Driving the Renault Sport Clio 172 – a hot hatch icon for £6k

It’s June 2000. An enormous evo contingent has descended on Anglesey to form a welcoming party for the brand new Renault Sport Clio 172. Once everyone’s arrived, there are 15 cars assembled in the pitlane. Fifteen! It’s a far cry from the current hot hatch market, where outside of 4WD, £50k+ megahatches there’s precious little choice. It makes a generation of Punto HGTs and Rover GTIs feel like ancient history.

Maybe the new Alpine A290 is the brightest beacon of hope that we’ll soon have a return to rambunctious, right-sized form in one of our favourite corners of the market. Sure, it draws its power from the grid, but the Alpine team includes former Renault Sport engineers, while this Titanium Silver Clio was built at the Dieppe plant that now turns out A110s. However, we all know the typical hallmarks of ‘progress’ in the performance car world. More power, more weight, more expense. Comparing 172 with A290 only serves to highlight the quarter-century between them: 170bhp plays 217, 1035kg embarrasses 1479, and £15,995 (£30k with inflation) generously undercuts £37,500. At the time of writing (Jan 2026) you can find one for under £6k... 

> Renault Clio 16V (Mk1, 1991 - 1995) review, history and specs – an unsung hot hatch hero

Yet even the 172 faced criticism at launch for its weight and maturity. It had a hard act to follow, after all, continuing the bloodline from the legendary Clio Williams to launch the Renault Sport badging into the hot hatch market after a lengthy hiatus. A market that Peugeot had commandeered with its two-pronged attack of 106 and 306 GTi.

While the Clio couldn’t beat either in that inaugural group test, you’re surely familiar with the inexorable rise of Renault Sport that followed. The earliest 172s had looked undervalued until recently, but both Phase 1 and 2 cars have now started to climb, at least in unmolested, undamaged and uncorroded form. Their time as icons beckons.

I’m doe-eyed as soon as I pull into the Malvern car park where Kieran Soni and his recently purchased (and quickly evo-stickered) Phase 1 await me. Boy does it look good; from the rear, you’d barely tell it was anything more potent than a stock Clio, but up front sits an array of modest grilles and vents that help create something more assertive than the sum of its parts. Which feels like an allegory for the car as a whole, its mechanical makeover looking relatively restrained compared to the gnarlier, more bespoke cars that have emerged from the north coast of France since.

14

Up front is the 2-litre, 16-valve F4R engine from the contemporary Laguna and Espace. It benefits from improved gas-flow via its longer aluminium inlet manifold, a 60 per cent increase in plenum capacity for a greater breadth of revs – the limit now 7200rpm – and a new cylinder head machined by Mecachrome, the maker of Renault F1 engines then and now, not to mention during Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s historic four consecutive world titles in between.

The 172’s chassis upgrades over a stock Clio don’t appear transformative on paper, comprising mildly upgraded springs, dampers and anti-roll bars allied to wider tracks (by 27mm at the front, 17mm at the rear), with those delectable 15-inch multi-spoke OZ wheels sitting modestly at each corner. In the context of modern hatches they resemble castors, but I really love their understated, tap-of-the-nose hint at the performance that lies beneath. That turn-of-the-century group test featured almost exclusively cars with subtle visual upgrades, which helps explain the vast, era-defining modification scene that has all but disappeared now. It feels like Clios of this generation weren’t as liberally festooned with bodykits as Saxos or 106s, however, suggesting Renault Sport stock runs a little thicker. It’s the engineering nerd’s hot hatch. The enthusiast’s choice.

With 70,000 miles, two former owners and imperfectly smart condition, this one was a bit of a steal when Kieran bought it for less than five grand. It sits alongside his Toyota GR Yaris but has immediately become his daily driver, an ideally dinky device for his short commute. As a former Clio Williams owner, my first thought is that he’s a more resilient soul than I, but it only takes a short clamber into the 172’s infamously high seat to realise that the modernity in here belies the mere half decade separating it from its predecessor. Air conditioning, ABS, leather and Alcantara plus a bunch of airbags mean it weighs around 50 kilos more than a Willy, but its generous kit also makes it feel less of a fragile classic on the road. It remains a genuinely plush place to be and the freshly trimmed wheel of this example no longer bears the infamously ‘clammy’ surface of those launch cars, further upping the ambience.

14

If its cockpit felt indulgent when new, by 2025 standards its cabin extols a real ‘less is more’ approach without feeling minimalist or stingy. Its seats aren’t aggressively bolstered or particularly racy in appearance, yet they still feel ready to brace you tight. And while its high driving position was fairly maligned at launch, I’m not sure many hot hatches in the intervening 25 years have done much to fix this most enduring of bugbears.

My 5ft 9in frame means my head is never in danger of brushing the headlining, but you adapt quickly anyway, helped along by what is now a Renault Sport trademark attention to detail. A smooth, satin-finish gearknob fits perfectly in your palm and sits at the end of a lever that’s just a little longer than the norm to ensure your hand always finds it at speed. The aluminium pedals are ripe with latent intent, the throttle pedal having a small protruding lip to aid and encourage heel-and-toe downshifts. Then there’s the clarity of the white Sagem dials, a detail gorgeous enough to incite even my own inner cynic when it comes to their (often quite useful) digital descendants.

Spark the engine into life – with a traditional key and ignition barrel, Renault’s penchant for key cards still a few years away – and you’re initially surprised by the gruff, bassy engine. It sounds raw, as though the cute, cuddly styling is wrapped taut around a real animal within. It then takes just a few, low-speed passes in front of Rich Pearce’s camera for me to start falling hopelessly in love with the thing. Even on a short, narrow stretch of road you can lean far enough into the car’s reserves to feel involved – or perhaps the 172 is just so generous with its character, so talkative in its controls, that you’d be enraptured simply moving it around your driveway.

Tip it into bends with even modest momentum and it’s as if the front tyre-treads are squirming between your fingers, so rich in feel are the very first millimetres of steering travel. The sensation only builds from there, right up until the moment your confidence peaks and you carry a mite too much speed. Even then, the blip in feedback is momentary and even the lightest release of pressure on the throttle points you right back on line, the car raring to pick up pace onto the next straight.

14

Our stopwatch recorded 0-60mph in 6.6sec at launch, beating Renault’s claim of 7.2 to 62 and perching the 172 a mere handful of tenths behind the recently retired – and turbocharged – Hyundai i20 N. Still today its engine feels rich in heart and a different proposition to the torque-lite, rev-happy RS Mk3 Clio that followed. There’s more than enough muscle for its featherlight construction and you simply bound down a road, modern tyres mitigating evo’s complaints of torque steer in period. There’s a long-legged, GT-car feel that’s shared with the Williams but which has grown and matured here, the flourish of fancier materials forming the icing on a very wholesome cake.

Yet a raw, visceral and very biddable car coexists beneath this sheen. This particular example runs slightly lower and stiffer than it would have out of the showroom, so it potentially offers a touch more precision. Even so, its ride is truly accomplished as it pitter-patters over bumps and ruts without fuss, relaying the surface to its driver with no interruption to progress. A stark contrast to the Audi RS3 in which I’d travelled to our muster point. The 172 breathes with the surface beneath it rather than trying to angrily shrug it off, and as a tricky series of esses bucks and weaves into the Worcestershire scenery, the tarmac almost dropping clean off the hillside at one point, the Clio never loses enthusiasm. Simply keep it pinned and the damping graciously soaks everything up, Renault Sport proving its genius with a bunch of mainstream parts – and making the smorgasbord of partners for its final project, the £72k Mégane RS Trophy‑R, look even more extreme.

The tight, mechanical gearshift is a highlight too. Operating the five-speed ’box feels second nature and while it can’t claim the ultimate mechanical precision of a Honda, it’s impossible to fault as the synapses fizz from your fingers to your wrist with each change. Tellingly, you find yourself shifting for the hell of it when there’s a break in corners. The pedals feel heavily sprung by today’s standards (and of course there’s the novelty of having three of them) but your feet skip gamely across them as your pace climbs.

14

The real magic is in how fluid everything feels. There have been plenty of recent hot hatch greats, the i20 N and Fiesta ST coming closest to replicating the Renault Sport sense of fun in the past decade. But even they rely on a slightly cartoonish approach to cornering, an aggressive front differential or exaggerated handful of lift-off oversteer bringing the experience to life.

The 172 requires no such manhandling or provocation. It’s sweetly nuanced in the way it jinks through corners, its OZs up on their toes and influencing your angle of attack in a more natural way. If you’re oversteering it’ll be a small part of a wider repertoire rather than a clumsily snatched moment in time; part of the journey, not the destination. You feel the rear wheels just lightly lift, the Michelins’ embrace with the tarmac momentarily released, then before you know it you’re instinctively back on the throttle and pointing forwards, riding the torque or chasing revs. It’s a malleable little car even comfortably below 60mph, which isn’t to say it feels challenged at higher speeds, simply that it has that increasingly rare ability to make any roundabout or sequence of corners an utter delight. While you’ll truly relish a track evening or a big day out in Wales, neither is crucial to uncorking the 172’s spirit.

Your choice of gear going into corners is almost down to your mood; this engine is most enjoyable kept bubbling away around 4000rpm, but there’s no real lag nor flat-spot across its delivery. It’s only too delighted to rev, of course, its soundtrack hardening addictively above 5000rpm, the earliest Phase 1s rewarding your commitment with the illumination of an upshift light. It boasts a flexibility you might more readily associate with the recent, turbocharged pack of hot hatches rather than hedonistic, early noughties natural aspiration.

There may not be forced induction, drive modes or stability control, but simplicity doesn’t come at the price of depth. This Phase 1 Clio 172 feels magical, demonstrating a bygone level of involvement, fidelity and feedback without feeling outdated. If you could squeeze in a few more airbags and a touchscreen, Renault could almost feasibly sell one now without it feeling significantly outgunned. When a car is so right in its dimensions, performance and playfulness, its appeal will never wane. Renault is rather fond of a retro remix at the moment, the R5 E-Tech’s vastly swelling trophy cabinet proving its philosophy right. Can we convince them this car deserves a turn under the spotlight next?

14

Having owned a Clio Williams for more than a decade, there’s an unashamedly emotional sensation of visiting an old friend with its successor, the pair’s shared DNA and attitude only more obvious with the passing of time. Phase 2 172 and 182 iterations enlarged the wheels, stiffened the suspension and further sharpened the Clio’s focus, while gnarly Cup and Trophy variants upped the ante considerably. And that’s without venturing into the world of wackadoodle V6s. Yet hindsight arguably makes this 172 the real sweet-spot in the entire fast Clio universe. It’s quite a hall of fame to compete for attention within, and I remember a Phase 1 blending into the background somewhat during our ‘Happy Birthday Clio!’ photoshoot 15 years ago (evo 146). Yet Dickie Meaden’s eyes light up remembering not only that day, but the original launch of the car in the south of France 25 years ago.

‘I can immediately recall the feature,’ he smiles. ‘The opener was a nice cornering shot looking under the car with its rear wheel up in the air. The 172 certainly gave us a very clear idea of what Renault Sport was intending it to be. When I’ve got back in the car since, I’ve been surprised by how gruff and raw it is. There’s quite a lot of induction noise. I don’t know if I appreciated what a pure thing it was at the time, but I suppose context changes your outlook.

‘I ran a long-termer too. It was one of those cars that you’d just get in and have a great drive, intentionally or not, whether you were just driving down the road to pick something up or on a longer road trip. They just have an energy about them.’

14

He’s not wrong. On a day like this, with laser-focused attention on the Clio and no distracting rivals, it just feels brilliant. Despite the rougher edges to its character, it all feels so wonderfully useable. French cars may have a reputation for being a bit flimsy (one I can vouch for) but everything that’s important here seems engineered for resilience, the 2-litre up front feeling hardiest of all. Consider the pliability of its chassis with the strength of its powertrain and you’ve absolutely no misgivings about getting in this car and driving it hard from the off.

In the world of hot hatchbacks, praise comes no higher. As light and delicious as a fresh pain au chocolat but with an even sweeter aftertaste, it feels like French performance car engineering at its most agreeable. Accomplished ride, pert handling and taut dimensions blended in perfect harmony. The Phase 1 Clio 172 may no longer be the second-hand giveaway it once was, but that only shows how it continues to be cherished. And that its icon status is galvanising.

Renault Clio 172 specs

This story was first featured in evo issue 332.