gears at once (by pressing and holding down the left paddle), which is not something you’d find in any other car of this price range.

In race mode the gearbox changes get as low as 150ms and the accelerator pedal has no hesitation. The stability control goes to sleep and the Clio RS becomes a pure hot hatch in the traditional sense of the word – despite the turbo and automatic gearbox.

Renault says that unlike the previous generation Clio RS, which was engineered for track, road and everyday use equally, the new car is more focused on road use. Which is odd, because for the second part of our test we came to a race track on the outskirts of Granada, in Spain, to prove its credentials.

With torrential rain above and a very wet track below, we set out to see what the Clio RS would do without restrictions. For this purpose, we switched from the Sport chassis Clios to the Cup cars. The current plan for Australia is to bring the Cup versions only, which have red brake calipers, sit 3mm lower with 27 and 20 percent stiffer springs front and rear. This is a reflection of current sales, where Australian buyers have generally preferred Cup chassis, but that may still change before the car launches locally early next year.

On track the Clio RS is an absolute joy. It has just the right amount of power to thrill with the perfect poise and balance to make the whole experience a treat, every lap. Using launch control (holding down the brake pedal and pulling both paddles until launch control engages, pressing the accelerator pedal and letting the brakes go within two seconds) the Clio RS gets off the line and to 100km/h in roughly 6.7 seconds.

Even in the rain there seems to be almost no understeer, with oversteer being the dish of choice. Plant it hard out of a corner and there’s the slightest hint of torque steer but it’s nothing like you’d expect from a front-wheel drive with this much go – this is largely thanks to the car’s high-tech electronic front differential (but it’s not a proper LSD like the Megane RS).

Renault has employed a skid detection system that is always checking for different speeds between front inner and outer wheels as well as front and rear wheels in general. It interferes by braking the front inner wheel to bring consistency. It’s a much smarter way of doing things as it doesn’t hold back engine torque, simply adjusting the misbehaving wheel.

There’s a clever system inside called RS monitor 2.0, which seems to have an almost endless number of digital displays that will tell you everything you need to know about your Clio and your own performance. Everything from power and torque, gearbox and clutch temp, turbo boost, wheel torque, 0-100km, 100-0km/h, 0-400km/h, 0-1000m, G force diagram, traction slip and more (check photo gallery for screenshots).

The best bit, though, is the chronometer GPS system which can be used to log your track sessions and the on-board computer has the ability to record the data on to a USB stick, which you can then download to the Renault Sport website and see your lap times, track position and all the engine details in the corresponding time. It’s truly the closest thing you’re going to find to a Formula One style track session management system.

We tested this data logging system numerous times and found it addictive, trying to work out at which corners and sections we could gain more time. It currently doesn’t have all the racetracks in its database, but you can add tracks by drawing them (needs to correspond to GPS coordinates to work). You can choose to share your work with the world, which means it’s likely that within a few short years the majority of the world’s tracks would be online.

The interior itself is a big step up from the regular Clio, with bucket sport seats, a proper Renault Sport steering wheel, racing pedals and upgraded interior trim all around. The Recaro seats have been sidelined, but Renault Sport says they may return in the near future. The bucket seats can be a tad too tight if you’re fast food-inclined, but otherwise they are snug and very supportive around the twisty stuff or on track.

Of course there are a few somewhat annoying aspects of the Clio RS, like terrible rear visibility (reversing camera available), the annoying and very loud rev-limiter beeping sound in Sport mode and the closeness of the accelerator and brake pedal for those of us that prefer left foot braking.

Nonetheless, on the whole, the Renault Clio RS is the ultimate hot hatch for its segment – it’s as simple as that. No other car can match it for performance, style, elegance and purity. Pricing is still unannounced but it’s suspected to either remain at the current $36,490 or even climb a tad higher given the inclusion of a dual clutch transmission.

Source : http://www.caradvice.com.au/219058/2013-renault-clio-rs-review/

Categories: Renault