Renault Sport Clio V6 Review: The Most LAIRY Hot Hatch | Carfection 4K

The Clio V6 has a fearsome reputation, but why?
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[@JonathanPowell1991]

I cannot believe that car companies aren't making cars like this anymore and instead are focusing on ridiculous small SUVs. Such a shame.

[@FAT8893]

Ikr. It feels so wrong.

[@drhanifp]

SUV makes more money.

[@MauriceEscargot]

I don't like it but it makes total sense.

[@thewarmwind6171]

What boggles me is that people buy SUVs. Just buy a minivan! Or a hatchback! Either would be more practical, more economical, and safer. The SUV defines the phrase "terrible compromise", and yet despite the facts, people buy them in droves, because our world is populated by morons.

[@PhilbyFavourites]

It’s a lovely looking car but you can carry Jack shit in it. Now I drive… (prepares for hate from people who have never driven one) an AMG GLA45. about the same overall footprint as said Renault. Carries all the detritus of life and has a 0-60 time that wallops the Renault. Is a marvellously understated car but because it carries “stuff” it’s an SUV and that TLA (three letter acronym) makes sure that it’s despised by those with alleged sporting blood in their vehicular veins. So, intrigued to see the bile (or not and I’d be pleasantly surprised) regarding the rush for small SUVs. If you want my bile - point me towards mummies and the like in Range Rover Sports. I’ll leave it at that.

[@harpersneil]

I always LOVED the look of the phase 1 car, but I concede that phase 2 was a better car. Fantastic review. Hurrah Renault for having the bollocks to build it.

[@robertojofre15]

Alex glad to see you’re back! Great take on the legendary cliov6

[@johnsim3722]

Pause for a moment to appreciate just how much TWR did for the automotive world. Actually, could we have that as a topic for a Carfection film please?

[@MysterDaftGame]

The group C jaguars are the best 😀

[@Petriefied0246]

I second this.

[@endathornton9816]

I like the version they made of the XJ220

[@johnsim3722]

@@endathornton9816 The problem was that the XJ220 was supposed to be a V12 and 4WD. What they did did meet the performance specification, but not what people thought they were buying.

[@robk1990]

The hidden classic of 2000’s hot hatches & one of my favourite cars in NFSMW

[@Shwiftyflips66]

Def the quickest

[@Rentta]

Not very hidden looking at the prices these days.

[@izzy031096]

Mk4 R32 is a really good and better priced alternative

[@p4cks]

having had one on my wall for over 15 years, i've now got one in the garage :)

[@michaelyounes29]

Congratulations. I'd love one

[@stitcha123]

Oooh look at me and my garage ooooooh

[@Refleex01]

@@stitcha123i feel sorry for you

[@rafalsz]

Dear Carfection, this was a great video! Please let Alex and Henry drive more 90s and 00s cars like this one, maybe a FD3S, a C6 Z06 or E36 M3. Modern turbodownsizinghybridelectricautomaticobviouslyheavy are beginning to blend for me and possibly many others and this was incredibly refreshing

[@dieselscartalk4146]

This man speaks fax and German

[@lemagreengreen]

I always loved this one, it was the one "hot hatch" that was genuinely really hot. It sort of stood out in its time and reminded people a lot of the Metro 6R4, Renault 5 Turbo etc. To modify the car as much as they did made it completely unique in this segment, it wasn't trying to be remotely practical and wasn't just wearing a body kit with a 2L engine - it was the real deal.

[@lkr8195]

Please let Alex do more videos. He’s the reason I started watching this channel.

[@LaudaMaestro]

Please don’t. Nothing personal. Seems like a nice guy. Needs to work on a lot of skills.

[@_Atomic_impact]

It looks even better as it ages 😍🤤

[@actuallypaulstanley]

Loved these back in the day. The 5 Turbo and Peugeot 205 too; especially the 1.9 litre version.

[@DamonBMW]

Always liked the 1.6 205 more even tho it had less power it felt zippier

[@lachlanhemsworth5031]

So good to see Alex on our screens again!

[@MrVideeeooo]

A Liquid Yellow Phase 2 Clio V6 255.... now THAT'S carfection! ;) Watching it just drive along on the road....could watch it all day. Absolutely stunning. A proper head turner. Special cars. Nice video 😊💛

[@liamsandie]

Owned one in LY for a year.. unbelievable road presence

[@roadreg1820]

I feel like the Renault Clio V6 and M140i sit in their own little hot hatch bubble together. The only two road going hot hatches that have RWD and a 6 cylinder engine !

[@and79]

interesting point, a rare breed. ☺

[@izzy031096]

R32, except they’re Haldex AWD not rwd

[@Kat-Kobold]

the MK5 Supra is technically a hatch bc the boot is integrated to the passenger area, but it's classified as a 2-box coupe rather than a hatchback.

[@Nowheremt]

I want one! Ever since Group B, all the best hot hatches have been French. More Alex, please.

[@furryroadkill]

We need more of Alex on the channel! His reviews are top notch.

[@domhall626]

Ohh, I love a great take on the classic icons. Thanks Alex & Carfection.

[@samcourt6228]

Love them. They’re as mad as a box of frogs but so damn cool. I miss the days when car manufacturers did silly stuff like this. Prices are absolutely bloody nuts now having been relatively cheap a one point. Liquid Yellow is. Gorgeous colour too.

[@SB-vb8ch]

I fear the point has been missed, it's not that it was a bad handling car but it is certainly an unforgiving one. It's not radically different to any other mid engined car from the period. Very cool car & hugely undervalued for a very long time. Very special & certainly an anomaly!

[@mrbagitos]

Great to see you back on Carfection Alex. I always have time for your videos.

[@nobiggeridiot]

Such a good looking little hatch. How did we go so wrong since.

[@malph9216]

Euro NCAP is where cars got bigger and flabbier and cars like this were 'driven off the road' by a bunch of bureaucrats!

[@Kat-Kobold]

Renault forgot how to have fun, they delegated that to Alpine, who would rather make a typical sport-coupe than a spirited hot-hatch

[@jamesbuckingham77]

Good to see you back Alex, excellent stuff as always 👍

[@bhyat]

so glad to have you back mate!

[@markonmotoring]

Many years ago I drove the Laguna 2 fitted with the 3.0 V6 which in that car has 210hp and a five speed automatic gearbox. The experience was effortless with smooth power and it was happy to get a move on. Obviously Renault were aiming at a very different market with the Clio. Owned phase 1 and 2 Clio's but both were somewhat more pedestrian versions.

[@EpicB]

It's wild that Renault released something like this to the public, just because they could. I'm just disappointed they didn't also build a production version of the Espace F1.

[@farewell_to_normalcy9352]

Great video and good to see you back, Alex! Always loved these cars. But I remember hating it in Gran Turismo cause it handled like garbage 😂😂

[@FAT8893]

I remembered that. But it still can be a real contender in GT300 class tournament.

[@ocanaldomehmeh1893]

Hi did not know about this channel! And this is a great review of a great car! In fact, as a Renault truly fan, this is not only my dread Renault as i own an Renault Laguna with this same engine, but with less power output from factory. A lot of hugs from Portugal!

[@matpat2636]

My favourite car, in the best colour, driven by my favourite motoring journalist. Brilliant. 👍

[@DubbyDominate]

Was my dream car when I was a young wee boy

[@christopherbellisario9195]

Still looks soo good today...aged very well

[@Jamessansome]

Had a go in one of the original Clio V6's by my mate who's Dad worked at Renault, when we were 17..... In the wet you had to drive slower than a front engine car as it was so tail happy. The second gen one here had far better handling.

[@mikesstories2762]

I remember seeing this car In the showroom when I was young. Loved it and couldn't stop looking at it. I guess some things never change.

[@phillyspitta8147]

GT on ps1 made me love these things in that blue hue they come in

[@Robcatist]

One of the most impractical/glorious cars ever made period my god I’d love 😍

[@GODSPEEDseven]

What a beautiful machine! really, outstanding lines, curves and looks that really age well. While I've never seen one in person in North America, what a pleasure to see one in videos (or wherever else). Probably among the best looking hot hatches ever! I really wish we could see some more interesting cars on the roads. Sports cars as a whole have really died down since the mid 90's (in my area anyways). Every car and suv pretty much just look the same nowadays (yes, I realize advances in aerodynamics, drag, fuel efficiency plays in a big role in design, but cars have become such a boring sight)..

[@JoeBlo2]

One of the first cars I fell in love with after seeing it on Top Gear nearly 20 years ago.

[@Bonhomme7h]

The early 00's is my favourite period in fast (relatively) affordable cars. So much that I own 2, a Forester XT and a Mazdaspeed Miata. I would happily add this Renault to the collection!

[@vianhoho19]

Always love any video with Mr. Alex Goy 😍

[@NLDMesa06]

Looking good, Alex. Glad to have you back.

[@Simonm2464]

Great to have you back Alex 👍

[@rob_nice1]

I wish the US got this car. Only got to drive it in NFS.

[@KingChadKennedy]

We had a blue one for sale in South Africa for a few minutes and it was sold

[@fr500]

I read hairy and I saw this guy, I chuckled. Why is Alex not in more videos, he was the original presenter of this channel and I really liked his videos.

[@NJRD977]

Assume he is testing it in the New Forest where all the speed limits are 40mph to reduce the chance of binning it

[@carlosmagnus717]

This type of mid-engine car derived from segment B or C models (albeit distantly) is clearly inspired by the Gr. B rally of the mid-80s. These cars to be homologated in competition it was necessary to build 200 street units, which then many of them were used in the "Production" category. However, rules that are too free both technically (too much power) and in the aspect of passive safety, with fiberglass bodies (to lighten weight as the only objective) and very thin roll-bars or the placement of the fuel tanks. under the seats ended in accidents with quite serious consequences (Vatanen and especially Bettega and Toivonen) that led to the abolition of Gr. B. As a replacement, up to then the 2nd category was promoted: Gr. A and Gr. N (more standard preparation), cars (based on street cars) clearly less spectacular at first, although later they gained prominence but nothing comparable to the category of Gr. B such as Renault 5 Turbo, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Lancia Delta S4 or even the Ford RS 200. If this type of car had been reborn with other safety standards, perhaps the rallies today would not be so boring ...

[@RAM_C5]

If we got this in the U.S. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

[@boardertrashtv8638]

Always remember being taken out in a pre-production series 1 by a neighbour (who was an employee). He gave it a hammering around Cirencester, it sounded absolutely glorious, but even as a late teen I thought “it’s not very quick is it?”

[@UrikKane]

What a coincidence, I just watched a couple of videos about it like yesterday. And now Carfection posted it

[@melvinmartinali]

A clio v6 is my absolute dream car 🤤

I owned mine from new for 3 yrs, although I really enjoyed it at the time, I don't miss it at all. I didn't fall in love with it...I just had to have it at the time. Fit KW V3 coilovers to this car...and you will find it transforms it. Highly recommend doing that.

[@Gorbyrev]

Liquid Yellow, yes please! There was guy locally who had one of these and blue Avantime outside his council house - priorities right!

[@retrophil8241]

If I won the lottery and could make a perfect ten car garage. A phase two Clio V6 would definitely be one of the ten cars.

[@Xyzabc998]

Arriving at customs...."What have you got in the rear Sir!"...."a V6 officer"😆. If only they would do another one with more horses and fixing the errors of the first one. Pointless but just epic. Sounds quite French in character.

[@thatcopenguy]

Either Renault or Peugeot should do mid engine specials. Especially Peugeot with that single-panel rear "hatch" that goes up to show the full suspension & engine. Completely unnecessary but a masterpiece.

[@jimgoodwin6294]

@@thatcopenguy Are you referring to the 205 T16 Group B car? That was a beast - arguably the most perfect rally car ever created.....

[@NeroVingian40]

Gotta say, I miss you, sir!

[@matthewnicholas6365]

I'd love to see one of these driven back to back with an R5 Turbo

[@Yaz27]

I had a go with a Phase 1 once for a few days. For reference I don't have much experience (outside of the sim world which doesn't really count) in driving manuals, and I was heading into the car blind as I didn't have an idea of its reputation. I drove it for a few kms and as soon as I got to a corner at around 80kmh I immediately felt the difference between it and my personal car (a Subaru Legacy). It felt very pointy and aggressive into the corners.. so much in fact that I was worried that at any second the car might snap and put me into a wall. I could see how easy they were to crash as it felt very nervous at weight transfers (changing gears, braking..) and it was a bit jerky to drive at times as I couldn't figure out why 2nd gear was so long compared to 1st. Takes ages to shift 1-2 as the RPM difference is so vast, while on other gears it's much smoother. But it was forgiving enough that I got the hang of driving h-pattern on the streets fairly quickly and I didn't smell a burnt clutch so that's a win-win haha, hill starts are still a bit difficult but the handbrake generally takes care of things Also was really fun to floor it in 1st or 2nd and just feel the car squirming under acceleration.. feels so satisfying but still intimidating enough that you don't drive like a baboon lol... the snappy reputation is definitely well deserved

[@Mexxx65]

I have that exact gem of a PSA V6 NA engine under my bonnet!!!!

[@PhilbyFavourites]

You must have an Avantime…..

[@Mexxx65]

@@PhilbyFavourites No a Pininfarina V6 5spd 406 Coupe.

[@PhilbyFavourites]

@@Mexxx65 very nice 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I still like the Avantime though. It truly was ahead of its time

[@nathninetyone]

One of the all time greats. Incredible car.

[@retrophil8241]

Surely you could counter a bit of the oversteer with tyres? For example put a pair of Nankang tyres on the front and a pair of Michelin tyres on the back.

[@ToxicSpiker]

Learned to drive with my grandma's 2001 clio... it was NOT a V6 but I drove it like one 💨

[@William-Bill-Munny]

This was an affordable euro dream car once I made a good income, but sadly not available in the US. It was as close as I could get to dreaming of a group B clone if it could just be had within our shores - the Lancia Delta Integrale sure wasn't going to happen - lol what we did have here in our borders was the Renault Le Car lol. Not that I settled but a 1971 GTX became what I actually bought when the funds burnt a hole in my pocket. But boy do I miss seeing cars on the road of the 70's-90's from V8's through turbo 4's..... automotive variety - THE SPICE OF LIFE!!

[@EvaristoPastoriza]

I love how this car looks. I had the oportunity of trying one and it's somethkng special.

[@Kat-Kobold]

I can't help but tear up when I see a V6 Clio. Renault made almost 3000 of these beautiful cars, but less than 1000 still exist. The rest were totalled or scrapped. Please Renault, make a new generation of V6 Clios, I can't bear to imagine these cars going extinct.

[@simonk337]

Filmed near my house, between Dibden and Ipley. Good review

[@rickmcvicker9787]

Never in my life have I wanted a car for so long, so badly. Thanks US for terrible import laws..

[@Ellis01234567890]

My ultimate dream car

[@kramnam4716]

Ah delighted to see one can wring it out to the red line in the 40mph New Forest ( so you don’t eviscerate the ponies) . Jolly good.

[@jimmybroomfield]

HA. Ten minutes from my house. Next time you're out lads, pop in for a cuppa tea!

[@hyper8545]

I love this car. Hatchbacks are my favorite body style

[@jaydub5515]

Damn... I've always wanted one of these ever since I owned one... In Need for speed

[@RichardLyleEsq]

Great film, Alex. Thank you. I loved the Clio V6, especially the Phase II. Once again I've missed the boat on getting an affordable one.

[@Robcatist]

I can remember when they were going for 12-15 grand triple that now.

[@brianiswrong]

Imagine if it was 4 wheel drive and twin turbo's from the factory. Now that would have been a good way to crash into the pearly gates

[@pigeonpoo1823]

Hahahahaha And you sir, how did you end up here, about 30 years before your time? I bought a twin turbo V6 Clio..... about an hour ago! All the ladies are just over there mate!

[@ambergris5705]

I'm guessing it's a result close to the Peugeot 205 T16 ? But then, it would probably be twice more expensive than it already was 😬

[@erictko85]

5:19 When Driving review starts. Great video as usual Alex and Carfection thank you.

[@JonTruelove]

Love the video. Thanks for the quick history on a very interesting car. Surprised these aren’t fetching more money.

[@Orihe]

I’d buy this on the looks alone, and in yellow too! Recall seeing the launch of this In the Metro on my travels to school.

[@MotorDynasty]

Wow where has this guy been!? Welcome back!

[@Wolfpack310]

Clio v6 phase1 was built in my city in Sweden. I worked there a couple of months too get some money for my first car😂 My jobb was in the engine station. It was too prepare the engine for the next station. Filling it whit oil and Mont the cat and some harnes and other bits

[@LorenzoTuratti]

I've always loved this car, it is with no doubt part of my dream garage

[@bertiekemp4198]

Would love the 2 litre clio sport, sadly my 1.2 will have to do until then. This thing is a beast though, looks amazing 20 years younger!

[@woodstock8143]

You need a Trophy rear spoiler and clear engine cover, I have both for my phase 1

[@ADVRaiderKTM]

Alex is back!!!

[@murdoch9106]

One thing that probably help cars like this a lot these days is improvements in tire tech! Because todays road tires are quite amazing! We had pretty good tires back then too but now... better? :D Love these things, French hotties in general! :D Sadly not had a go in one personally. Closed I've ever gotten was a Hyondai kit rally car once... 120 hp in a car the size of a Ford KA or a Polo or something... was fun... I dont even have a license xD My friend who had the car looked at me as I went down a gravel road... "Damn, you drive like you've never done anything else!" xD What can I say, it was easy to and fun to drive... Driving infront of a computer a lot does help! ;P

[@sandygarage3802]

I like the engine sound of the Clio V6. There's a car called the Ford Shogun, it's RWD & is based on a festiva, Jay Leno has one. There are companies like Z-Cars & Gildred Racing that can build RWD Classic Mini's.

[@ToreHansen]

Great video and cool car, no wonder Tim got one...

[@martso9288]

"Lovely little car, the Clio v6. Its lightweight design, powerful engine, and balanced handling, make it a real treat to drive."

[@THE_Michael_Westen]

People are so used to modern day cars, with all their electronic doohickeys, that do the work the driver has to do in the Renault. This car has character. And that's what most cars of today are missing.

[@Gerald5000]

A graduate of the "Richard Hammond school of presenting".

[@rikaus9273]

Funny this video coming on.. especially as I saw on on my way to work last week in the Peak District

[@timgreen6952]

Awesome review

[@Dragoneer]

Today I learned that “lairy” is a word which means flashy or attractive…lol

[@farewell_to_normalcy9352]

The more you know… (with the jingle in the background) 😂

[@drhanifp]

Lairy the lobster

[@freejrs]

Really in this context it means aggressive.

[@Carrera-gp9od]

@@freejrs Yep ,aggressive with the potential to cause one an injury😂

[@PhilbyFavourites]

Lairy tends to mean “male twat” who walks with a very peculiar bounce in his stride. Invariably Caucasian heritage, no idea why perhaps because skinheads in the 70’s were very “lairy”.

[@arun3073]

Glad to see Alex Goy back at XCAR 😘

[@aknotpsu]

Dont forget Renault Spider.

[@whos-your-mate]

Welcome back Alex!

[@philipprice7290]

As i was a TWR technician working at the press launch the stories of crashes are a bit exaggerated the one down the ravine was driver error and the second one was a driver doing doughnuts on gravel and hit a fence and rolled the car as for the gearbox story yes we changed a lot of gear boxes because they basically built the cars with the wrong ones as the correct ones were not available at the time of the build so we changed them at the launch we were doing one an hour and the guys in the Renault dealership told us to slow down incase their boss saw us 😂

[@kingphiltheill]

Thanks for that awesome video. And thanks to the lucky chap that provided the car.

[@francoishirigoyen1925]

I swear, I clicked on the thumbnail believing it was Harry’s garage.

[@Niveama468]

Such a amazing looking thing, understated in some ways it's just a Clio. But when are behind one at some traffic lights and you see how ludicrously wide it is you can't help but want one. Would rather have this than any current hot hatch, and then drive it sensibly because I like breathing.

[@grayfool]

They look amazing. I would have liked to try one, perhaps.

[@20gibbon]

Such a cool car

[@markrhoden68]

I always liked the look of this thing if not its really practical. Wonder what it would have been like with four wheel drive 🤔