Whatever happened to the Renault 19 16v?

Rachel Butler agreed with Setright, labelling the Renault ‘mushy and sluggish’. Worse was to follow from the late, great Russell Bulgin, who said: ‘The Renault 19 16v exists solely to remind you how stoating the Clio 16v feels. There’s something vaguely apologetic about the 19: this good engine can’t compensate for gormlessly sad-sack looks. A grab-your-vitals driver’s seat suggests what sitting in Dolly Parton’s bra might be like: that’s fun.’ Hardly a glowing set of references for the headline act of our nostalgic look at a group of forgotten hot hatches. Maybe the 19 16v – known as the 19S in some other markets – is best left in the past.

Don’t be too quick to dismiss the 19 16v. Its arrival in late 1990 coincided with the winds of change blowing through the hot hatch sector. Turbocharging was being blown away by a new breed of 16-valvers, pioneered by the evergreen and unforgettable Mk2 Golf GTI 16v. Eight valves good, 16 valves better. The recipe was simple: powerful engine with four valves per cylinder, tweaked suspension, uprated brakes, styling enhancements and a badge to distinguish your ride from the supermarket car park variants. Bonnet vents, spoilers and large alloy wheels were the order of the day, along with discreet 16v badges to ward off would-be challengers when the traffic lights turned green. Or, in the case of the criminally underrated Fiat Tipo 16v, the highly evocative ‘SEDICIVALVOLE’ writ large on the car’s rump. The Italian could claim to be the biggest name in hot hatches…

For Renault, a company that had built its recent performance and motor sport heritage on turbocharging, this was a radical departure. From superbe to soupapes. Forced induction making way for an attack on the redline.

The 1764cc alloy-headed 16-valve engine produced 137bhp at 6500rpm, which should provide a subtle hint that the most fun was to be found at the upper reaches of the rev counter. It wasn’t the most tuneful of engines; CAR said there was ‘a lot of noise, and not a particularly inspiring noise’, but at least this drowned out the squeaks and rattles from the dashboard. Cabin quality wasn’t a Renault 19 strong point, something you’d discover if you dared to run over a cat’s eye or drain cover. ‘Quality is not a word you’d readily associate with the Renault’s interior. Many of the plastics are low grade, it rattles like a creche, and the fabric used to upholster the seats looks like the cheap covers sold in car accessory shops,’ CAR slammed in 1991. Leather was optional if you found the fabric too offensive, but either way, the front seats were fabulously supportive. From CAR: ‘Rally drivers don’t get much better support than this, and it’s easy to imagine the 19 complete with full harness, roll-cage, and scrutineer’s stickers.‘ The ‘Dolly Parton bras’ would hold you in place as you hurtled to 62mph in 8.5sec and on to a top speed of around 132mph. Renault’s official figures look decent, even today, but you’d probably want to keep one hand on the dashboard when testing the performance. Not to hold on to, you understand, merely to stop the interior fixings from breaking free. ‘The Renault’s interior has no class at all,’ CAR said when testing the 19 16v saloon in 1994. By then, the arguably more stylish four-door (Chamade) variant was selling almost as well as the hatchback, aided by the exploits of Tim Harvey and Alain Menu in the 1993 British Touring Car Championship. Renault celebrated two wins in its first year in BTCC by giving away a free copy of the Touring Car Year 1993 and the official review of the Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship with every 19 16v sold. Some customers may have preferred an uplift in interior quality to a pair of books. Interestingly, not to mention frustratingly for UK customers, the right-hand drive models missed out on the better-made and more stylish dashboard, rolled out as part of the Renault 19 facelift.

So far, so patchy for the 19 16v. ‘Must try harder’ comments from a trio of respected motoring hacks, an interior made from the plastics commonly found in chocolate boxes, and an engine as tuneful as your dad singing in the shower. Little wonder the Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI 16v is so highly regarded in 2025. The preceding 500 words were supposed to be reasons to give the Renault a second chance, not condemn the remaining examples to hot hatch purgatory. Mesdames et messieurs, it’s time for the 19 to wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat.

The case for the defence opens with the CAR review of 1991, which saw the French newcomer pitched against the Golf GTI 16v and Rover 216 GTi. ‘… the Renault wins. It’s fast and has a fine chassis (as long as you respect the tail). But what swings the verdict Renault’s way, is that the 19 feels more of a sports car, more of the time… Renault’s interpretation of the GTi theme is just that little bit better, and for a bargain price.’ The 19 16v cost £13,225 in January 1992, the equivalent of £28,600 in today’s money.

One could argue that the smart money went on the extremely smart four-door variant – aka 'Shatchback' in Petrolblog circles. Less of a target for thieves and joyriders, and more likely to escape the attention of passing coppers, the four-door might seem off-brand for a feature on hot hatches, but it had the whiff of a touring car racer about it. ‘Who do you think you are, Alain Menu?’ the officer might ask. ‘Actually, I’m more of a Nigel Mansell,’ you’d respond. Everyone’s favourite moustachioed F1 driver owned a Renault 19 16v hatch while at Williams-Renault, with Autocar & Motor offering the car as a prize in July 1991. ‘The car features Nigel’s own leather steering wheel and is fitted with a plaque commemorating the famous owner. Nigel will hand over the keys to our winner at the Williams headquarters, along with a tour of the factory and museum.’ The 1993 champion looked every inch the photocopier salesman in his Canon baseball cap and jacket as he lent against the offside wing of his Renault. Mansell’s motor is reportedly still in one piece, having surfaced on eBay in 2014, although it last saw an MOT test station in 2005, when it had 157,466 miles on the clock.

In a ‘booted hotshoe’ triple test against the Alfa Romeo 155 2.0 Twin Spark and Honda Civic 1.6 VTi, CAR praised the Renault’s ‘unexciting set-up’ of MacPherson struts up front and rear wheels suspended by trailing arms and a quartet of transverse torsion bars. ‘It delivers fine results,’ CAR said, before concluding that the Renault was ‘altogether better [than the Alfa]. It’s let down by its tinniness, the tackiness of its cabin and its anonymous styling – although, like the Honda, it’s given a sizeable lift by its pretty wheels. What makes it so compelling is the high-rev strength of its engine, its direction-changing abilities, and the tactility it imparts.’ So much for mushiness and sluggishness.

Even the 19 16v Cabriolet was praised for its sports car-like credentials. Richard Bremner braved the elements and scuttle shake to test five droptops in France: Ford Escort Cabriolet 1.8 Si, Rover 214 Cabriolet, Peugeot 306 Cabriolet 2.0, Volkswagen Golf 2.0 Avantgarde and the topless variant of the 19 16v. The Renault won, with Bremner saying: ‘Much of the 16v hatch’s sharp direction-changing is preserved in the cabrio, as is the excellent damping. Yes, there’s shake and quake on the rough stuff, but the Renault doesn’t wander much. Couple this with that revvy 16-valve motor (you’ll need a 4000rpm head to get it to go well), superb brakes and copious grip, and you have responses close to those of a sports car.’ In common with the cabrio’s roof on a wet day, the case for the defence is closed.

Like so many entertainers, the Renault 19 16v went out not with a bang but a whimper. The far from elegant five-door replaced the four-door in 1995, by which time the 19 was looking decidedly outdated. Renault’s range was reinvigorated by the Clio, Laguna, facelifted Espace and Safrane, so the 19’s number was nearly up. The run-out 16v Executive saw the hot 19 into retirement, replaced by the extremely versatile Mégane. Today, there are hundreds of examples of the 19 16v listed as SORN, presumably in various states of disrepair, but fewer than 24 on the road. You’re most likely to see a 19 16v Cabriolet on the road, largely because they tended to be driven by more careful and considerate folk. Boulevard cruising over B-road blasts.

The more aggressive and bespoke look of the pre-facelift Renault 19 makes it more desirable, but we’ve reached the point at which when beggars can’t be choosers. If you find a good one, snap it up, before arming yourself with glue to fix the inevitable interior trim issues and thread to repair the likely frayed bucket seats. The Renault 19 16v is almost gone, but it shouldn’t be forgotten.

This article first appeared in issue 3 of Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine.