RE: Megane 275 Cup-S vs. Honda Civic Type R (FK8)
Discussion
Turbojuice said:
popeyewhite said:
Turbojuice said:
This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
None of the three AMGs I've owned were S models, the two Imprezzas weren't RAs, my RS6 was only tuned to 700 bhp and my Rangies have never been s'charged. Perhaps I have bought something better as everyday cars? 
HTH
Ben Lowden said:
Speed Badger said:
If (or more likely when) I get a FK8, it'll most likely be this colour. Tones down the lairy styling a tad and looks fantastic to me.Olivera said:
Turbojuice said:
Probably struggling to sell the non-cup models.
They really don't make much sense for me. This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
Just my 2 pence though. Each to their own.
Evo magazine didn't particularly rate the Mk4 Megane RS for road driving until they drove the non-cup pack car, which they then recommended. In the real world (UK roads) there quickly comes a point where stiffer is just not better, unless you're driving on freshly laid asphalt. I thought my old Mk7.5 Golf GTI (non performance pack, non DCC, passive springs/dampers) was nicely judged and as stiff as you'd want to go for making real world progress.They really don't make much sense for me. This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
Just my 2 pence though. Each to their own.
And to be fair to the MK4, a non-cup version for that does make more sense due to it being a practical 5 door with an automatic 'box available.
popeyewhite said:
Turbojuice said:
popeyewhite said:
Turbojuice said:
This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
None of the three AMGs I've owned were S models, the two Imprezzas weren't RAs, my RS6 was only tuned to 700 bhp and my Rangies have never been s'charged. Perhaps I have bought something better as everyday cars? HTH
In general yes i'd agree, but for the car in question I disagree.
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.Interesting thread. Like a few others feel in a reasonable place to comment. I had a 250, sold it to get an fk8 type r, to then replace with a clio 200, to end up back with a 370bhp 265 which I’m currently turning into a dedicated track car
I concur with the sentiments of a few in the thread - quantitatively the type r is the better car. I think the most complimentary and disparaging description of it is it feels like a fwd gtr. It has insane grip, incredible balance, and never suffers from understeer, and the brakes are absolutely phenomenal. It’s the best all rounder I’ve ever had. The steering has lovely weight as well - something you don’t often find in modern cars.
But.... I always felt it could do with a little more character, it felt like it pummelled the road into submission.
The megs on the other hand Bob, and flow with the road, and for me is the far more enjoyable car. I also find it far easier to adjust the car mid corner in the meg - it really pivots around the front axle, and makes you question all the deep seated beliefs you had about fwd cars being entertaining.
I also think there is masses of unlocked potential in the meg - where as the type r feels more highly strung from the factory.
I love the meg so much I’m tempted to sell the Porsche spyder I have and buy a new meg 4 trophy r to sit beside it in the garage.
Epic things - especially when you factor in disparity of cost between them. You can get a decent meg 265 for not far off the initial upfront payment on a civic type r.
I concur with the sentiments of a few in the thread - quantitatively the type r is the better car. I think the most complimentary and disparaging description of it is it feels like a fwd gtr. It has insane grip, incredible balance, and never suffers from understeer, and the brakes are absolutely phenomenal. It’s the best all rounder I’ve ever had. The steering has lovely weight as well - something you don’t often find in modern cars.
But.... I always felt it could do with a little more character, it felt like it pummelled the road into submission.
The megs on the other hand Bob, and flow with the road, and for me is the far more enjoyable car. I also find it far easier to adjust the car mid corner in the meg - it really pivots around the front axle, and makes you question all the deep seated beliefs you had about fwd cars being entertaining.
I also think there is masses of unlocked potential in the meg - where as the type r feels more highly strung from the factory.
I love the meg so much I’m tempted to sell the Porsche spyder I have and buy a new meg 4 trophy r to sit beside it in the garage.
Epic things - especially when you factor in disparity of cost between them. You can get a decent meg 265 for not far off the initial upfront payment on a civic type r.
macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.
I don’t feel the same way about fwd though. I absolutely love a properly sorted fwd hot hatch (or coupe, such as the DC2).
MiseryStreak said:
macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.It is a fun car to drive. No doubt. The steering has a really nice mechanical feel, whoever brought the whole package together deserves the praise. It was a benchmark vehicle at my work and some of the other engineers were seriously impressed.
I‘d prefer an MX5/GT86 type driving experience over it though… I can live with much less performance… but hey everyone is different - and sometimes I‘m just odd!
Kawasicki said:
macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.It is a fun car to drive. No doubt. The steering has a really nice mechanical feel, whoever brought the whole package together deserves the praise. It was a benchmark vehicle at my work and some of the other engineers were seriously impressed.
I‘d prefer an MX5/GT86 type driving experience over it though… I can live with much less performance… but hey everyone is different - and sometimes I‘m just odd!
As for the comment further up: you reach the apex, you apply throttle and the diff pulls you into the bend as you exit. If you're applying throttle at the entrance to a bend then you could have carried more speed to start with.
macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
macky17 said:
Kawasicki said:
I drove the Civic a couple of months ago. A fun car, a fast one too... massive torque steer induced weaving on corner exits reminded me of the old Rover 620 Turbo. Cemented for me that I'm not really a fan of fwd.
Was this "torque steer" on corner exits constantly pulling you towards the apex by any chance? If so, you might want to drive a few more powerful fwd cars before passing judgement. Read up about diffs while you're at it. Fk8 CTR never, ever behaves the way you describe.It is a fun car to drive. No doubt. The steering has a really nice mechanical feel, whoever brought the whole package together deserves the praise. It was a benchmark vehicle at my work and some of the other engineers were seriously impressed.
I‘d prefer an MX5/GT86 type driving experience over it though… I can live with much less performance… but hey everyone is different - and sometimes I‘m just odd!
J4CKO said:
Renaults seats look alike a cross between Marvin the Paranoid Android (OG version) and a sad Dolphin.
Recaro Sportster CS seats are lovely looking things. They’re used in quite a few different cars. My main regret with my Megane was not holding out for one that had them fitted.
Turbojuice said:
Probably struggling to sell the non-cup models.
They really don't make much sense for me. This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
Just my 2 pence though. Each to their own.
I'd never buy a non-Cup chassis Megane. I mean, if you just want to get in one, they're good, because no bugger wants one, but I'd never buy one. They're hard to sell and, if you're buying into the Renault Sport hot hatch experience, it's not supposed to be soft and squidgy They really don't make much sense for me. This Megane is all about the raw driving experience, but if you take away the cup pack which is a key component to that rawness, you might as well just buy something else that's a better everyday car from the start like a Cupra or similar.
Just my 2 pence though. Each to their own.
J4CKO said:
Renaults seats look alike a cross between Marvin the Paranoid Android (OG version) and a sad Dolphin.
I never noticed the face in them before! Wouldn't have a Meg without them though. The seats make the car in a lot of ways.
Str6mik said:
Interesting thread. Like a few others feel in a reasonable place to comment. I had a 250, sold it to get an fk8 type r, to then replace with a clio 200, to end up back with a 370bhp 265 which I’m currently turning into a dedicated track car
I concur with the sentiments of a few in the thread - quantitatively the type r is the better car. I think the most complimentary and disparaging description of it is it feels like a fwd gtr. It has insane grip, incredible balance, and never suffers from understeer, and the brakes are absolutely phenomenal. It’s the best all rounder I’ve ever had. The steering has lovely weight as well - something you don’t often find in modern cars.
But.... I always felt it could do with a little more character, it felt like it pummelled the road into submission.
The megs on the other hand Bob, and flow with the road, and for me is the far more enjoyable car. I also find it far easier to adjust the car mid corner in the meg - it really pivots around the front axle, and makes you question all the deep seated beliefs you had about fwd cars being entertaining.
I also think there is masses of unlocked potential in the meg - where as the type r feels more highly strung from the factory.
I love the meg so much I’m tempted to sell the Porsche spyder I have and buy a new meg 4 trophy r to sit beside it in the garage.
Epic things - especially when you factor in disparity of cost between them. You can get a decent meg 265 for not far off the initial upfront payment on a civic type r.
I know what you mean about the civic feeling almost too planted and battering the road into submission. It isn't as playful or up on its toes as a megane, or a fiesta ST for that matter. The 'fun' comes from the precision and sheer capability of the thing - yes, much like a GTR. Of course it's massively slower than a gtr and therein lies the civic's advantage: unlike the Nissan you can use a fair chunk of its performance on the road. I owned a stage 1 gtr for 6 months before being thoroughly bored and selling it. It's perhaps an unfair comparison as the honda is my daily where the gtr was a weekend toy - I think you have different expectations of cars in those roles. Have a 997 carrera S for that now. Far more like it.I concur with the sentiments of a few in the thread - quantitatively the type r is the better car. I think the most complimentary and disparaging description of it is it feels like a fwd gtr. It has insane grip, incredible balance, and never suffers from understeer, and the brakes are absolutely phenomenal. It’s the best all rounder I’ve ever had. The steering has lovely weight as well - something you don’t often find in modern cars.
But.... I always felt it could do with a little more character, it felt like it pummelled the road into submission.
The megs on the other hand Bob, and flow with the road, and for me is the far more enjoyable car. I also find it far easier to adjust the car mid corner in the meg - it really pivots around the front axle, and makes you question all the deep seated beliefs you had about fwd cars being entertaining.
I also think there is masses of unlocked potential in the meg - where as the type r feels more highly strung from the factory.
I love the meg so much I’m tempted to sell the Porsche spyder I have and buy a new meg 4 trophy r to sit beside it in the garage.
Epic things - especially when you factor in disparity of cost between them. You can get a decent meg 265 for not far off the initial upfront payment on a civic type r.
Disagree the civic has less potential for toying with though. Just a remap gives 380+ and if you add better breathing both ends, 400+. Can you imagine the pace of that car?
Edited by macky17 on Wednesday 26th May 12:47
Speed Badger said:
I have had a Renault 5 GT Turbo, Clio 172, 182, 200, Megane R26, 250, 265, Civic Type R EP3, FN2, FD2, FK2 & FK8.
In my humble, although reasonably qualified opinion, the best car for being good at everything is the FK8 Type R. Easily. The 182 is the most pure fun of my list. They are all good though, but the FK8 is outstanding.
I'm 36 and I've owned 39 cars - I've had my FK8 since last November and this is the first time I've not started to get the itch to change. It is a very alien feeling to me, not starting to hanker for what's next after a few months of ownership, even if whatever current car I had was very good.
Gratuitous pic alert -
Nice list shame the DC2 and DC5 are not on there, probably the best red top Honda's IMOIn my humble, although reasonably qualified opinion, the best car for being good at everything is the FK8 Type R. Easily. The 182 is the most pure fun of my list. They are all good though, but the FK8 is outstanding.
I'm 36 and I've owned 39 cars - I've had my FK8 since last November and this is the first time I've not started to get the itch to change. It is a very alien feeling to me, not starting to hanker for what's next after a few months of ownership, even if whatever current car I had was very good.
Gratuitous pic alert -
Edited by Speed Badger on Tuesday 25th May 12:21
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff