How Shocking: Electrical Issues Plague Modern Cars

With modern cars fitted with more and more electronic equipment, it is logical that electrical problems are popping up much more frequently than in past years. According to a Warranty Direct survey in the UK, electrical faults account for 27% of all car malfunctions every year.

That’s a 17% rise over just five years ago, with more than four out of 10 cars each year facing breakdowns due to electrical problems that are mostly rather complex, and expensive to fix.

Read more »

Renault UK Launches Gordini Versions of Wind Roadster, Slashes Prices of Base Models

The UK market is welcoming the launch of the third Gordini-badged model after the respective versions of the Twingo RS and Clio RS, this time in Wind roadster guise, with buyers having a choice of two engines, the 1.2-liter TCE 100HP and the 1.6-liter 133HP.

In addition to the Wind Gordini models, the French firm also slashed the list price of the Dynamique and GT Line trim levels by up to £2,215, with prices now starting at £12,995, instead of £15,205.

Read more »

2011 British GP: Red Bull’s Reign Disrupted

None of the usual suspects – aka the drivers of Red Bull or McLaren- occupied the top spot on the podium of the British Grand Prix that took place on Sunday at Silverstone. Instead, the winner was Fernando Alonso, who managed his first win of the season, and 27th overall in his career, making the best both of Ferrari’s obvious progress and the catastrophic pit stop of early leader Sebastian Vettel. Read more »

British GP: Red Bull Takes the Front Row in Qualifying with Webber in Pole Position

The unpredictable weather conditions made the qualifying of the British Grand Prix something of a gamble, and the teams weather forecasts were expecting rain during the final session. So everyone made sure that they got out quickly in order to set a fast time before it started to rain again. Read more »

British GP Practice: Massa Shines in the Rain

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa set the quickest time in Friday’s afternoon practice session of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at Silverstone. Just minutes before the beginning of the session, heavy rain started to fall, with all cars staying in the pits for half an hour because of the condition of the track. Read more »

2011 Frankfurt Show Preview: Renault Reimagines Kangoo with Frendzy Concept

After the sporty DeZir rear-wheel drive coupe, the funky Captur three-door crossover and more recently, the practical R-Space minivan, Renault is ready to share its latest concept model with the Frendzy, which was unveiled today ahead of its world premiere at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show later this fall.

The Frendzy is a fresh take on the small van segment where Renault is currently represented by the Kangoo series that is available in both leisure and commercial versions.

Read more »

SCOOP: Renault Preparing Low-Cost Dacia 7-Seat Minivan

It turns out that the rumors surrounding Renault’s plans to expand the range of its budget brand Dacia with a 7-seat MPV that we told you about earlier this year were true. Our man with the long lens caught a prototype of the Dacia MPV codenamed J92 in heavy camouflage while on test on European roads.

The compact minivan, which some say may carry the Popster nameplate, is believed to ride on an extended version of the Logan’s platform architecture measuring around 4.5-meters in length with power coming from Dacia’s existing range of Renault-sourced gasoline and turbo diesel engines.

Read more »

Williams and Renault Reunite in Formula 1

A legendary alliance is reforming in Formula 1: Williams and Renault Sport have decided to cooperate once again for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, when the rules stipulate V8 engines, and an option to continue in 2014 when the new turbocharged V6s are introduced. Read more »

Renaultsport Silverstone GP

Following the launch last month of the Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy, it’s now the turn of Renault’s smaller models to get the limited edition treatment.



The Twingo and Clio Renaultsport Silverstone GP, which are available to order now, have been created specially for the UK market.

Both cars feature silver metallic paint, while the roof, mirror caps and 17” alloy wheels are all finished in black. They also get the Cup chassis, dark-tinted rear windows, black Renaultsport carpet mats, a pair of badges for the B-pillars and the Renaultsport Monitor which logs various performance parameters.



Additionally, the Twingo’s specification includes a ‘Deep Black’ rear spoiler and fog light surrounds, plus a stainless steel Renaultsport exhaust system. Exclusive to the Clio version are Renaultsport Recaro front seats, the TunePoint portable music player system and Bluetooth.

Only fifty examples of each are to be produced, with the build number commemorated on a dashboard plaque. Fittingly, every buyer will also be offered a free Renaultsport Experience day at the Silverstone track.



The on the road price for the Twingo Renaultsport 133 Silverstone GP is £14,995, while the Clio Renaultsport 200 Silverstone GP costs £19,995.

Related posts:

Mégane R.S. 265 Trophy

2011 What Car? Awards

Clio Gordini 200

New Renault Twingo RS 133 and Clio RS 200 Silverstone GP Limited Editions

British consumers will have one more choice when it comes to Renault’s Twingo Renaultsport 133 and the Clio Renaultsport 200 hot hatches as the French firm has added yet another trim level to their range in the form of the ‘Silverstone GP’ limited editions.

Named after the country’s most famous motor racing circuit and home of the British Grand Prix, both models were specifically created for the UK market, with only 50 of each offered for sale from July 1.

Read more »

2012 Renault Koleos Facelift Inspires Gordini Rendering

Even though Renault’s revival of the Gordini badge has left a bitter taste to fans of the famous nameplate, the French carmaker’s decision to use the brand for upscale versions of its vehicles has proved to be successful with almost two-thirds of Twingo Renaultsport models sold in Europe and one third, in the case of Clio Renaultsport being Gordinis.

Recently, Renault also applied the Gordini treatment, which consists of bespoke styling cues and equipment upgrades, to a non-RenaultSport model, the Wind Roadster. This move inspired Carscoop reader reader L il-k Amaru to render a Gordini version of Renault’s most recent new model, the redesigned Koleos SUV.

Read more »

Renault Fluence Z.E. Priced £17,850 OTR after £5,000 Plug-In Car Grant in the UK

Following the announcements on UK pricing for the Kangoo Van Z.E. and Twizy, Renault today confirmed prices for its third pure-electric model, the Fluence Z.E. ahead of its launch in the market in 2012.

The four-door, five seat Fluence Z.E. saloon will carry an on-the-road price of £22,850, which drops to £17,850 (US$28,500) after the £5,000 UK Plug-In Car Grant has been deducted.

Read more »

Monstrous Paramount Marauder Armored Vehicle to Star in First Episode of Top Gear Season 17

In just a few hours from now, Top Gear will air the first episode of season 17 on BBC. During the past two weeks, we got a taste of what Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have in store for us this year through two teaser clips.

In one of those trailers, we saw a large off-road-like vehicle playing the role of a monster truck on a white Alfa Romeo 156 and an older generation Renault Megane sedan.

It turns out that the vehicle is a mine protected armored truck called Marauder from South African company Paramount Group and the driver behind the steering wheel is Richard Hammond. We were contacted by Paramount Group who told us that the Marauder will be featured in tonight's first episode of Top Gear Season 17.

Read more »

F1: Sebastian Vettel takes his 6th Win in Valencia

Sebastian Vettel is on a roll and no one seems able to stop him and his Red Bull from adding a second Formula 1 championship to their trophy list. This was confirmed once again today in the European Grand Prix in Valencia, in the eighth race of the 2011, where Vettel took his sixth win of the season. The German world champion started from the pole position and was never challenged during the race as he cruised to another win.

The only driver to even come close was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso who started from fourth place and, like his team-mate Felipe Massa, made a terrific start. Alonso had a fight with the Red Bull of Mark Webber who, despite starting from the front row, eventually lost out to the Spaniard who finished the race second, more than 10 seconds behind Vettel.

Read more »

Renault Koleos SUV Refreshed for the 2012 Model Year

It’s only three years old, but it’s apparently time for the Renault Koleos compact SUV to receive its first facelift. The changes include an exterior makeover and new interior trim, plus noticeable CO2 and fuel consumption savings in the case of the crossover model’s range of diesel powerplants.

The first thing you’ll notice on the updated model is the brand new fascia, evidently inspired by the newly launched Latitude sedan, which like the Koleos, is the product of Renault Samsung Motors in Busan, South Korea.

Read more »

Locally Made Right-Hand-Drive Renault Duster to Launch in India

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is gradually expanding the availability of its Duster small SUV, originally branded as a Dacia, to more international markets. Following the recent presentation of the Renault Duster for the South American region at the Buenos Aires Motor Show, today, the French firm confirmed its launch in India.

To be sold under the Renault marque, the right-hand drive [RHD] version of the Duster will be fully produced at the Renault-Nissan Chennai plant in India and rolled out across the local market in the second half of 2012. The RHD Duster will also be available in the UK starting from next year.

Read more »

VIDEO: Renault Megane RS Trophy’s Record Run at the ‘Ring

Last week, Renault upped the ante for front-wheel drive models by setting a new lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife with its more powerful Mégane Renaultsport Trophy.

The 265-horsepower strong special edition posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds in the hands of Renault test driver Laurent Hurgon, smashing the previous record for a front-wheel drive model held by the older generation Mégane RS R26.R by nine seconds. Buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the record run in the video after the break.

Read more »

Va Va Vooom: Renault 4 to Attempt Record Breaking Run at Bonneville Speed Week

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Renault’s iconic 4, the French firm’s first front-wheel drive family car that was introduced in 1961 and remained in production until 1992. Not surprisingly, the automaker and enthusiasts of the car alike are planning several events over the year to commemorate the Renault 4’s golden birthday.

Aside from launching a design competition for the creation of a modern-day Renault 4, the automaker is also lending a helping hand to a team of four French enthusiasts who will attempt to set a new record at the Bonneville Speed Week, which takes place in northwestern Utah from August 13 to 20.

Read more »

Renault Sets New Nürburgring Lap Record for a Front-Wheel Drive Car with Megane RS Trophy

Renault has slashed its own longstanding lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Nordschleife, which the company held since June 23, 2008, with its new Megane RenaultSport (RS) Trophy special.

The 265-horsepower version of the Megane RS completed a full lap around the Nürburgring racetrack in 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds beating the time of the previous generation Mégane Renaultsport R26.R by 9 seconds. In comparison, the now obsolete 305HP Ford Focus RS posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 26 seconds in the summer of 2009.

Read more »

VIDEO: Top Gear Teases Season 17 with New Trailer

In a couple of weeks, BBC will begin airing the 17th season of its highly popular Top Gear TV series. To get our engines running, the media channel released the first promotional trailer of the new series teasing the new automotive adventures of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The 30 second-long trailer kicks off with Clarkson driving the all-new McLaren MP4-12C on the wet and continues with Hammond in the passenger seat of a MINI WRC racer. Oh, and there’s also a scene with an odd looking red truck...obliterating an Alfa Romeo 156 sedan and a Renault Megane saloon. For the rest, follow the break to watch the trailer

Read more »