The Renault Clio V6 Is an Amazing Mid-Engine Hot Hatchback 

That is actually the cleanest hot hatch design I’ve ever seen

Finally I never thought that I will see doug reviewing Clio V6 but here we are

I love the body design of the clio v6. The body panels are spot on and with that curved rear hatch window it gets a really awesome stance. Car is bonkers and French had balls to pull that off.

Being from Portugal, I always rejoice when I see normal regular European cars on Doug's channel. I know this version of the Clio is rare, (and you just don't see it over here too), but 2nd gen Clios are a dime a dozen once you leave your house. Doug, now, just go for the Clio Williams ;) PS: Kudos for all the classic Citroens in the back (GS, Ami, etc), plus the NSU and the original R5 GT Turbo!

I have to say dougcember is starting GREAT! I literally wanted Doug to review this car for years

The reason for the beeping with every button press on the radio is simple. Because the battery was disconnected, the radio requires a 4-digit code (as a anti theft thing) that can be entered using the station buttons. As a 5th key you have to press and hold the 5 or 6 to confirm. After that the radio works as usual and also plays received stations and so on. After that, the keys will no longer beep when you press them. You're Welcome!

About the body kit : the reason why the front fenders are tailor made is, they’re polycarbonate on any Clio of that gen. (Which is great when they get hit because THEY DON’T DO DENTS ; they either break or not). Renault was actually pretty proud of it when this gen came out in 1998 (originally), to the point where it was a sale argument in their brochure. Fender benders are almost unavoidable on a city car being used regularly for city driving in France.

I used to use that car in Forza Motorsport and it was a force to be reckon with. light, nimble with great weight distribution and power to weight. It was a Supercar slayer and a hidden gem.

People have been requesting this car for 6 years on Doug's channel....and he finally reviewed one. Holy Hell! Fellow Gran Turismo gamers satiated.

The predecessor Renault 5 also had this conversion as the Renault R5 Turbo. It also competed in the legendary Group B series. There, the car had a 1397 cm3 inline four that produced 180 to 210 HP (from 1984 1527 cm3 and 285 to 360 HP). The car won races such as the Monte Carlo Rally in 1981 and the Tour de Corse in 1982 and 1985.

A lot of vehicles keep their bonnet release on the left for RHD markets. The Ford Focus Mk3, Ford Transit Custom, Mercedes Sprinter among others. With the Sprinter it's obscured by the passenger door and cant be activated when the door is closed. That door can't be unlocked when the battery is flat, preventing jump-starts. What Renault didn't change for the RHD market on the Clio was the windscreen wiper pattern, they're still configured for LHD.

Doug, regarding the two horns - the more basic Clio steering wheel didn't have the buttons on the steering to activate the horn, only the Airbag - hence they made available the horn on the turning stalk, as it was very common with older Renaults from this era. After that, they made available the steering wheel with the horn, as this Clio V6 has, but for cost reasons, they kept using the older turning stalk with the horn instead of making a new one without the horn - hence the three options for the horn, something only a French quirky car could do :)

To be fair to the Clio, the ‘tiny little 4 cylinder’ was available as a 2.0 with 170-180bhp and is as quick as the v6 due to lower weight

I love that as Doug is talking about how intimidated by the car he is and how cautious he is being…. He’s just casually in and out of traffic blasting past car after car 😂

I remember seeing a twin engined Clio somewhere in the internet before. It started as a regular clio with the front engine, front wheel drive layout, and they stuffed another engine in the back, mid mounted rear wheel drive. They then had to synchronize the throttle cables and gear shift cables so that both engines will run more or less the same speed.

I always loved these and for a time they were even affordable in the UK.. before people realised just how special they were and prices went through the roof. The Clio 172/182 shouldn't be overlooked though..

My father is a Renault Sports aficionado and owned a Renault 5 turbo 2 in the 80's. When the Phase 2 version of the Clio Sports V6 came out he bought it in a heartbeat and still has it in impeccable condition. The phase 2 is definitely a huuuge upgrade over the phase 1 model, especially in the interior. But a fact that Doug missed is that in order to jump from 230hp to 255~hp, Renault outsourced their engineering to... none other than Porsche! I have to say, every time I've been allowed to drive it, I was scared to death!

I really wish more manufacturers did things like this. So many hot hatches are just economy cars with a little more power, stiffer suspension, and stylistic upgrades, but this was genuinely different. I fully expect Doug to buy one in a few years, it seems right up his alley.

Loved your comment about how the car's front felt disconnected when accelerating... In fact, the ohase 1 had its chassis built in TWR workshop, and so were not exactly as "finished" as they should have. It was so bad that for the phase 2, Renault Sport brought back the chassis building in-house, and it became less of an handful to drive... Which, again, is not saying seeing from where it went XD

The most important interior change: Higher gear shifter. This is the only Renault Clio to have it. I had the Renault Clio Sport 2.0 and it doesn't have the higher shifter, but it really should have. Glad they put it in the V6 version. Btw, the 2.0 sport or 172 is also an amazing hatchback, especially if you put adjustable coilovers and a higher short shifter. That thing hugs the corners and becomes absolutely crazy at +4000rpm.

I have the privilege of currently owning both a Clio V6 Phase 1 and a Renault R5 Turbo 2. Both exhilarating cars to drive. The Clio V6 is so reliable with AC as well. The Renault R5 Turbo 2 runs on the Bosch KJetronic system like the old porsche and mercedes. What can I say Kjets are great when everything is perfect and working together. Love both Cars. Still holding onto them.

Saw one of these in my local supermarket car park about 7 or 8 years ago, and I nearly lost it. They really are quite rare here in the UK, especially since a decent amount of the first model were wrapped around trees.

Amazing review, Doug. I always wanted to know more about this model. Thanks!

Awesome video and great car! Just an FYI, hot hatches with V6s of that era also included the VR6 GTI and Corrado, and albeit small, the Mazda MX-3. Of course none were mid-engined as you stated.

That deserves a 10 when it comes to style. Awesome looking hatchback.

Should definitely get a 9 or a 10 from styling and +1 in cool factor, this clio looks super cool for a factory car and is really iconic, especially in European car culture

I didnt start the video yet but I have to tell you how proud i am that you reviewed a Clio, especially the v6 !! As a french cotozen, i can tell you the regular Clio is a real institution here, just as the 206 or the twingo,

Love this car, since the Renault 5 turbo of my childhood, this is the first “modern” hatchback that really made me smile and think omg

Great review Doug, I helped the museum import this car back in 2012. I was able to drive it quite a bit and loved every minute of it. Thanks for sharing. I will soon have a 2018 Renault Alpine if you want to check that one out as well :)

I'm glad you mentioned that it was a Renault thing to build mid-engine hot hatches based on mainstream models. The most famous was the Renault 5 Turbo, which this Clio is the virtual heir of. It was developed for rally, and it became a thing for Renault.

Never been a hot hatch dude, but always loved this. Would own this in a heartbeat. Reminds me of a Ford Fiesta build from the 90's, not sure who did it, but it had a Taurus SHO engine in the back and looked insane.

Fell in love with this car 20 years ago playing GranTurismo... cool to see one reviewed.

Radio is not beeping when used, it was beeping to you because someone probably took the battery out recently and then the first time you are starting radio you have to input 4 digit UNLOCK code. I assume yours was locked, therefore beeped. Regarding the OIL OK, it is displayed on other Clio MK2 (and restylings) but the time is much shorter, it could be that something is wrong on the electronics part, since these models are well known for weird electrical issues.

Such a cool concept, and one which will likely never be repeated. One of the last great tributes to the Group B era.

Ah yes, what an icon! I'm so happy it got a review and the attention it deserves. I fondly remember one of our neighbours having one... and crashing it from what I heard. They actually bought another one after that, presumably a Series II. They go for 50K-90K euros in Europe at the moment. Now to convince my dad to buy one, have some (careful) fun with it for a few years and then export it to the US!

So happy you made a vid about this, this has been my dream car since it released!

The first generation of these (like the one in your video) were assembled by TWR in Uddevalla, Sweden in the same factory where Volvo and TWR had built the first generation C70. I live farily close to Uddevalla and I remember seeing them out on test drives among the ordinary traffic, looking like little road going UFO:s. Sometime you also caught a glimse of parked cars ready for shipping. Great video!

It's a shame you didn't get the chance to review the "Phase II" version, it has a really neat facelift, and the interior is awesome. I had the regular Sport 172 (as in 172 bhp) as my first sport car and to this date it's still my favorite car I've had owned. The Phase I was known to be very dangerous to drive, and they somehow fixed it in the Phase II, but I still beat them in autocross on mine because they tend snap-oversteer if you lift mid corner.

I had a Clio Sport v4 2.0 L, it was so amazing, can't imagine how this one performs.

These are the types of reviews I came to love about this channel. Was getting a little jaded from all of the Cars and Bids reviews

That example is a Phase 1 but has Phase 2 rear lights. The front guards are made of plastic on the standard Clio so it's pretty easy for them to change them for the wider track. The Clio is one of only a few cars (BMW E39 5-Series, E60 5-Series and Nissan Almera Tino) that have left hand drive windscreen wipers fitted to both left and right hand drive examples, presumably to save cost. The wiper 'jumps' on a pivot on the RHD versions to cover more of the screen.

Absolutely remember grinding out this car in need for speed carbon and it was and has always been one of my favorite cars. Doug really proved it finally reviewing it, thanks Doug

I'm not sure if this is the same Clio that was in Need For Speed Most Wanted (2005) but that was my favorite car in the game. I tuned it to the absolute max and the acceleration and handling was better than anything and it went 400 km/h on a straight. I wish we had more games where we can do that these days.

I’m impressed by the amount of space they were able to get in the front and I’m impressed by the fit and finish of the trunk up front too. Pop the hood on Subarus new ev and it looks like a regular ice vehicle.

Nice one Doug, Fun fact about this car, it was built in France complete with a 1,2L 4 cylinder engine and then sent to Uddevalla in Sweden to be converted into the Clio V6 by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) in the same factory that also built the Volvo C70 convertible at the time.

Here's a quirk/cheapout on Renault's side which you missed. All RHD clios from that generation not only had the hood release on the passenger side, but the wiper blades were also unchanged from the LHD version. Meaning only about half of your field of view gets cleared by them.

I love it, remember racing these in old racing games as a kid.

Regarding the "Oil Ok" 19:08 These cars have a sensor that measures the oil level of the engine. If you turn the car on, when the cluster says "Oil Ok" you can push the cluster button once and it will show you the actual oil level. This is because a lot of these cars are have a very uncomfortable oil dipstick, so usually you meassure the oil level through the cluster. Instead if you push the cluster button twice at the moment, it will show you the odometer. If you don't do nothing, after 5 to 10 seconds it will show you the odometer. I have a Clio 2 with the 1.6 16V K4M engine and it's just like that.

Holy hell! This was absolutely fantastic 10/10. Again one of those pieces of content that I wish I could give several thumbs up to. Thank you so very much for this! Completely made my day! I wish you all the very best!

I like all the intermittent wiper selections. I hate how the four we usually get is either too slow or too fast depending on the conditions.

There were a couple of these knocking about where I lived. Never really liked them but as I've got older I adore them

Thanks Doug for the test of the Clio V6! If you like French cars of that period, you must test the Renault Spyder that was a lightweight sport car 2 seaters with a mid-engine 4 cylinders.Colin Chapman the creator of Lotus would have appreciated such an amazing car without compromise. Chassis made of alloy and great metallic paint (Sirius Yellow is so nice). I was working for Renault at that period and it was delighful to imaging that a car builder was able to sell cars that was looking like prototypes. First editions had no windscreen and it was recommanded to drive with motorcycle helmet ! No roof but a "tonneau cover" was available and seats were made in neopren with a hole for the water ! Some enterprises have created a GRP hard top and the car was looking like a million dollard car with it ! Of course, there is no V6, big blocs full of HP... But there was a "Spyder Cup" in France and it was possible to buy one and start to become a pilot for a "low price". Mikael From France

I am fortunate enough to own a Clio V6 Phase 2 which is currently in the shop getting a little refresh - after watching this excellent video, man I can't wait to get it back and have a drive! Always great to see the V6 in a new video on here. Thanks Doug! :D

19:44 The radio beeps with every button press because the security code needs to be entered. Pretty much all Renault headunits have a 4-digit code that needs to be entered every time power to the car is cut off (ie. when the battery is changed), until then the radio is locked and beeps until it's entered. I know this because my mum's Clio III does the exact same thing lol

Love how in a few shots, you can spot a white R5 Turbo (the Clio V6’s rallying predecessor) in the background! In the R5 Turbo’s case, it was a means to an end: Mid-engine sports car, but with a design to sell the normal model. Originally, the R5 Turbo was only used in Group 4 and Group B, but so many of them were made and sold, that it actually got homologation for Group A!

I enjoyed every second of this review

This is definitely a Gran Turismo car. Glad you finally reviewed it. It’s definitely a fun car to drive in the games.

When I was at uni studying automotive engineering, a previous student, who was working for TWR who developed it for Renault stopped off with a development one on his way back from hot weather testing in Barcelona. You can imagine the excitement among me and my fellow students, it was so cool!

I drive daily a 5door clio limited edition, with the Sport1.6 accessories, I love how Doug is getting impressed with every clio fun fact, normal to me lol.

Whatttt Doug you were right up the street from me and my company even designed most of the Lane Motor Museum and I was just there yesterday for a luncheon! So sad I missed you!

Not even watched the video yet but I'm so glad you're reviewing this. This has been one of my dream cars since it came out and I was a kid. That and a CLK DTM have always stuck with me

At 19:15 you do not have to wait for the mileage to appear. If you press the button on the end of the wiper stalk it will display the oil level and once pressed again the odometer will appear.

My dentist drove one back in the days. Same color. He also had a Renault Avantime. Great guy with a passion for cars. Greetings from the Netherlands.

Amazing Doung, just amazing!! 👏👏👏

Having a regular ph2 Clio as a daily, seeing Doug review any Clio in general makes me smile. This one is even more special.

Cheers from Greece! There was a championship for them here in Europe and was really impressive! This car is for me the most extreme pocket rocket ever made considering also the engine layout and size and the idea to be a combination of a super mini hatchback with a Go Kart fitting a huge engine for its size. It has the same engine that Venturi cars had an evolution of PRV series that your American DeLorean also had. If you find a Venturi Atlantique 300 or 400 review it you will not regret it!

Amazing about the fenders, I thought they were THE body panels. Awesome work Doug. Also with the boot up front interesting!

I've got a regular clio and it's very cool for what it is. The reason they made so many horn buttons is that first models had different steering wheel without any buttons and the only horn was on top of a turn signal switch.

The Clio V6 Phase 2 has improved suspension design. The Phase 1 got a kind of bad reputation due to some design flaws.

I love every time Doug goes to the Lane Motor Museum. Being from middle Tennessee, I can tell almost exactly where he is driving. Also, this car is amazing and I’m jealous of anyone who gets to drive it.

I remember reading in a magazine that, in this car introduction to the press in a French circuit, how many journalists spun it off the track...and of course the story of Volkswagen rushing to get ready its Lupo "3 litre" (an ultra economical TDI version that used only 3 litres of diesel every 100 kilometres) for the '98 Paris Motor Show because they heard that Renault was going to introduce there its Clio "3 litre". Of course, "3 litre" was the the engine displacement...

Gorgeous. I’ve always loved these.

I actually had the pleasure of driving one of these when I was in Germany in 2014. What an amazing machine, it absolutely screams down the Autobahn

FINALLY! I've been waiting for this review for more than a year now!

I remember buying this in most wanted. This video gave me huge nostalgia.

I first got wind of this car from Gran Turismo 3, on PS2, and its been on my want to drive list for some time. Glad you got to drive it mate!

2004. I remember working at a test & race track in France (CERAM de Mortefontaine). Renault came one day to present these "crazy models". There was a Mégane RS and a phase II Clio V6, both in sparkle Orange. As part of the organization, they let me drive home with the car of my choice (I chose the Clio V6), the condition being to have a closed garage (which I had in Paris). Driving back to the capital, one could not imagine the positive reactions this car triggered among people. Every stop at a traffic light was just filled with smiles and thumbs up. I was 25 years old and already suspected that no mainstream car maker would ever go back into such a crazy hatchback anymore. This phase II Clio V6 handled "kind of well", provided you wouldn't drive it to the edge (test & race track). Incredible car, memories and time in life. These little beasts are still charming today. Prices steady (about 40k €) and might still climb up due to their rarity. I agree with an earlier comment here, the phase II looked a lot more like a finished product. The OZ wheels, the double exhaust pipes in the center of the tailgate, the widebody kit looked crazy then.. and still does today. Hats off to Renault (better known for building affordable diesel powered vehicles) for creating the Clio V6 👍

I have waited MONTHS for this day, ever since I saw it in one of the Cars and Bids promos. I can't believe the day has finally come.

This is one of the coolest cars ever. thank you for showing it to us Doug!

Leave it to dougie to always make the day a bit brighter! Love yah content brah!🤙🏼

Back when this came out here in Germany my Dad considered getting one. Other option was the Renault Sport Spyder, which is even more insane. But as he realized it would be his only car and he had to daily it, the Spyder was off the table. The Renault dealer at that time wasn't really able to get one of the clio V6, so in the end he turned to a Peugeot 306 s16, which also was really fast for its time.

Literally one of my most favorite hot hatchbacks ever. I've known about the Renault Clio V6 ever since my earliest childhood with Gran Turismo 2

FINALLY DOUG!!

Love this car, in 2003 the Clio phase 2 had 255 HP, and lots of driving problem were fixed

This car was manufactured in Uddevalla, Sweden, by TWR or something similar. Same factory buildings as Volvo C70 models were made before and then afterwards. I lived a few kilometers away and saw them every day. Sometimes you would bicycle around the factory area and see them on the small test track accelerating and such. Cool car and nice memories.

by far my favorite grand turismo car, never thought i'd get the quirks and features... thanks Doug

I have ALWAYS wanted one of these!

Despite the fact that the taillights are from the Phase 2 and this is Phase 1, the exhaust and the air scopes (or how they're called) being painted in black (should be the same colour of the car) its an amazing car :)

"It may not look all that insane on the outside" - uh, yeah it does! If you grew up somewhere where every fifth car was a Clio, the V6 really stands out and looks absolutely awesome and totally insane.

Love how Doug never wiped the dirt off his knee from kneeling 😂 truly dedicated to the presentation of the quirks and features

You can measure the oil level by pressing the knob for trip reset while oil ok is displayed

The regular clio with a few modifications can be a very fun car to drive My brother has one, it weights basically nothing and make turns incredibly fast

This has always been one of my favorite looking hatchbacks and I piloted it frequently in racing games of the 2000s and on. So glad you finally got to do a review of it Doug!

Great video. I still dream of this car 20 years later.

Doug's videos is like putting any other RU-vid vid on 1.5x speed to save time in watching.

A great start to Dougcember, can’t wait to see what else is in store!

I've been fascinated by this car ever since seeing it in magazines and video games - so cool to see an in-depth review of its quirks and features!

I first saw one of these on the Chunnel in blue and I’ve been lusting ever since

That interior reminds me so much of my first car! Many happy memories in that Megane Coupé...

No joke I have been waiting literally years for this video to come, because I know that you love quirky cars and hothatches as well . Doug please review more French cars they are amazing especially when it comes to hot heaches. Similar cars being the Peugeot 205 T16, Renault 5 turbo