I FIND MYSELF GRINNING LIKE A SCHOOLBOY EVERY TIME I’M BEHIND THE WHEEL THANKS TO THE INCREDIBLY WELL BALANCED CHASSIS

The release of the Clio 16V in 1991 caused quite an uproar in my automotive world. The car had beautiful curves, a strong personality and tricky-yet-fun handling characteristics, reminding me of your typical catwalk supermodel. It was a bit expensive for me at the time and would have been a hazard for me to drive anyhow. A friend of mine had one, though and I was fortunate enough to get to drive it on some of Italy’s best country roads. I immediately fell in love with the car, a love which endures to this day. Driving past the Renault dealership in Dubai a few weeks ago, evo editor Bassam’s words of praise for the R27 came to my mind immediately. I decided to stop and go into the showroom to take a look around. There it was, a beautiful yellow R27 just sitting there and smiling at me. I asked for the price and ended up buying the car right there and then with hardly a doubt in my mind as to whether or not this was the right car for me. Bassam quickly complimented me on my decision, remembering how much he loved this car when we tested it in issue 014 against four other hot hatches in which it was only beaten by its its more mature sister, the Megane R26.

I’ve already had the car for a month now and I’m loving every minute of it, finding myself grinning like a schoolboy every time I’m behind the wheel thanks to the incredibly well balanced chassis and the back end which is oh so easy to send into a dance thanks to the wonders of oversteer. Understeering on the other hand is not something this car likes, resisting it to the last second, turning into bends very sharply. The steering wheel feedback is great and the chassis always composed through the most spirited driving, thanks in part to a suspension system which is 28 per cent stiffer than the Clio Sport. Body roll is very limited as well, inspiring just a little too much confidence. While the wonderfully spaced gearbox is precise and feels great, it leaves me wondering whether this superbly set-up and constructed car couldn’t easily have taken on another 50 bhp without any modifications needed, including the superb Brembo brakes that are more than capable and provide excellent feel through the pedal. I never thought that a front-wheel drive car would provide me with so much driving pleasure and  I doubt that too many others would. This car ticks all the right boxes, and I think that we will be together for a long time to come.