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About high 8s for the RSi and low 7s for the Williams. Autocar got 7.3s for a low mileage Williams, but as we know they freed-up over time and many are very quick 1/4 mile cars.

Yeah, I had a Ph2 172 as well - bought from Daipac and sold only about 6 months later, hence the lack of pics! They're all great cars. The Williams was probably the most "special" and got the most attention, although the 16V with leather was a real belter. The Ph2 172 had the best colour...

The Valver was "Holly" - I sold it to bjfosteruk in 2003, who then sold it on to another forum member in 2004. I don't know what's happened to it since. It was very quick for a 16V - 127bhp ATW!

I don't get to spend as much time on my cars nowadays, so it's only recently that I've had the chance to take some snaps (and show some oldies too). I bought my 197 last September and, because I don't drive to work, the 6,000 miles I've run up are all leisure. The gearbox was never right...

Pros: - Looks: proper wide-arch stance like the 16V / Williams; subtle and purposeful, will attract the more mature eye - Engine: a lot more torquey throughout the range than people would have you belive - we're just used to TD's now, that's all - Handling: stunning; a genuine advance in...

That's the symptom. When accelerating at anything above 4,000rpm and changing from 2nd, I'll either miss 3rd altogether or crunch it as it slots into 3rd. The same happens going down from 4th. I thought it was just my technique and a short-throw gearbox. It took me a while to figure that...

The 197 is more like a Clio 16V in profile - looks the nuts in the flesh, but subtle too. Those fat rear arches (missing on the 172 / 182) aren't cheap to produce, are there for a reason and look great. My experience with the 16V was always that it attracted the more mature driver back in...

I certainly did - I'm happy with the service so far. It's pretty bad luck and (I guess) pretty rare, but it seems that a few others have had this problem. If it helps at all, mine was probably built in March '07, although wasn't registered until September '07.

I've had a call today from the dealer - the 'box is on order and everything is ok from a warranty perspective. I said that Renault would pay for a courtesy car and if they had any query re. this that Renault customer services would cough up. I'm still quite happy at this stage as they gave...

Technically, I'm the second owner as I bought it via a car supermarket (pre-reg for one day!). But to all intents and purposes I am the first owner and it came on a '57 plate.

I picked my 197 up in September and I've been completely satisfied with it. It's now up to about 3,600 miles after a few holidays, but I'm otherwise a low mileage driver. Unfortunately, 3rd gear has been obstructive since day one and I was kind of hoping it would go away or that my technique...

Can't belive I missed this thread! The Ben H view is thus: I've owned a re-built 16V, Williams, Ph2 172 and now a 197. In order of straight line speed, I'd say it goes like: 1. Williams 2. 197 3. 16V 4. 172 Ph2 This is a pretty naive list and I'm going to qualify that...

Hi Catherine, Yes, I went to Newport. I wanted mine in Nimbus as it's the most subtle colour, so it was all a very straightforward purchase for me! :D

My 197 certainly doesn't spank my old 172 - and my 172 didn't spank my Williams or 16V either! However, the 197 is definitely the biggest step forward in terms of ride and handling - plus all the advances of the basic Clio over the previous ones.

0-100 would be quite a convincing win for any of the hot Clios. I doubt the Audi would crack the ton in much below 25 seconds, even with the 170PS lump (a FF 172 does it in about 18-19 seconds). I've owned a 172 and driven a 170PS A3 TDi extensively in the recent past. Through the gears...

Catherine - I followed your purchase online before I bought mine from Motorpoint too! :D You can either do as g40Steve says, or follow the instructions on the Renault website: www.renault.co.uk > customer services > ask a question > then type "import warranty"

Thanks Josh. Would this fit? Looks the same as the Cabasse unit in my 2007 Clio handbook... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RENAULT-LAGUNA-CABASSE-AUDITORIUM-TRONIC-CD-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ130184058794QQihZ003QQcategoryZ75322QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's a good deal if it's cash - if it's on finance, then the APR / settlement figure could make the deal look a little more balanced. ;) I bought my 197 from a car supermarket as parallel import from France for just over £13k with metallic. It had a previous owner for 1 day (I don't...

I've got a Clio 197 with the basic CD, 2 speaker, 2 tweeter, fingertip control and display set-up. Ideally, I'd like: - "Standard"-looking head unit, possibly with flip-face rather than pull-off - Speakers x 4, tweeters x 2 - probably no need for a separate amp - Good quality sound...

I'd simply like to replace the blubs to offer a little more sparkle! My 172 had xenons, but the 197 doesn't. Some reasonable bulbs came my way at a cheap price, so I thought why not?!

I thought this would be easy, but it isn't! Havings spent 30 minutes with a socket set having a look, it seem like more of a bodywork question than an electrical one... Does anyone know how to do this on a Clio 3 / 197? There's pretty much no way that a grown adult hand can access the back...

I posted this on the Fiat website: I sold my GP 1.9 JTD Sporting in September and bought a Clio 197 - not sure I've changed my signature yet!? I've had pretty much all the Renault hot hatches since the Clio 16V, but fell for the GP before the 197 was on sale. I had my GP for over a...

My 197 is in Nimbus (grey) - although it's a unique colour to the 197, it's probably the least conspicuous of the 197 palate. Some do mistake it for a normal Clio (more fool them!), but even the untrained eye will spot the wide arches and generally bulked-out stance. The beauty of the...

My 172 used to get about the same mpg as my 197. Town driving gives about 27mpg according to the trip computer, rising to 33mpg or so with longer runs. It only has 2,500 miles on the clock though - it'll be better come 10k. The only difference I notice so far is that the variability...

The main difference I notice between the two is that the 197 is noticeably more potent on part throttle in an "on / off" type of way, at low revs. The other difference to the driver is a sensation that it pulls harder after 5,000rpm.

As a long-standing performance Clio owner, having owned every one from the 16V to the 197 - I can assure you that these engines free up considerably over time. My rebuilt 16V with 100k+ on the clock used to make almost as much power as early 172s on the RR's. Ditto Williams No. 123 - almost...

I now own a 197 after a 172, 16V, Williams and various other Clios - some of you may remember me from the past! The 197 is a more mature hot hatch than most, but that doesn't mean it's less hardcore than its predecessors. If anything, the most striking aptitude of the 197 is to go from...

Morning all, Just to let the old school crew know that I'm back at last. You'll see from some old threads that I've been taking time out from proper performance cars while sharing with my other half and moving around a bit. The good news is that the incremental approach started with a...

I just wonder how long Renault hold out with a petrol-only Renaultsport Clio before the likes of the VAG Group and Fiat snap up all their sales? There's no question that I'd have bought a diesel version of the 197.

Poo. Despite being a proper grown-up now, I still prefer small hot hatches - but I can't be doing with 29mpg from a 197. I used to get 37mpg from my 16V and Willy on average and I averaged 50mpg on one incredibly gentle 300 mile trip out of my 172!