Renault's Craziest Idea? 2005 Clio V6 Phase 2 Review

Has there been a madder hot hatch in the last twenty years? I'm not so sure. It's amazing to think that it ever made production, but indeed just under 3,000 examples of V6 powered clio road car were manufactured by TWR and later Renault Sport.
Today, I get to drive one. This should be interesting!
#Renault #Clio #V6
Want to see your car on the channel? Email me on [e-mail]
************************************************************************
Looking to buy a new or used car? HOLMESDALE FINANCE can help!
My channel partner Holmesdale Finance specialises in finance solution for new and used prestige, sports and performance cars - including MODERN CLASSIC policies and many more. You might be surprised at what they can do, so speak to them to find out more. Their website is www.holmesdalef...
***********************************************************************
Want More JayEmm? Become a channel member for access to exclusive content!
/ @jayemmoncars

[@mungojack]

Let's all raise a glass to the bonkers engineers who managed to convince the managers that this worth the hassle and the cost to build. This car will always be amazing not because of its tangible qualities but because of its flaws. Well done Renault

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Are you Jerry's brother?

[@tonyzed6831]

Not the first time they did that, and not even the last time.

[@macattack6054]

One of the most badass cars ever made

[@jonathanwong8206]

I had a mark 1 for 8 years in Hong Kong - had to import all parts from uk to keep it running Upgraded suspension to KWs and wheel spacers to improve the tricky handling Janspeed exhaust and mk2 gearbox which had shorter ratios matched better to engine power curve and shorter shift stronger differential Surprisingly reliable only coils failure but luckily sourced set of trophy coils from a racing shop in France that are bulletproof Great fun to drive and amazing engine sound but really have to work the engine to get the most out of it as only 230bhp Sold it for double what I bought it for and replaced it with a 996 Turbo

[@barirwin8559]

Glad your story had a happy ending !

[@nelsonwong4631]

Hi. Are you the silver one I sometimes saw parked overnight on Siu Fai Terrace?

[@nelsonwong4631]

@@woodstock8143 Hi. Or are you the silver one I sometimes saw parked overnight on Siu Fai Terrace?

[@jaakko222]

@Bradius Maximus I do

[@aaroni5074]

@Bradius Maximus you don't because you will never have a story like that pal. The rest of us do though.

[@p4cks]

to the untrained eye it's just a clio with a bodykit. to those in the know, it's one of the most special cars ever produced

[@tomast9034]

hehe clio is also one of those cars you never know if it has 60hp or 200 :D

[@Velthur]

@@tomast9034 It's easy to notice though. Mine (Black 2017 Clio IV RS Chassis Cup) has a nice silver "RENAULT SPORT" plate on her left backside and some extra things too, like red brake calipers and two big car exhausts on the left and right backside with orgasmic sound in Sport or Race Mode.

[@jamesstanley7263]

I nearly won a clio v6 in an Autocar competition. I was one of 10 finalists that got a day out at the Renault F1 factory. Alonso (before he was world champ) picked the winners name out of his helmet.... it wasn’t me! Probably for the best, I’d only passed my test 4 weeks previously!

[@julian987r4]

how is it for the best that you didn't win a car that just sold for £52,000 ?

[@bencritchley2005]

@@julian987r4 as he would have crashed and killed himself?

[@bencritchley2005]

@@julian987r4 as he would have crashed and killed himself?

[@sparky4878]

@@bencritchley2005 Indeed, also can you imagine trying to get insurance on a car like that having only just passed the test?

[@R-Tap]

The clio is a great starter car, maybe not this clio mind you! Pity.

[@ahmadelmir39]

I used to hate this channel to be honest, for some reason I kept watching every video, now I think he is one of the top car review people on KZbin. Kepp it up!!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Winning fans, one at a time lol

[@ahmadelmir39]

@@JayEmmOnCars KEEP IT UPPPP

[@Lukec4ge]

I was one too. JayEmm gives his honest and matter-of-fact opinion to the variety of cars that he drives, without pandering to any particular marque, or owner. Respect 👍🏾

[@lanmastersassistant659]

Take that car to any car show, and regardless of the condition you will be one of the stars of the car show. But drive it around on the street, and nobody would even know you exist, this then is a car man's car.

[@jasonkent2194]

I've got one had it for 14 years and it still makes me smile every time I drive it ,never being sold

[@nelsonwong4631]

Same here, got mine in 2004. :-)

[@riccapucho]

Hard to hear the sound over the noise coming from that shirt. :-)

[@Matt-go7ss]

I've driven a MK1 version of these. It's the only car I've managed to spin just tootling along. It was insane. I still have no idea what went wrong....

[@DjDolHaus86]

A friend of mine had a mk1 Clio V6 and he used to describe the handling as "miles of understeer followed by a sudden spin". I begged him for ages to take me out for a drive and he'd flat out refuse if it was even slightly damp and insisted on meeting me at a local car park because he couldn't make it around the roundabout near my house without having to do a three point turn. It was awful but he loved it and I must say I was slightly jealous

[@augustortiz]

There was only 1 imported into the US. It ended up in my home island (Puerto Rico) and it was for sale for ~90,000 usd from what I remember. It is the epitome of cool.

[@ApothecaryTerry]

It's like someone took a Cayman or Evora and squished it from the front and back to make it taller, shorter, uglier...basically just worse. I love it.

[@sparky4878]

Flawed, like this, is how I like my cars to be. Seems manufacturers now strive for perfection and sanitise the car of any character in the goal of chasing numbers for fanboys to drool and argue over. We need more cars like this.

[@sequentialgear]

Amen!

[@ApothecaryTerry]

Flawed in the right ways too. It's unique, characterful and fills a niche that nothing else will. Special variants of cars should look good (or just crazy and unique), sound great and have handling that's enjoyable if not necessarily "good". Basically the exact opposite of a Golf R, for example- which is a very good car, but I'm never going to think "oooh I really want a Golf R". That's a car for people who had to sell their Cayman when they had kids. This is a car for people who were bored of their Cayman not killing them enough.

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Me too Sparky. There's a certain appeal about a car that has no logical appeal...On that basis alone I once owned an Allegro...lol

[@dagnut]

I understand what you're saying but I doubt you'd have the same opinion if you spunked 30k on one and discovered how shit it is..you cant push it hard on anything but a track but its also slow with shite steering ..it doesn't have any redeeming qualities as a drivers car?

[@ApothecaryTerry]

@@dagnut Everyone who knows what it is will like you though! Admittedly I wouldn't actually buy one unless it was part of a collection, in the real world a car for £30k is an easy choice for me- 981 Cayman S.

[@duncanmartin2626]

In 2004 I had a temp job delivering company cars for flee testing purposes. Usually they were Passat TDis or something, but some were memorable. The 3 journeys that stood out most were driving a Phaeton W12 back from Halifax, an Audi RS6 to Salisbury, and being collected by a permanent driver bringing one of these back to base. 125mph on the M25 in the passenger seat at about 2pm on a weekday! Talk about a white knuckle ride! Utterly bonkers, but very very cool.

[@tdvan971]

I recall visiting the Zolder race track in Belgium in the 2000s and they used the phase 1 Clio V6 as a safety (!) car. And yes, I saw it spin. Only the Belgians!

[@RedC220]

I was once waiting to cross the road just outside Lillywhites at Picadilly circus. The lights turned red and one of these pulled up and stopped right on front of me. It was being driven by "Elvis" in full white collar up jumpsuit regalia, big gold sunglasses and sideburns. I kid you not. Clearly the look on my face must have said everything it needed to, he took one look at me, pointed and said "ugh,hugh, haa", before casually driving off.

[@christineayres5339]

Cant be true as Elvis never left the airport, he stopped over on his way to Germany, he never explored London otherwise there would be lots of photos obviously

[@RedC220]

@@christineayres5339 Considering he died 18 years before this car was built you'd assume it was an impersonator. Or are you really that daft that you thought this could have been claimed to have been the actual Elvis?

[@christineayres5339]

@@RedC220 LOL i thought you were talking about the old Renault 5 but anyway yeah obviously an impersonator or a clone LOL

[@alexv8150]

Big fan and appreciate the near daily content. 🍺

[@5amH45lam]

Well said, sir! Cheers! 👍😎🍻

[@ripptorr]

I recently hat the opportunity to see a V6 phase 1. For half an hour I just looked at every corner of the car, It was fascinating to look under and see how renault managed to add about 20 cm of extra width to it (yes, 20!), to see the bespoke rear subframe and alloy suspension arms, the AP racing calipers and all of that stuff.. And when you opened the door it's just hilarious to look down and see how much extra bodywork they added at the door seals and so on! Oddly enough, DonutMedia guys did a video about the coolest versions of normal cars and they forgot about this thing which I think should be on top of that list :)

[@greenlavaproductions]

This makes the Golf R32 look mundane. I love it.

[@seany8787]

James, as someone not likely to come across one of these - I really enjoyed the glimpses into the ‘boot’ and ‘frunk’ as well as the shots of interior. These insights into day to day practicality have been missing from many of your videos I feel. If you can continue on in this vein ill keep on watching!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I am always trying to improve the videos where I can

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

Ph1 Cars just used the exact same L7X engine from the Laguna II 3.0 V6 24v VVT. But the better exhaust gave it about 220bhp. Ph2 cars the L7X was passed to Porsche who created a new inlet manifold for it and different cams to give the 255bhp. And dont forget, they were made in the Alpine factory in Diepe. The same engine was also used in the Citroen C6, and Pug 406. All 3 brands have now removed part support for the L7X so getting parts is a REAL issue. Particularly the plastic cam covers that just love to pee oil everywhere.

[@andrewthornegeo]

I once met a lady in her 80s who walked with two sticks. She pushed her sister in a wheelchair, so I offered to help them with their shopping. The car they were walking to..... A phase 1 in Silver.

[@raycroal]

so where did the wheel chair go walter?

[@andrewthornegeo]

@@raycroal Back to the shop where she borrowed it.

[@bassline2k10]

I have had a "full fat" 182 as a daily for about 7 years now. I wouldn't trade it for anything.. Except one of these! I literally would give a kidney for a liquid yellow Ph2 Clio v6.

[@chrisjoines1690]

Ive owned the ph1 and now have the ph2 in blue, i love them so much, yes there are quicker more reliable cars out there, but you just dont get the buzz that you do from one if these.

[@FelixIsMyName]

Always lusted for one of these.

[@Mackem_uk]

Same, but the prices....

[@dagnut]

Honestly they are shite..its pure novelty and looks..the formulae says " big balls drivers car" but the reality is that they are slow and garbage. It goes to show where the car market is now, people want cars to say the own them.

[@dagnut]

@The Bump Test Guy that's doesn't mean it's a good car it's poorly balanced ..the engine is way to heavy for the chassis...have you driven one? A 182 cup would run rings around it

[@Maximus20778]

​​@@dagnutdid you really click the vid to say flaws? Edit: oh all of your comments are just doing that

[@dagnut]

@Maximus20778 no , I was responding to a comment. Either way should we just praise every car? It's not a good car to drive that's a fact.

[@InvisibleJiuJitsu]

almost didn't recognise it not being upside down in a ditch

[@JelloTypeR]

A friend of mine had one. Did £200 of food shopping and stored it in the Froot. Then the bonnet release jammed which the garage couldn’t release for 2 weeks. The car developed a peculiar aroma after that that negatively affected its value.

[@stu4181]

You've got to love the glass panel like it is some sort of exotic super car! Have to say mr Jay Emm does get a really good mix of cars and doesn't half pump the content out, I must be watching multiple videos of his each day! Keep it up!

[@MarkHossNorthwestrcclub]

Absolutely loving this series 🙂 These thing's were Mental, but never actually any good, especially in the corners 😕 Stay Safe out there, All the best, Mark 👍🏻

[@Jester123ish]

So, don’t drive one of these....

[@Jester123ish]

Az Lean I’m sure it’s got a less than ideal weight but it’d be fun.

[@steveluck9541]

I had the Daihatsu Charade GTti it was the same but you learned to go like hell between the bends and brake hard before you got into them.

[@richardcarter1000]

Love the V6. I should have bought one years ago.

[@Wayne.R]

It's such a good looking car. Who cares about performance, when it looks like that. Sounded sweet as well, especially in the last shots at the end. My favourite Frenchie. I don't do french cars, but I would to have one of those to play with.

[@simon8089]

Janes, I came from the mondial to this. I love your videos 😂

[@pommycalva]

Nice camera angles especially on this car.well done,your experience shows,keep up the good work,James.

[@atomicdave1987]

I bloody love these, like you said Jay, utterly unjustifiable and such a heavily compromised design in so many ways...but they're still awesome! No manufacturer would dare do anything like this nowadays.

[@klasseact6663]

Jay...I saw one of these on Woodward Avenue, metro Detroit for those under a rock, around 2005 and it was like the needle went off the record player❗These look awesome, period🔥🔥🔥

[@maxtorque2277]

CLIO 182: for people who like getting into the corners fast CLIO V6: for people who like getting out of corners fast ;-) and of course, there is the famous myth that when VW heard Renault were doing a "3 litre clio" assumed they mean't "3 litres per 100km" ie a high fuel economy car and rushed into production with the polo with the dinky 1l engine......

[@RWL2012]

at least the 3 cylinder engine kinda sounded like a V6...

[@bojned]

@@RWL2012 It doesn't. Sound of inline 3 cyl engine is plain bad. My mom still drives a 3 cyl fabia.

[@energymc22]

Just to be pedantic, it was the Lupo with the 1.2 TDI 3 cylinder diesel that they used

[@Formulozza1]

Oh huiiuiiik

[@MrQmie]

VW built the Beetle RSi as a competitor back than. Both pretty cool cars compared to today...

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

Legitimately on of my favourite cars ever

[@EconomicsMate1]

Renault needs to bring back the mid engine Clio hatch. Absolutely crazy. Great work Jay as always. Love it.

[@aljowen]

That rear engined RWD Twingo got kinda close I guess

[@rainerknuth]

Clio EV mid engine RWD?

[@rosstee]

aljowen I was thinking of those too. I expect they were light but still not very sporty?

[@Janshevik]

I think Alpine A110 is covering this category this generation.

[@mareksinister]

This is one of the best cars ever made. I wanna own one so bad... but I know that will never happen.

[@Ro32da72]

Great review of an amazing piece of Renault madness. Hats off to Renault for going off the rails and building them - you've got to admire their front. There's one currently on Autotrader for nearly £50k - yee-owch!

[@stewills9711]

side pods are rare because most of these have been through a hedge or wall sideways xD

[@RogerBergqvist]

Now that´s a seriously cool car. Bonkers is the word i think. I want one!!

[@omarcominhayyo8180]

Have you bought a ticket to win Ricky’s LLF v6 Clio?

[@RogerBergqvist]

@@omarcominhayyo8180 No.. I think there are more for sale..

[@omarcominhayyo8180]

fair enough

[@gorsair7458]

So... 5 turbo -> Clio Williams -> Ph2 Clio V6 -> Clio 182 trophy?? Btw the steering wheel in that v6 is from the later 197/200 series of clio. I know in May there was a rumour of the Dieppe factory closing. But due to the french government bailout a clause said no french factory can close. So it ain't closing. Unless you know some inside info? Hello from Perth Aus, Enjoyed the video keep it up 😀

[@BarneyWobba]

BRILLIANT car. My friend had one. Yes, we all read the mental rear wheel drive madness but it still handled brilliantly. We once did 120-140 all the way from Southampton to Maidstone with my racing driver nutter mate....I had my eyes closed most of the time lol. However...my little Williams 1 track car, with a ITB'd forged engine, out dragged him quite happily, not loads in it but it was clear Willy was faster.

[@drumnbass8]

Good vid series. Little bit of constructive criticism is that I would like a bit more in depth out of the car, not just a behind the wheel review.

[@jankypainting2282]

“Some slippery frenchman...” - loved this car from gran turismo

[@n0w3lly90]

I saw one of these whilst my Spanish wife and I were over visiting the in-laws in Spain this past summer in a town we were visting. And I must admit I was lusting after one. It genuinely is a very cool car. But, lets be honest, most cool cars, or limited cars or supercars are hard to live with, hard and expensive to maintain, and often make little to no sense to own. They are a "heart purchase/ desire". I was shocked to see (as I googled) that these Phase 2 cars exchange hands on the continent on classic car websites for well north of €60,000 for a really good example!!

[@bradwright9673]

Love a Clio V6 as an Alpine GTA Turbo Owner. But I disagree about closest thing to a go kart. I also have a Noble M12 GTO and that is by far the closest thing I've had /driven that handles like a Go-Kart. You need to drive/review a Noble M12.

[@jamessheehy4895]

My boss wants a supercar for around this money that causes a scene everywhere it goes and will suit him as a short guy maybe a clio v6 is the way haha

[@dp8685]

Remember having one these at workshop and finding turning circle would give the titanic a run for its money.

[@paulhuckle2321]

J needs to drive a Monaro 6litre VXR if he wants to be amazed. Super car performance, good handling, amazing noise, aggressive looks and a mystique about them when de-badged. My red one continues to get people asking ‘what the hell is that’, even in Sloane Square on a Saturday among all the Ferrari’s and Lambo’s. They are also reliable, low cost to maintain and I will continue to refuse offers on mine, it must stay in family. Who wouldn’t when only around 355 6l VXR’s (121 in Red) were produced up to production ending in 2007. Best investment potential car I’ve owned.

[@dr_ovi_kintobor1408]

I used to lust after these way back in the day. Beautiful car. It's quite different but I ended up then owning a Ford racing puma for 9 years which I loved. It's another quirky one they went mad on with the handling and brake modifications but it was way underpowered. It did have go kart handling u speak of here though (I know, laws of physics broken. Psychological?) You should try to find one, it's no beast, has it's flaws like the clio but so much fun to just experience!

[@rosstee]

That version of the Puma was so nice looking.

[@VoloKinProject]

Happy to see another Gran Turismo legend.

[@andymartin86]

Your videos are absolutely immense. Never stop!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

That's the plan

[@2702simmo]

Still a car that when you see one it sets the pulse racing. Bonkers but with a lottery win I’d probably buy one

[@LloydManning]

This is one of my favourite cars ever!

[@scotchegg41895]

I remember seeing these things driving about back in the day. Hideous but impresive looking at the same time.

[@dylanh1978]

Love this car so much, looks so cool, imagine looking at these in 40 years time thinking how amazing cars were at that time.

[@paulhoang9820]

Man i love this car

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Really glad you did one of these I've wondered for years what they were like to drive. Nice to know to steer clear !

[@joshuaminke6629]

best looking hot hatch to date, especially in blue

[@CobnutVTS]

i was genuinely talking about this car all of yesterday!

[@Mouse2113]

I was always tempted to get one when they were around 18k. Wish I still did, not practical in any way but very special

[@PaulBilton]

Just to continue on with the Renault theme, have you driven a Renault Sport Spider yet?

[@stari6840]

Its might not be perfect car but for me it is

[@gjp8564]

Some great cars on these recent reviews 👍

[@rowgli]

Love the reviews, and the synthwave music :)

[@bundy26]

There should be a test between this and the Festive Shogun.

[@ELGlueckert]

Good luck finding one, there was like 7 made.

[@bundy26]

@@ELGlueckert, Jay Leno has one. Maybe he can do a comparison.

[@samcourt6228]

They’re ace. Yes, they’re a big shit but there is just something about them. The idea of shoving the V6 into a Clio is bonkers and I’m so glad that they did it.

[@Chrissy-H]

Worth every penny

[@michaelmicallef668]

FYI the wheel is not exactly factory either- it’s from a Clio 3. 197/200 variety. Common upgrade as it’s a smaller wheel then the 172/182!

[@BRMRailway]

"and fun, up until the point its not fun" 😂 Great line.

[@Maurice_Moss]

Who remembers the v12 golf?

[@Simon-ui6db]

Someone at Renault saw the Austin metro 6r4 and said hold my beer.

[@beauchamphuberville1355]

Hold my croissant...and the 6R4 is, imo, even madder.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

S Hopkins lol the 6r4 would destroy this wannabe.

[@neilkirman2258]

It was made because the engineers loved the Renault T5 made in the early 80’s

[@brianiswrong]

Strikes me as a car you need a very close mate or family member to buy,so you get the benifit of enjoying it,but not the pain of owning it.

[@jonkonig]

Dream car of mine!! Its so beautiful

[@ExAnimoPortugal]

That engine sounds epic

[@Dan23_7]

Owning a Clio 2 myself these are the holy grail, albeit mine is a 65 hp turbo diesel but hey ho I deliver 📦 to a guy with a black v6 ph2 just like this one 😍

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

There is a Blue Clio V6 ph2 in my area, see it occasionally. Reg plate is "V6 O Wow". pretty cool !

[@redjacc7581]

elephant in the room, it's french! it's a great looking car and on the drive by it sounds great.

[@chappy2121]

Always liked these but not sure I'd want to live with one? Saw loads of them at the Renault World Series events they used to do a few years back. Each one of them completely different, in regards to how they were put together. Even worse than the usual French build quality, but with some decent pipes and an induction kit on they do sound mega

[@joshualombardozzi5791]

Will you be reviewing the Clio 197/200 anytime soon?

[@kikkilinu]

Although ifs a crazy idea, yes, it's the second crazy car Renault they made. The Espace F1 always takes the cake.

[@geeteebloke1979]

Love these things and a rare sight but i made one go backwards in my vectra vxr :D

[@colindunn4941]

This car is amazing,a thing of beauty

[@k20aa]

Great car review as Normal glad i watched this as I have always fancied one

[@jamesbuckingham77]

I would never buy one, even if they were 10 grand, but I'm glad it exists.

[@buckleyjteams]

One of my attainable dream cars

[@jameslatimer1432]

Jamie could you do a video about the new transit GT and the check the price and standard van is a bout £18500 a GT is about £37k with no engine modifations what so ever just body kit and leather a big difference between them considering they are both the same a transit , as I was looking to buy one of the GT transits

[@davekennedy6315]

I love these cars! A truly incredible but very scary idea, SWB rear drive and decent power. This is what the Golf VR6 should have been.

[@davekennedy6315]

Oh dear, I made that comment BEFORE hearing your take on it. I'd still love one though haha!

[@pgr3290]

Larger turning circle than a Lamborghini Murcielago. I like that stat lol it's a small hatchback which does a 3 point turn worse than an 80 centimetre longer V12 powered supercar.

[@001-j7l]

Renault's craziest road car has to be the 5 Maxi Turbo.

[@v88dicky32]

I remember seeing a line of nearly new Phase 2s at a Renault dealership circa 2005 up for £13995. Hindsight is a wonderful thing 😂

[@Cornwall1888]

Low mileage ones are £60,000+ now

[@westsideeasy3241]

I had 2 GT Turbos then a Williams Clio. A V6 Clio was (and still is) my ultimate want but I moved to Australia before it was affordable for me at the time. I understand the poor review ie. too slow but just look at it.. it's BEAUTIFUL. I do recall the Clarkson Top Gear review on phase 2 and I beleive he said it was in his top 10??.. Anyways he loved it. I just wish Renault would have made it a real monster by squeezing a turbo in there?! Silver on blue colour best by miles BTW.

[@t-lawsfitness6044]

I always liked the look of these cars Jay

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Me too

[@t-lawsfitness6044]

@@JayEmmOnCars I know you have 10 billion subs. So if you don't reply I won't be offended but. Thinking of an old mx5 mark one or two. Are they good buys and fun to drive? And do you use go pros for all your driving car shots etc?

[@JayEmmOnCars]

@@t-lawsfitness6044 they are a lot of fun indeed, but there are lots of bad ones out there. For exterior car shots I use Sony action cams, my main camera is a Panasonic GH5

[@t-lawsfitness6044]

@@JayEmmOnCars I appreciate the response. As a Britt living state side I enjoy watching the channel and the officially gassed channel also to get some non American car reviews and some reviews on yanky cars that are not biased towards them 👏🏾

[@alexeibates7826]

One of the best cars Iv had

[@spitfire441]

Brilliant car handling is fantastic and would love one

[@ApothecaryTerry]

I'm not sure where you got the idea the handling is fantastic! It's a short wheelbase, mid-engined car whose main handling characteristic is to take every opportunity to spin around and hit something...but I still love it.

[@NeedMoarRage]

I liked before I even started watching :)

[@aaronmorris5403]

An interesting car. You should see if you can drive a Renault spider

[@TheCraigy83]

"some slippery frenchman put an engine there'' 😂

[@jaydub5515]

This is a pretty cool collection