2010 Clio 200 - First impressions
Discussion
Having driven around an old Clio 182 for the past 18 months (due to a suggestion from one of my "What car next" posts on here, I decided it was time for an upgrade and something a bit newer.
Fast forward to last weekend, I picked up a 2010 Clio 200 Cup - Yay - and sold off the 182 that same weekend.
Having not driven one, I was expecting a similar but more refined driving experience. WOW - How wrong was I?!?
Initial impressions:
- Ride, smooth if "Stiff" as expected, sticks like the proverbial.
- Brakes, VERY good, if too sharp for my liking.
- Clutch, Much lighter than the 182, thank god!
- Steering, electric PAS, not nice.
- Gearbox, 6 speed manual, smooth, however I don't think the ratios are right.
- By far the most god-awful driving experience of any car I've driven, and that's a lot.
The throttle response/feel is one of the key issues, the first half of the pedal does very little, and what it does do is preceded by a half-second lag (Some say this is a result of it being a "Fly by wire" system, utter b
ks, this is not an excuse)
This means that its impossible to blip on down-shifts, and any fast reactions go un-noticed by the engine.
Taking off from a junction with any degree of haste is almost impossible without revving the living crap out of it and slipping the clutch excessively, otherwise the engine bogs down and the car nose-dives once it bites.
In 1st/2nd gear, sometimes the car gets into some sort of very aggressive "Kangarooing" cycle, the only way out is to release the clutch.
There also feels like there is a huge amount of play in the drive-train, like an exadurated "Bouncy" feel of the rubber-donut based Lotus Elan.
How the hell did this get through development/testing without someone pointing this out?? Or is it just mine?
It's OK on the motorway though, and when you get a chance to explore 5k+ rpm, by-god it pulls.
Think I might sell it. or burn it. Successor to the 182? nope.
Fast forward to last weekend, I picked up a 2010 Clio 200 Cup - Yay - and sold off the 182 that same weekend.
Having not driven one, I was expecting a similar but more refined driving experience. WOW - How wrong was I?!?
Initial impressions:
- Ride, smooth if "Stiff" as expected, sticks like the proverbial.
- Brakes, VERY good, if too sharp for my liking.
- Clutch, Much lighter than the 182, thank god!
- Steering, electric PAS, not nice.
- Gearbox, 6 speed manual, smooth, however I don't think the ratios are right.
- By far the most god-awful driving experience of any car I've driven, and that's a lot.
The throttle response/feel is one of the key issues, the first half of the pedal does very little, and what it does do is preceded by a half-second lag (Some say this is a result of it being a "Fly by wire" system, utter b
ks, this is not an excuse)This means that its impossible to blip on down-shifts, and any fast reactions go un-noticed by the engine.
Taking off from a junction with any degree of haste is almost impossible without revving the living crap out of it and slipping the clutch excessively, otherwise the engine bogs down and the car nose-dives once it bites.
In 1st/2nd gear, sometimes the car gets into some sort of very aggressive "Kangarooing" cycle, the only way out is to release the clutch.
There also feels like there is a huge amount of play in the drive-train, like an exadurated "Bouncy" feel of the rubber-donut based Lotus Elan.
How the hell did this get through development/testing without someone pointing this out?? Or is it just mine?
It's OK on the motorway though, and when you get a chance to explore 5k+ rpm, by-god it pulls.
Think I might sell it. or burn it. Successor to the 182? nope.
Edited by Undercover Agent on Thursday 25th October 10:07
R12many said:
Throttle response on mine is almost too aggressive with almost instant response from applied throttle and it has perfectly acceptable low down pulling power, in fact it is much better than I expected for a high-reving NA engine. I also have no kangarooing when pulling away from cold. Maybe get yours on a rolling road so they can see what's going on. Remapping won't give you much more power but it can smooth it out.
Are you sure yours hadnt been "Tweaked" before you got it? As the throttle is a VERY common complaint...Reciprocating mass said:
I have driven quite a few in the past, used to work for Renault, it sounds to me like it’s either got a throttle body or camshaft sensor problem or the cambelt has been changed and not done correctly,
Interesting, thanks for that! It HIGHLY unlikely it's has a belt change (22k on the clock) but I will investigate the throttle body and sensor, where is the can sensor? Next to the dephaser?Gassing Station | French Bred | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff