RE: Renaultsport Clio 200 - full details

[roystinho]

Lets see how it drives. I wouldn't choose many/any if its attributes, but if Renaultsport know something it's how to make a class hot hatch. Wouldn't surprise me if its as well acclaimed as the old one.

One thing I do like/admire is the gearbox which you can stop changing gear for you i.e. you can hold onto a gear for as long as you want and it won't change up. Also it can multiple jump down which nothing anywhere near this price range can (think the M5 does this plus some supercars, 458 I think). Not to everyone's tastes/requirements, but never the less impressive

[Hellbound]

roystinho said:

One thing I do like/admire is the gearbox which you can stop changing gear for you i.e. you can hold onto a gear for as long as you want and it won't change up. Also it can multiple jump down which nothing anywhere near this price range can (think the M5 does this plus some supercars, 458 I think). Not to everyone's tastes/requirements, but never the less impressive

I'm also impressed with that, you can rev it up to the red line and keep it there and then jump down more than one gear and it may even rev match it (not 100% sure but RUK are checking on that) - very cool. That and the new trick rally derived damping (another first for this class of car) and I really think Renault have given this class something no competitor can even dream of!

For those who like things very basic and old school, there's always the Fiesta ST. It's good to have choices huh?

[TNH]

HighwayStar said:

Is that really a good selling point for the Fiesta... If I ever go back to hot hatches I just couldn't buy the/a Ford. I saw a face lifted Fiesta today, Aston grill an all... It's just wrong. The Focus... undoubtedly a good car, credit where it's due but just doesn't move me in the slightest.
It wouldn't surprise me, inspite of it's robo box, that Renalt do pull it off. The RenaultSport boys won't have forgotten how to engineer and develope a car overnight!

I just wouldn't be able to bring myself to drive something so fugly to be perfectly honest. I know the RS boys will have worked their magic on it but I can't see it being £3k better than a fast ford (although obviously the ST won't be as hard core). 3k is a lot of money when your only spending 16k.

[Hellbound]

Butter Face said:

So many naysayers who wouldn't even buy one if it fitted everything they complain about anyway

Nail -> Head. If this car was perfect, the people who are knocking it still wouldn't buy it because of the badge, or the cost or they simply don't like this class of car. It's quite ridiculous they've reacted so fiercely against it actually.

And it's actually 36kg lighter according to the press release.

[Hellbound]

FYI, the Fiesta ST is not a perfect looking car. It also has a dated interior.

[greggy50]

Butter Face said:

I'm with this guy.

So many picky bds.

'Oh it's got a flappy paddle gearbox' - yes but in race mode it turns off ALL ESC and associated items and outs the gearbox into manual mode so you can smash it off the limiter, changes gear in sub 150 milliseconds and has launch control. Do you get any of that in ANY other auto box fast hatch. No.

'Oh it's got 5 doors' - yes, they've been there from the start. They look ace in the flesh and many people don't realise it's even got them.

'No bespoke bodywork' - the Clio 172/182 range didn't, neither did the 225/R26 meganes. The 250/265 only have arches/side skirts. The standard car has fantastic lines anyway.

'No brembos' - why is that an issue? It's got 320mm front discs, iirc that's bigger than an E36 M3 had, and that had 50% more power. No brembos on anything else in this category either (I'm pretty sure on this, but happy to be proven wrong) and no one complains.

'Fake sound into the cabin' - only if you want it, you have to pay extra for the R-link system, plus load an app and set it up. Don't want it? Don't bloody switch it on.

It is 26kg lighter than the old car, has more torque, better spread of power, quicker acceleration times, reported better handling. The quality is also better inside and out, comes with 4 years warranty, 4 years breakdown and 4 years free servicing.

So many naysayers who wouldn't even buy one if it fitted everything they complain about anyway

Don't you work for renault though?

I own a 172 and would seriously consider a 200 after uni

However this just does nothing for me it is visually a mess and a lot more expensive than the 200 which I much would prefer anyway!

[Hellbound]

Butter Face said:

I'm with this guy.

So many picky bds.

'No bespoke bodywork' - the Clio 172/182 range didn't, neither did the 225/R26 meganes. The 250/265 only have arches/side skirts. The standard car has fantastic lines anyway.

Also, if you've ordered one, how about popping down to Dieppe and taking a tour and meet the RenaultSport team of engineers and whatnot. I'm sure that would make the whole thing feel incredibly bespoke. Can you do the same with Citroen or Ford? Would you even want to?

[KM666]

How heavy is it going to be?

[roystinho]

Hellbound said:

roystinho said:

One thing I do like/admire is the gearbox which you can stop changing gear for you i.e. you can hold onto a gear for as long as you want and it won't change up. Also it can multiple jump down which nothing anywhere near this price range can (think the M5 does this plus some supercars, 458 I think). Not to everyone's tastes/requirements, but never the less impressive

I'm also impressed with that, you can rev it up to the red line and keep it there and then jump down more than one gear and it may even rev match it (not 100% sure but RUK are checking on that) - very cool. That and the new trick rally derived damping (another first for this class of car) and I really think Renault have given this class something no competitor can even dream of!

For those who like things very basic and old school, there's always the Fiesta ST. It's good to have choices huh?

Forgot about the trick dampers. I have no doubt this is going to be one hell of a car. And though I could never see one replace my Clio V6, could easily see one alongside as a Swiss Army knife style car

[Hoygo]

This thread :

[HighwayStar]

TNH said:

HighwayStar said:

Is that really a good selling point for the Fiesta... If I ever go back to hot hatches I just couldn't buy the/a Ford. I saw a face lifted Fiesta today, Aston grill an all... It's just wrong. The Focus... undoubtedly a good car, credit where it's due but just doesn't move me in the slightest.
It wouldn't surprise me, inspite of it's robo box, that Renalt do pull it off. The RenaultSport boys won't have forgotten how to engineer and develope a car overnight!

I just wouldn't be able to bring myself to drive something so fugly to be perfectly honest. I know the RS boys will have worked their magic on it but I can't see it being £3k better than a fast ford (although obviously the ST won't be as hard core). 3k is a lot of money when your only spending 16k.

Fair enough if you don't like the look of it... We are actually have similar views about the Clio and Fiesta respectively.
'3k is a lot of money when you've only got 16k....' Well of course it is. If the Clio is too much of a stretch then it's out of reach. My car was 15k less than what I really wanted, which was out of reach. That's life eh.

[405dogvan]

Hoygo said:

This thread :

This car is ugly as fk - I wasn't going to mention it but your flowchart drove me to doing it because I'm CERTAIN I'm not changing my mind about that in 3 weeks.

If we're going to measure it's ugliness, I wasn't impressed with the 'big ass' Megane but it sort-of grew on me - maybe over 2-3 years - so this needs a decade, perhaps.

[Jellymonster]

nah, i like it... especially the back. i think in the flesh it'll look slick, keen to see what the reviews are like.

[Flashmurder]

DAT BADGE

Seriously.. How big is that thing?

[loose cannon]

Hellbound said:

Nail -> Head. If this car was perfect, the people who are knocking it still wouldn't buy it because of the badge, or the cost or they simply don't like this class of car. It's quite ridiculous they've reacted so fiercely against it actually.

And it's actually 36kg lighter according to the press release.

Having owned every Clio sport 1 2 and 3 r5 gt turbo and Megane sport 2 and 3 it has nothing to do with badge snobbery
I don't like the gearbox and the looks are awful,
I also could not live with the digi speedo and the tea tray centre display, sorry if that offends you m8 but this Clio is not for me how quick the box changes holds on is irrelevant to me, I like clutches and gear leavers and the joy of using them, if you like it then go buy one I'm happy for you but it's not the car for me and if this is the way forward then my days of fun hot hatches is probably coming to an end
At 37 perhaps I'm a dinosaur and this is for all you young chaps to savour
As I have said before it will be a good steer but that is simply just not enough for my tastes
Times move on and unfortunately it's not always what everyone wants

[nickfrog]

Butter Face said:

Loads of fair stuff

You make a good case for it. It's growing on me. I don't care if it looks ugly or if people think I am gay (I drive a MINI). Some of us primarily choose a car for how it drives. Lowering the weight while making it 5-dr, bigger and with a heavier box is impressive.

[Hellbound]

loose cannon said:

Times move on and unfortunately it's not always what everyone wants

The next RS Focus is said to be a manual so you've still got options!

[Hellbound]

Flashmurder said:

DAT BADGE

Seriously.. How big is that thing?

Just remove the whole thing, replace it with something that helps the engine breathe better. Although I don't know if its aesthetically an improvement.

[Roma101]

GHW said:

The 197 did have the perfohub. I believe it was revised for the 200..

The 197 may have had a form of perfohub but it wasn't until the 200 came along that the Clio got the pucker Megane perfohub. Either that or the 200 review I read before I got my 200 was telling lies!

[b0rk]

Hellbound said:

Just remove the whole thing, replace it with something that helps the engine breathe better. Although I don't know if its aesthetically an improvement.

Heh, will it also digest flying wildlife and small children?