The sporty division of Renault, RenaultSport, has made some cracking drivers’ cars over the years, being largely acknowledged as one of (if not the) best maker of fun-to-drive hot hatches.
The combination of a great balanced chassis, sharp steering and a positive mechanical gearshift meant that any RS-badged car, including the smallest car they made, the Twingo RS, were a hoot to drive.
Now, though, with the introduction of the automatic-only Clio RS 200 EDC, some have speculated that future RS offerings may not even get a manual option. The information comes courtesy of Caradvice, who asked Renault’s head of public relations, Christophe Deville, about the matter.
He said that an automatic gearbox is very important for future RS models, simply because of the lower shift times (150 ms in the Clio RS), which boost acceleration times. Improved fuel efficiency was also cited, and so was the brand’s appeal in other markets outside of Europe.
Another reason for RenaultSport to go automatic is their connection with Renault’s F1 effort, as the racing car also uses a dual-clutch setup to swap gears.
Nevertheless, the current EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) system, found on the Clio RS, is still not up to the task of handling the much bigger power and torque figures of the larger Megane RS, so they need to develop the system further and strengthen its innards before it becomes a viable option for the larger hot hatch.
We totally get the addition of an automatic to the options list of these hot hatches, but perhaps not offering a manual option at all will drive away some of the current RS fans, which will have to look elsewhere for their manual gearbox fun fix.
By Andrei Nedelea
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