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Just took a 197 out for a test drive



  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
what a load of crap, i'll keep it short. why does it not go like a type r civic both 197 and 6 speed . glad i have driven it now to put my mind at rest. very very disappointing.sorry if it upset new owners but it should be alot more car than this.even if they bring a cup out the car still needs to be more powerful to feel special
 
C

clio172cup20

Is it quicker that its predesessors 172 and 182?!?! cup/non-cup?!?!
 
gtvlew said:
why does it not go like a type r civic both 197 and 6 speed

This is a good question. Same power/weight (allegedly) with lower overall gearing. It should, in theory, have either;

Similar acceleration, similar top speed - nope.

Better accelertion, lower top speed - only the latter.

Quite strange. I still think it's a great car though :approve:
 
  Lionel Richie
everything about it is better than the 182 IMO, apart from it being too heavy and gutless

possibly the best fwd car i've driven in terms of handling
 
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
took my 182 down and drove them back to back, it handles well but there is just no power, took it to the red line 1st to 4th combined, A road work and a spin down the M4, its very busy at 85 mph cruise. i'm not blowing the 182s trumpet but it will kill a 197 all day, i just cant work out where the power is.it should be an evolution of the 172/182 but it is not.the 197 had 3000 miles on the clock.it is a lovelly car but its not hardcore for existing 182 owners.
 

Steve

ClioSport Club Member
  ST3 8.5
gtvlew said:
took my 182 down and drove them back to back, it handles well but there is just no power, took it to the red line 1st to 4th combined, A road work and a spin down the M4, its very busy at 85 mph cruise. i'm not blowing the 182s trumpet but it will kill a 197 all day, i just cant work out where the power is.it should be an evolution of the 172/182 but it is not.the 197 had 3000 miles on the clock.it is a lovelly car but its not hardcore for existing 182 owners.


Damn, another racing blue that won't be for sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
i agree with fred, its a strange car, nice to drive as far as handling and control but you feel it could handle and need a lot more power to make it a great car.maybe renault have capped its potential so 225 sales wont be affected
 
  Lionel Richie
gtvlew said:
i agree with fred, its a strange car, nice to drive as far as handling and control but you feel it could handle and need a lot more power to make it a great car.maybe renault have capped its potential so 225 sales wont be affected

bingo bango! exactly
 
  R35 GTR
Load of Shoite!!!!! I know they are pretty tight from new, but the modus I had on loan felt like the same car. Driving position is horrid, but seats are better shaped than the 172, but have crappy material.
 
gtvlew said:
what a load of crap, i'll keep it short. why does it not go like a type r civic both 197 and 6 speed . glad i have driven it now to put my mind at rest. very very disappointing.sorry if it upset new owners but it should be alot more car than this.even if they bring a cup out the car still needs to be more powerful to feel special
I cant stand the new ones either mate
 
R

rich[182]

Called into dealers tonight for an air filter and they'd got a black 197 next to a 182 and a megane 225

The red one I liked at FCS and also the red one they've got in the showroom had until now, made me think they looked better in the flesh but after tonight I've gone off it again

My thoughts -

Back end just dont look right
Air diffuser not colour coded, again dont look right
Rear tailpipes - neither in your face or stealth, not even subtle........look pointless tbh
Renault Sport badges, not as nice as the 172/182 nor the Megane 225
Ride height looks too high
No way do the 17"s look like 17"s - think the "lines" of the rear and front wings dont help as they are too high so it just exaggerates the ride height further imo
 
  80MPG BEEZA
i went to pick up my engine mounts and the had the a red 197 so i took the gf over and she says ugh your not changing yours for a megane! tbh i dont mind the front but the back is a load of crap! the seats look cool but the rest of the interior is lame, brembo brakes with neither grooved or drilled discs look turd! i'm keeping my black beauty
 
  Saab 93 Aero Wagon
The trouble with the new car (which i haven't yet driven....why test drive a demo with under 1000 miles on it?) to begin with, is that the Trophy just set the bar way too high.
To go out with a bang is pretty much an understatement.

And then they went and fell into the trap that everyone other than Lotus seem to make....they made the new one too heavy.
But then again I suppose if everyone needs all their toys and creature comforts then its gonna have to gain a little pork.
I just hope the Cup is under 1200kgs when it comes out.

Looks wise, I think it looks good from all sides but in my eyes its too tall.
I love the look of the big brakes, the arch vents and the rear diffuser though....makes it look well engineered.

From what i've heard of the performance, it lacks low end grunt but again thats the opinion of a car that had done less than 500 miles so im gonna bide my time and test a run in one!
 
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
the one i drove had 3000 miles on it, bottom line its just not quick enough, when we all drove the 172 and then the 182 when they were new, those cars were quicker run in or not, renault have dropped a clanger with this version.i dont think we will see many sub 7 second times on these, even if they claim 6.9
 
  Inferno 182 w/ Recaros ;)
It was in Test Drive magazine that the 0-60 was 8.1 seconds, which is obviously as they tested it.
 
  RenaultSport clio 182
Test drove it yesterday, garbage is all i can say. Followed by slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. I was bored senseless. Felt like my 182 when its 40 desgree's!!!
 
  car? need a license 1st!
Now this:
2010.jpg
Is a sexy Car :D
 
  BMW 535D
clio172cup20 said:
Is it quicker that its predesessors 172 and 182?!?! cup/non-cup?!?!

point of reference:

clio 197: 0-60: 6.9 secs, 0-100: 18.7 secs (tested by autocar)

clio 182 trophy: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 17.3 secs (evo)

clio 182: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 17.5 secs (evo)

clio 172 cup: 0-60: 6.5 secs, 0-100: 17.7 secs (evo)

clio 172 mk2: 0-60: 7.1 secs, 0-100: 18.9 secs (evo)

clio 172 mk1: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 18.2 secs (evo) (you can call it 'ph. quick' all you like but it aint quite 182 pace ;) )

ive seen 182/cup/trophy acceleration figures for 0-100 as low as 16.5 secs in some earlier autocar mags aswel but i think ive thrown them out lol

anyway this shows that the 197 is pretty much on the same pace as the ph2 172 so make of that what you will!

bring back the big car: little engine lightweight screamers i say :)
 
  Lux'd Glacier White R26
Interesting when you list it like that! ^^^

Glad to see the 182's are the quickest to the ton! ;)

Tyson.
 
  Lionel Richie
anyone having the same thought that i am, i think renault might be copying the idea that mini used on that mini GP thing for the new cup

no rear seats and a bloody great strut bar
 
  Silver 172 PhII
chris_m182 said:
point of reference:

clio 197: 0-60: 6.9 secs, 0-100: 18.7 secs (tested by autocar)
clio 182 trophy: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 17.3 secs (evo)
clio 182: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 17.5 secs (evo)
clio 172 cup: 0-60: 6.5 secs, 0-100: 17.7 secs (evo)
clio 172 mk2: 0-60: 7.1 secs, 0-100: 18.9 secs (evo)
clio 172 mk1: 0-60: 6.6 secs, 0-100: 18.2 secs (evo) (you can call it 'ph. quick' all you like but it aint quite 182 pace ;) )

Even though these figures are rarely reproducable, are people really that upset that the 197 is 0.3 of a second slower to 60 and 1.2 seconds slower to 100 than a 182? Does it matter that much? When in real world driving would that ever be an issue?

I've driven a 197 and thought it was excellent. It's a bit more refined than a 172/182 which might make it feel a lot slower but the figures just don't bear that out. It's a decently performing hot hatch. I'm not sure what else Renault could do? Maybe they should have booted one to 60, wrecking the clutch and everything, but giving them that extra 0.3 which would have kept all the number crunchers happy.

If you can feel 0.3 of a second slower accelleration then good on you. However, here in the real world I bet that 90% of people will be impressed when the drive it. I was.
 
  M140i/Orange 182
i had a test drive in one yesterday, the build is 3million times better, more solid looking, nice gear box handles, good brakes.

only thing is its guttless power wise...not as raw as my 182..defo felt like they have "dulled" it down alot.

thats my opinion anyway :)
 
  BMW 535D
SimonD said:
Even though these figures are rarely reproducable, are people really that upset that the 197 is 0.3 of a second slower to 60 and 1.2 seconds slower to 100 than a 182? Does it matter that much? When in real world driving would that ever be an issue?

I've driven a 197 and thought it was excellent. It's a bit more refined than a 172/182 which might make it feel a lot slower but the figures just don't bear that out. It's a decently performing hot hatch. I'm not sure what else Renault could do? Maybe they should have booted one to 60, wrecking the clutch and everything, but giving them that extra 0.3 which would have kept all the number crunchers happy.

If you can feel 0.3 of a second slower accelleration then good on you. However, here in the real world I bet that 90% of people will be impressed when the drive it. I was.

its a POINT OF REFERENCE mate, all cars being fired up a straight with similar care and consideration for clutches etc (how many journo's are goin to want to destroy a press car?) i understand that on the road figures count for very little, in reality a full second difference in acceleration times can equate to little more than a car's length, and any subsequent tussle on a road is mainly down to driver skill and confidence.

admittedly driver error can account for acceleration figures being anywhere upto a few seconds off the car's optimum pace.
 
  The Jinx
rich172 said:
My thoughts -

Back end just dont look right
Air diffuser not colour coded, again dont look right
Rear tailpipes - neither in your face or stealth, not even subtle........look pointless tbh
Renault Sport badges, not as nice as the 172/182 nor the Megane 225
Ride height looks too high
No way do the 17"s look like 17"s - think the "lines" of the rear and front wings dont help as they are too high so it just exaggerates the ride height further imo


My thoughts -

Back end just dont look right - on the phase 1 172s it also looked cack

Rear tailpipes - neither in your face or stealth, not even subtle........look pointless tbh - no sign of tailpipes on mk2s until the 182 I think, and no tailpipes is totally ghey

Renault Sport badges, not as nice as the 172/182 nor the Megane 225 - well that's going to stop me buying one

Ride height looks too high - see full fat 172 and 182s

It's heavier because of modern safety regs and that's presumably why it's a touch slower. Still, a couple of tenths 0-60 is naff all on the road in the hands of most people.

What I want to know is not how big/slow it is but how it handles. Didn't evo say it was a better starting point than they had with the mk2 clio?
 
  BMW 535D
Swervin_Mervin said:
My thoughts -

Didn't evo say it was a better starting point than they had with the mk2 clio?

Yes they did. Just turn your thoughts back to when the clio 172 ph2 came out and what reviews were like for that, they said it had lost its edge and aggression, but they built on that and 4 attempts later (cup, 182, 182 cup, trophy) they had developed the ultimate hot hatch in the 182 trophy.

So yes it will probably serve as an excellent starting block for much harder and more focused models.

I just can't get over the size and weight of the thing though!
 
  Nissan 350Z
SimonD said:
Even though these figures are rarely reproducable, are people really that upset that the 197 is 0.3 of a second slower to 60 and 1.2 seconds slower to 100 than a 182? Does it matter that much? When in real world driving would that ever be an issue?

I've driven a 197 and thought it was excellent. It's a bit more refined than a 172/182 which might make it feel a lot slower but the figures just don't bear that out. It's a decently performing hot hatch. I'm not sure what else Renault could do? Maybe they should have booted one to 60, wrecking the clutch and everything, but giving them that extra 0.3 which would have kept all the number crunchers happy.

If you can feel 0.3 of a second slower accelleration then good on you. However, here in the real world I bet that 90% of people will be impressed when the drive it. I was.

For me, its not about raw acceleration figures. Its how the acceleration feels when you are driving it. And to me it sounds like the 197 loses the sensation of speed that the older clios have.

That is in fact, why a lot of people prefer older cars (like the williams etc). I had a mk2 Golf GTI, and it felt faster than it actually was. To be fair, for a relatively modern design i feel the mk2 clios feel quite quick, but it was inevitable the newer, heavier, safer car was going to feel a little limp even when in reality its just about as quick.
 
gtvlew said:
what a load of crap, i'll keep it short. why does it not go like a type r civic both 197 and 6 speed . glad i have driven it now to put my mind at rest. very very disappointing.sorry if it upset new owners but it should be alot more car than this.even if they bring a cup out the car still needs to be more powerful to feel special

Doesnt need more power, its got plenty of that. What it needs is LESS WEIGHT!

Its much bigger and heavier than previous clios and obviously as a result, carries more initia, which has the physical impression of dulling acceleration and handling. Still quick though!
 
Last edited:
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
just a thought , where are they going to loose the weight in the so called cup version, the 182 cup is the same spec as the 197, cloth seats ,no climate ,no xenons etc.
 


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