In Sport and Track modes, the gearshifts are also impressively snappy, and add to the frisky soundtrack with a lovely little slap of engagement. It’s perhaps not as fast as you might expect given its fairly healthy 249bhp and very modest 1100kg, but it’s plenty quick enough, flexible from low revs, and feels willing to rev out beyond 6000rpm.
Up the pace and the A110 really starts to shine. You can turn the stability control all the way off and the instrument pack changes colour and design as you crank through the different modes. These adjust the weight of the – electrically assisted – steering, throttle response, stability control settings, engine sound and gear shifts. There are no adaptive dampers, but you do have Normal, Sport and Track modes. Dreaming of a Clio V6 style multi-cylinder A110? Dream on…
The space required by double wishbones at the rear also means that only a four-cylinder engine will fit. This is why the springs can be relatively soft, and the anti-roll bars not particularly chunky – there’s no need to resist the roll of the car in the same way you do with a heavier car using strut-type front suspension. The suspension is by aluminium double wishbones all round, which keeps the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s in better contact with the road – in fact, Renault says the harder you go, the better the grip.
Four-piston Brembo calipers take care of stopping duties. Instead, the ESC-based braking helps to juggle torque between the rear wheels. A mechanical limited-slip differential isn’t included.
0 kommentar(er)
