2005 Renault Clio Renaultsport 182

Weight loss can be a wonderful thing, especially when you're French. No, we're not saying anything about the relative richness of French food or slandering the French people generally, but for a decent weight loss program we only have to look at the Renault Clio.

The French car maker's smallest car has always been something of a lightweight and the $37,990 Clio Renaultsport 182 makes a very definite statement about what happens when you shove a powerful four cylinder engine into a light car.

How light? Try 1110kg. That's 185kg less than the perennial favourite Subaru WRX, or to put it into perspective, about 36 supermodels lighter. So the mathematical equation reads something like this; 134kW and 200Nm applied to a featherweight kerb weight equals lots and lots of fun. But the weight loss goes further than that.

Without anything especially heavy to throw around the Clio Renaultsport responds like a cat you've just dowsed in pepper. The response is immediate and hugely direct. Only a huge amount of steering castor spoils the effect. The heavy self centring effect of the steering makes it feel as if you are fighting the steering through a set of switchback corners.

This latest Clio Renaultsport is more of a revver than the old model. There's more power and more torque of course, but it lacks the muscular response low down in the rev range. Instead you have to push the engine harder and higher, and after 5000rpm you are rewarded with a particular impressive burst of extra performance. It's almost but not quite like an early Honda VTEC system.

That's great if you really like to thrash your engines, and believe me this one welcomes punishment the same way a bondage fan welcomes a spanking, but for the cut and thrust of city driving it's a pain to have to reach higher to get the boost.

The rest of the car pretty much follows on from what has gone on before. There's enough room for four adults, although five would really have to be friendly to each other, and the boot is pretty big. The driver's seat is still set high though, so if you like to cruise around with only your forehead visible I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere or take and angle grinder to the floorpan.

The Renault Clio Renaultsport 182 is something of an odd choice in this market dominated by Japanese metal, but for just over the price of a Subaru RS Impreza auto you could have something that's as much fun as a WRX to chuck around.