Rs250/265 vs fn2 vs scirocco vs gt86 vs suggestions?
Discussion
So looking to get a new motor and im genuinely torn so looking for input for people who have actually owned any of the above.
Fn2 - know the common issues brakes, tensioners and bushes ie nothing serious and expected to be bullet proof having driven a few of them (road tests only) find them too be far better (road cars) than the ep3 ... controversial I know but having worked at honda and driven both back to back its what i think.
Rs250/265 - rave reviews, never driven either (yet) belt tensioners on early models are an issue from what I've read.
scirocco - either an R or a tfsi model, never been a massive fan of german engineering (it's a marvellous example of a successful advertising campaign ... and not much else) but i do like the look of the scirocco's.
Gt86 - plays well into my history (a litany of jap motors mostly big toyotas and impreza's) driven a few, loved them but not sold as an overall package, ie a fun daily
Any suggestions other than the above or accounts of what the above are like to live with on a daily basis?
Fn2 - know the common issues brakes, tensioners and bushes ie nothing serious and expected to be bullet proof having driven a few of them (road tests only) find them too be far better (road cars) than the ep3 ... controversial I know but having worked at honda and driven both back to back its what i think.
Rs250/265 - rave reviews, never driven either (yet) belt tensioners on early models are an issue from what I've read.
scirocco - either an R or a tfsi model, never been a massive fan of german engineering (it's a marvellous example of a successful advertising campaign ... and not much else) but i do like the look of the scirocco's.
Gt86 - plays well into my history (a litany of jap motors mostly big toyotas and impreza's) driven a few, loved them but not sold as an overall package, ie a fun daily
Any suggestions other than the above or accounts of what the above are like to live with on a daily basis?
Depends on budget maybe?
FN2 can be had from £3k. GT86 will be over £10k so you would expect it to be better.
Also you could do with mentioning how you will use the car. If you need the practicality of a large boot and decent rear seats then the Type r or Megane win. If it’s a weekend and track car then the GT86 probably.
I’m not really feeling the Scirocco. They do look nice I’ll admit but I’m not convinced they’re all that good. The R may be decent but they’re expensive aren’t they?
FN2 can be had from £3k. GT86 will be over £10k so you would expect it to be better.
Also you could do with mentioning how you will use the car. If you need the practicality of a large boot and decent rear seats then the Type r or Megane win. If it’s a weekend and track car then the GT86 probably.
I’m not really feeling the Scirocco. They do look nice I’ll admit but I’m not convinced they’re all that good. The R may be decent but they’re expensive aren’t they?
Well I favour handing and driving experience above mpg, but want reasonable practicality budget of 7 to 10k so fn2 would be an lsd model or nothing. Live on my lonesome, but have a misses with 2 step kids so need back seats ... hance the exclusion of the mx5 from my list. Have easy access to a van for moving big stuff but a weekend aways luggage is a necessity boot space wise. Other than that im leaning megane rs or gt86 wise but the above is my short list.
I had a cheap lease on a 2018 scirocco R. Everyone always says oh its Mk5 tech, dont bother, get a mk7. While I understand this, from driving both, I preferred the scirocco. No lane assist, simple cruise control (none of the adaptive stuff that people say they love that winds me up, no stop start)
monk1991 said:
Well I favour handing and driving experience above mpg, but want reasonable practicality budget of 7 to 10k so fn2 would be an lsd model or nothing. Live on my lonesome, but have a misses with 2 step kids so need back seats ... hance the exclusion of the mx5 from my list. Have easy access to a van for moving big stuff but a weekend aways luggage is a necessity boot space wise. Other than that im leaning megane rs or gt86 wise but the above is my short list.
The Megane is a cracking steer & isn't to costly to run but finding a Cup Chassis'd car with sensible miles on is becoming harder:https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106163...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109036...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106083...
The Scirocco isn't in the same league & will probably cost you more to run.
I can't get on with the GT86 the whole in the midrange is very frustrating.
For me the only car that gets close to the Megane in your budget range is the Astra GTC VXR it's a very good steer that comes with the LSD & Recaros as standard, I also think it's a looker too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008112...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108096...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108316...
ZX10R NIN said:
monk1991 said:
Well I favour handing and driving experience above mpg, but want reasonable practicality budget of 7 to 10k so fn2 would be an lsd model or nothing. Live on my lonesome, but have a misses with 2 step kids so need back seats ... hance the exclusion of the mx5 from my list. Have easy access to a van for moving big stuff but a weekend aways luggage is a necessity boot space wise. Other than that im leaning megane rs or gt86 wise but the above is my short list.
The Megane is a cracking steer & isn't to costly to run but finding a Cup Chassis'd car with sensible miles on is becoming harder:https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106163...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109036...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106083...
The Scirocco isn't in the same league & will probably cost you more to run.
I can't get on with the GT86 the whole in the midrange is very frustrating.
For me the only car that gets close to the Megane in your budget range is the Astra GTC VXR it's a very good steer that comes with the LSD & Recaros as standard, I also think it's a looker too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008112...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108096...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108316...
monk1991 said:
Never considered the vxr due to the previous models propensity for chucking gearboxs and the sheer amout of engines I've seen poping but needs a bit of investigating as im quite keen of the looks of those
The engines are pretty much sorted, thy do sometimes have a gearbox fault but it's not as prevalent as it was on the previous gen.You can have preventative work carried out & it seems to mainly affect tuned cars.
I've had a four clients use WG Motorworks 3 for preventive work on their tuned VXR's & one who needed a rebuild on his stage 2 tuned GTC VXR, client's with standard cars seem to be fine.
monk1991 said:
Well I favour handing and driving experience ...
(Yes, I've cut off the MPG bit). GT86 hands down then. RWD and weight distribution FTW.
The others are all good options though (and possibly quicker than the GT86, if that's your thing).
The duffer of the group is the Scirocco. Pretty - yes. Great heritage (Sciroccos of old) - yes. However let down by the driving experience and the general VW-ishness of it all.
2Btoo said:
(Yes, I've cut off the MPG bit).
GT86 hands down then. RWD and weight distribution FTW.
The others are all good options though (and possibly quicker than the GT86, if that's your thing).
The duffer of the group is the Scirocco. Pretty - yes. Great heritage (Sciroccos of old) - yes. However let down by the driving experience and the general VW-ishness of it all.
The driving experience in the GT86 is good, and it is fun. But its dynamics are hindered by the lack of mid range and to get the most of out of you do have to be ringing its neck in my experience. I was looking at them before i bought my Megane. As well as the Scirocco. I drove a couple. Not long term mind you and whilst the RWD and balance was very very good, i just found it lacking to progress when i wanted too. There just was something missing. BUT alot of people do love them and i can understand why. It just wasn't the car for me. GT86 hands down then. RWD and weight distribution FTW.
The others are all good options though (and possibly quicker than the GT86, if that's your thing).
The duffer of the group is the Scirocco. Pretty - yes. Great heritage (Sciroccos of old) - yes. However let down by the driving experience and the general VW-ishness of it all.
The Scirocco, felt nice inside, bigger than i expected. But it was dull and not very good to drive. Certainly not as good as the GTI it's based on - and its hard to see why, it should have been on paper a good opportunity for that type of car. But in my humble opinion, it just lacked something. Power wise it had some go. But the chassis didn't cope half as well as the Golf does and it was not fun in the slightest. Not for me at all.
The megane is just a great steer and personally, I don't stand with this RWD must be the best drivers option opinion. A very well sorted FWD car will out drive a RWD as often as not. I think when it comes to RWD you have to spend a lot more money maybe to get something as fun as the Megane can be.
Given the hot hatch nature of it - it has all the space and kit that a daily driver needs. Boot perhaps is small for that sector but its bigger than the '86's and the interior is much more roomy. So you can pick the kids up, do the daily Tesco/Lidl/Waitrose run (delete as appropriate) and then once you've dropped the shopping off along with the kids - you can drive to any given track in the world and put a great lap in. Drive the car home through say the Welsh Mountains and it'll perform superbly. I wouldn't say maintenance is cheap - its more expensive than i expected being Renault, but honestly you should drive one.
I've owned an FN2 and it is a fun car but you really have to drive it hard to get the best out of it. Which is of course true of a lot of N/A hot cars. Around town it gets hard to live with. The suspension is crashy and surprisingly hard for a standard car. But its when you start to push on that it makes sense. It settles down and is a very good car. Certainly not as far off the pace of the EP3 as some would have you believe and as such, for me, are a bit of a bargain in comparison. Some people hate the design features, but i liked it. The interior is nice and the seats are good - for most people - they did however give me backache over a long journey but i am quite tall at 6ft 2.
That is just my two penneth worth. Not sure it helps.
The issue with the GT86 is the rear seats as well, my lad was used to being in the back of my 911 (a 996) without much issue however when we went to look at a new GT86 he really didn't like the back found it very compromised and with my seat back (i'm just over 6ft no one was getting behind me)
i have recently picked up a 2010 megane 250 as a cheap'ish daily and have grown to really like it, ticks a lot of boxes mine doesn't have the cup pack and to be honest is firm enough. don't discount the lux models without trying one.
i have recently picked up a 2010 megane 250 as a cheap'ish daily and have grown to really like it, ticks a lot of boxes mine doesn't have the cup pack and to be honest is firm enough. don't discount the lux models without trying one.
If you’d be happy with the practicality and performance of the GT86 then it might also be worth considering the smaller hot hatch options.
I have a mk7 Fiesta ST3 and it’s a good daily. I can’t really see what a megane adds other than maybe just a bit quicker.
And there’s also the 208 gti which I nearly went for. If I did more miles and was looking for something a bit less raucous than the ST then I probably would’ve got the Pug.
Both of those would get you a newer car for the same money.
I have a mk7 Fiesta ST3 and it’s a good daily. I can’t really see what a megane adds other than maybe just a bit quicker.
And there’s also the 208 gti which I nearly went for. If I did more miles and was looking for something a bit less raucous than the ST then I probably would’ve got the Pug.
Both of those would get you a newer car for the same money.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff