Welcome to the fifth and last in the current series of videos set to answer the crucial question: will it drift?
Having taken four 4wd hot hatchbacks – the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf R, the latest Mercedes-AMG A45 S, the Toyota GR Yaris and a Mk3 Ford Focus RS – around the new low-grip skidpan at Thruxton, now’s the turn of the ace in the pack: the deliciously nutty, V6-engined, rear-wheel-drive Renaultsport Clio V6. Perhaps we should rename this episode ‘will it spin’. Because the answer’s yes. A lot.
The first Clio V6 emerged in 2001, having been engineered for Renault by TWR. Instead of having a smaller engine sitting between its front wheels, it adopted a 3.0-litre transverse V6 mounted between its rear wheels, and driving those rear wheels exclusively with anything up to 227bhp. The facelifted 2003 we’re testing got a power boost to 247bhp but otherwise the same unconventional layout of major mechanical components.
This series complements a written Autocar feature about torque vectoring, that includes full technical details and interviews with the engineers behind these cars:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/clash-pan-torque-vectoring-hot-hatches-face
New videos are uploaded to Autocar each week. Don’t miss a single one. Subscribe now: http://smarturl.it/autocar
Will it drift? The Volkswagen Golf R | 4wd hot hatchbacks part 1 | Autocar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r6bH…
Will it drift? Mercedes-AMG A45 S | 4wd hot hatchbacks part 2 | Autocar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmET1…
Will it drift? Ford Focus RS | 4wd hot hatchbacks part 3 | Autocar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-IFk…
Visit our website at http://www.autocar.co.uk
Autocar, the world’s leading motoring magazine and website, delivers industry-leading news, the most in-depth car reviews and opinion from our team of experts. Our presenters include some of the world’s top motoring journalists who have unrivalled access to the world’s fastest, rarest, most exotic and most exciting cars on some of the world’s best roads and race tracks.
Follow AUTOCAR here:
LIKE Autocar on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Jzyvh1
FOLLOW Autocar on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2JzABgT
FOLLOW Autocar on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2TIgvFI
Check out our full video catalog: https://bit.ly/1UfAOCH
For car reviews you can trust, subscribe to Autocar: http://smarturl.it/autocar