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aspen
1,297 posts
133 months
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You will be very unlikely to get 30 mpg from the 200. If you do, you won't be enjoying it! I average 26 in mine. It is however, very good fun to drive. You do need to be thrashing it to get the most out of it. After the initial test drive, I was underwhelmed. I asked for a second one and found some B roads and thought it was great fun. I rarely feel like I need any more performance from it. Even though I don't drive to work I find myself averaging 12000 miles a year, mainly because I love driving it. I previously owned a DC2 so I only have experience with FWD and I agree somewhat in that I considered the Clio as more of a car on the way up the performance ladder. Now I have it I would find it difficult to part with it. Hopefully I can add a less practical car 
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Porkie
2,263 posts
111 months
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daveknott5 said: I know its wrong to even contemplate the switch! Still, there is a certain appeal in having something that provides quite a raw drive, handles well on track - yet doesn't cost big bucks to keep in tyres/brakes etc., I don't think you are wrong at all to contemplate switch! you are clearly not 100% happy... lifes to short! try something else! If you can deal with getting in an out of them then a supercharged Elise/Exige is gonna really hit the spot for you... I have driven my ExigeS non stop to Nurburgring few times no sweat. (Comfy enough, Ipod stereo, aircon, leccy windows etc... ) I could deffo use my Lotus everyday if I needed to... Or a 987 Boxster if you want bit more comfort... Clio 200 is a FUN car though.... if you fancy one. Why not just do it??? I used to hire them of RSR at the Ring and always had a scream in them.
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Jimmy No Hands
1,860 posts
26 months
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I've just swapped my 3.0i SE Z4 for a Full Fat RS200 with Cup pack. I was sold after an hour or so of flinging it around some B roads. What it lacks in outright performance it more than makes up for in the bends, it was an absolute hoot. Interior quality is a lot better than I imagined it would be, too. Yeah it isn't VAG quality but it doesn't feel cheap.
You really have to work the engine to get some pace but thats where the fun is. The BMW was just too tame, too capable. The Clio is like a rabid terrier in contrast and the chassis is nothing short of spectacular.
Just go drive one, you might be pleasantly surprised. I was.
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philmots
2,559 posts
130 months
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Similar situation here...
Currently Saab 9-3 300hp/390lbft
Looking to go to a 197 Cup.
The Saab is great, comfy, quiet, very very fast but.....
So yeah, fancy something different.
It gives it's performance up far too easily I'll end up getting myself into trouble! There's no real joy to be had from pushing it. No real involvement, just lots of power.
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veevee
879 posts
21 months
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This is PH.
If you don't get a Monaro you're gay, or something.
Really though, why not? At least test drive one and see if you like it. I can see how the handling could be more entertaining than a 135i, despite all the protests from all PH drift junkies (that's a joke). I seem to remember not one, but two people in the same thread saying they'd chopped in 911 GT3s for the RS Megane.
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BoostMonkey
403 posts
55 months
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daveknott5 said: I'm after a car that's fun on both road and track, won’t cost me the earth to run, has a revvy, aggressive sounding engine, returns decent combined fuel economy on a 80% motorway, 20% town commute (ideally 30mpg +), is well built, reliable and has ipod connectivity and a decent stereo? Oh, and it doesn’t have to be a 4-seater....
Ultimately, I'm after something that delivers real "fun", not necessarily the fastest in a straight line......... That would be a Focus RS Mk2 then. Massive smiles per miles You can get 30mpg out of it, even upto 45mpg if you try, but expect mid 20's when pressing on. Its well worth it though
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roystinho
914 posts
45 months
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This is a totally biased shout, but I think the 200 is an awesome car. Definitely go for a test drive.
Interesting the point about too much grip though, I've just sold mine (I'm saving up for something a bit better) and I'm driving around in a 172 Phase 1 that I'm turning into a track car. The old clio is definitley more fun, the less grip means it doesn't just destroy corners like the 200 does. A test I use for all my cars is one particular corner around the end of Leeds/Bradford airport. It's a 60 that progressively tightens. The 200 goes round easily at 60, whereas the old 172 can hit those speeds but you're constantly correcting and so more involved.
The megane 250/265 cup is the same as going from the 172 to 200, it's unbelievable at going round corners, but even more detached experience in my eyes. All great cars though.
However, if I didn't need 4 seats I'd have a Cayman or Z4MC or Exige...
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wackojacko
8,467 posts
60 months
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Quality and refined car to a French tin box.....
Think again.
wave it if you need rear seats....
If you want fun :
Z3M Coupe
Z4M
M3
370Z
Cayman S
Mk1 Focus RS
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Jamesp24
236 posts
40 months
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The Don of Croy
1,120 posts
29 months
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I went from an E46 325 to my MR2 roadster.
I gave up all those luxuries, the 6 pot motor, the 10 inch wide tyres, a key that stored the engine info for service readouts, even lights that came on when unlocking!!! Not to mention higher top speed, greater torque, louder stereo, hanging hooks for shopping bags in A BOOT.
But the MR2 is better, more comfortable, much more economical, lighter, and easier to drive (fast or slow).
Oh, and the roof folds away - I may have missed that. No motors, just flick it back and hey presto!
Pity they don't make them anymore.
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Pentoman
4,137 posts
133 months
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Non-M BMWs are overrated. They deliver for the dual-carriageway steaming executive type but not for the thrill-seeking B-road type. I haven't tried the Clio as a driver, but based on experience of French cars it has a good chance of delivering what you want. Just check you're okay with front wheel drive. The Megane, I've been in, and just couldn't help feeling too much was being demanded from the front of the car. S2000 is worth consideration but I found that was a bit too manic to have safe fun on the road, though it was great on track.
Do post back to this thread if you do change, with your opinions.
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fozzymandeus
679 posts
16 months
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The Clio is NA, so you'll have more fun wringing the neck of it than you do the BMW.
My experience of a Clio 197 after several BMWs was pretty positive, but the low rent interior and the poor fuel consumption for what is, after all, a small hatchback did it for me in the end.
I suspect that if I was the type to make more use of the track day then I'd have kept the 197 longer.
Odd, this, but my experience of going from a Clio 197 to a big floaty Mercedes was initially that the Merc wasn't as much fun to drive, but these days I find that it's as much fun pressing on in the Merc as it ever was in the Clio, it's just that the corner velocities I'm making aren't as high. No big deal.
As a result, you'll be impressed with the car's ability to corner for a few weeks, then you'll tire of the noisy, poorly made cabin and the melty steering wheel and you'll wish you had your BMW again.
I'm not knocking the Clio, I love 'em, but they aren't very sophisticated.
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LuS1fer
28,897 posts
115 months
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The Don of Croy said: I went from an E46 325 to my MR2 roadster.
I gave up all those luxuries, the 6 pot motor, the 10 inch wide tyres, a key that stored the engine info for service readouts, even lights that came on when unlocking!!! Not to mention higher top speed, greater torque, louder stereo, hanging hooks for shopping bags in A BOOT.
But the MR2 is better, more comfortable, much more economical, lighter, and easier to drive (fast or slow).
Oh, and the roof folds away - I may have missed that. No motors, just flick it back and hey presto!
Pity they don't make them anymore. Toyota gave it the boot - shame they never gave it a boot - you see what I did there...
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Joey Deacon
153 posts
46 months
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Yes you are mad.
For the 98% of the time when you are driving normally you will absolutely hate the Clio. I guarantee that your BMW is so good that you take it for granted. Once the initial excitement of getting the Clio has worn off you will hate it. As has been said, people who rave about Clio's (and all french cars in general) have clearly never owned anything better.
I have owned plenty of french cars in my time and am currently driving a 12 year old E46. I personally will never be buying a french car again.
If you really feel the urge to get a Clio then keep the BMW and buy a 2K 172. That way, once you are bored of it you can sell it and go back to the BMW. Selling the BMW and then buying the Clio is a good way to lose a lot of money in depreciation. Especially when you realise your mistake and sell the Clio to get another BMW.
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nonuts
15,587 posts
99 months
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e36 M3 Evo, then you will have no DSC or traction control and similar performance to the 135i. Focuses the mind some what in bad weather.
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Mastodon2
5,915 posts
35 months
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Joey Deacon said: As has been said, people who rave about Clio's (and all french cars in general) have clearly never owned anything better. Just because it was "said" doesn't mean it was right. Chris Harris "raves about Clios", have you seen his garage lately?
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mike9009
1,254 posts
113 months
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If you are after the thrills of the elise/ vx220 but want a little more refinement, how about lotus europa.
Same engine as the vx220 turbo, uprated interior specification, won't leak like an Elise/vx220 might, decent mpg ( easy hit over 30 mpg on a run).
Ive never driven one, but have owned a vx220 and if i didnt have my two year old it would definitely be on my wish list.
Residuals look pretty solid too at the moment.....
Only downside could be getting in and out. I used my vx220 as a daily and found a special technique which made it easy and even looked natural!
Have fun looking.....
Mike
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Max_Torque
4,904 posts
87 months
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daveknott5 said: I want to get out of the car after a spirited drive buzzing with adrenalin Just get the GF/Wife to drive you occasionally, guaranteed to get your eyes on stalks and heart pumping............. ;-)
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Joey Deacon
153 posts
46 months
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Mastodon2 said: Just because it was "said" doesn't mean it was right. Chris Harris "raves about Clios", have you seen his garage lately? No, he appears to be some sort of wrestler?
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billybob69
672 posts
15 months
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Pentoman said: just to say i disagree with 95 percent of what you say just to balance the argument.
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