Renault Sport Clio 220 Trophy review - Is the turbocharged Clio finally any fun? - Interior and tech

The interior of the Trophy isn’t much different from a standard Clio, albeit graced with satellite navigation. Fast Clios of old always used the basic poverty spec interiors; the paired-back, light-weight, no-nonsense feel was all part of the French charm. Now though, the basic Clio has an interior that looks far fancier – there’s polished black plastic, chrome and leather. The luxury is only superficial sadly. The plastics seem cheap, nothing seems to fit together very well and it seems worryingly breakable.

The Trophy doesn’t have to make do with the standard Clio’s seats, though. It gets a set of leather, heated seats. They’re not the prettiest items and the side bolstering is so significant it makes getting in and out of them slightly tricky.

What they lack in aesthetics or ease of ingress and egress, they make up for in support. You sit deep into them, with the seat hugging you from the waist right up, almost to your armpits. As a passenger they feel quite awkward, your arms get pushed forwards as they rest on the side bolsters. With your arms out in front of you when driving though, the support is incredible.

It’s not easy to find the perfect driving position in the Trophy. The seats, although supportive, are set a little too high and the wheel doesn’t allow much adjustment in regards to reach either.