182 Vs Audi S3 - anyone had a go?

[ash_s3]

Cheers Baz, will do mate!

BabyD - yeah i havnt really shopped around for insurance yet, will definetly be test driving one soon tho, just to see what im missing out on!

what are the service costs like on them? never owned a french car before, usualy do services myself but i want to make sure i get one either from a dealer or a garage as ive got a comeback if something goes wrong (S3 again ) want one will FRSH and will want to continue that.

Thanks

 

[ForceIndia]

Did you get any come back on the S3?? Or are you still having to pay for it

 

[Neil G]

Gutted about the S3 being a ringer.....my brother had the same problem and the car ended up having to go on a Q plate and therefore was worth very little

I think the best thing to do would be to try and buy a good example off a forum user...most of the 172/182s owned by members on here seem to be pretty well looked after.

Service costs are okay....look out for the 5yr/72k one though as that includes the cambelt and costs a lot (roughly £500/600).

Don't be too fussed about Renault service history...a good specialist does as good a job.

 

[ash_s3]

Just spoke to the insurance company now and i can but it back for £2500, will have to get the original vin numbers put back on the car, get a new reg off the dvla then il be able to sell it as stolen recoverd.
Its still a mint car, just will come up on HPi now if i do a check on it.

Atleast this way i will have only lost about £5k instead of £10k+
Will be able to pay my loan off then look for a 1*2 clio!

 

[Iridium]

I've driven both. S3 is comfy but not very interesting (IMHO) and didn't 'feel' that quick. The 182 is buckets more fun, and the ride isn't so hard it dislodges your lungs I have never owned either though, so this is based on a couple of half hour test drives in the S3 and quite a few plays in a 182.

Dan

 

[chris_marshall]

I wanted a S3 and just took the 172 out for a test drive to kill time but fell in love with it. There good fun but not good quality, but you do get a lot of car for the money, would still love a remapped S3

 

[John D]

I'd never swap my car for an S3. I've had ride in a mates and it left me cold - sounded boring and felt very inert. Very nice interior and spec though.

People have made a few comments about the poor driving position in the Clio. Sure its not great but you get used to it very quickly.

 

[Graham Gooch]

I'd never swap my car for an S3. I've had ride in a mates and it left me cold - sounded boring and felt very inert. Very nice interior and spec though.

People have made a few comments about the poor driving position in the Clio. Sure its not great but you get used to it very quickly.

Less us forget the a33 incident as well...............LMFAO!

 

[John D]

Less us forget the a33 incident as well...............LMFAO!

I was'nt going to mention that....

But yes. We s**t them :evil:

 

[Graham Gooch]

^ Haha.

Mega

 

[Jezzer]

Here's my S3:

TBH, it's a fairly solidly built car. Fast. Stable. Cruises quietly at law-breaking speeds. Interior (especially the red dials and white needles) is great. Electric Recaros are very comfortable.

It's a very good cruiser. HOWEVER...

The ride is REALLY firm, there's too much body roll, there's absolutely no feel through the steering, the interior isn't THAT well put-together - I had mine as a 2nd owner from 60k miles up to 120k miles and in that time THREE separate rattles appeared - nearside window, glovebox, dash... Also, the master-cylinder gave up on me when I was halfway up a steep hill...

Putting Toyo Proxy TR-1's on the wheels gives phenomenal grip...

So anyway, this is my first post. So. What am I doing here? I thought this was an interesting thread so why not contribute? I got rid of the S3 last Friday (because blue smoke was coming out of the exhaust under hard acceleration and on further investigation I was told it needed a new engine!) and on Monday I'm getting a 197 (in black - with xenons, folding mirrors, climate control, privacy glass...).

Can't wait to be honest.

 

[Josh@Renparts]

my a3 has a couple of rattles actually... a particularly annoying one around the Climate control Unit... Very Very annoying... and unlike the clio doesn't stop when you punch the affected area

 

[Neil G]

Here's my S3:

TBH, it's a fairly solidly built car. Fast. Stable. Cruises quietly at law-breaking speeds. Interior (especially the red dials and white needles) is great. Electric Recaros are very comfortable.

It's a very good cruiser. HOWEVER...

The ride is REALLY firm, there's too much body roll, there's absolutely no feel through the steering, the interior isn't THAT well put-together - I had mine as a 2nd owner from 60k miles up to 120k miles and in that time THREE separate rattles appeared - nearside window, glovebox, dash... Also, the master-cylinder gave up on me when I was halfway up a steep hill...

Putting Toyo Proxy TR-1's on the wheels gives phenomenal grip...

So anyway, this is my first post. So. What am I doing here? I thought this was an interesting thread so why not contribute? I got rid of the S3 last Friday (because blue smoke was coming out of the exhaust under hard acceleration and on further investigation I was told it needed a new engine!) and on Monday I'm getting a 197 (in black - with xenons, folding mirrors, climate control, privacy glass...).

Can't wait to be honest.

Good review there

I always wanted an S3 but TBH was just put off by the price of them

After reading lots of reports like yours I feel that I made the right choice with the 172

Good luck with the 197....ignore the '182 is better' etc banter and enjoy it. Seen a few out and about now and they look great

 

[Jezzer]

Thanks Neil.

I bought the S3 after taking a look at the 172 (which was in a rather fetching bright red) but decided upon something with perhaps better refinement. S3's are coming down in price so they are still worth considering. Servicing costs from an independent dealer aren't too bad either (apart from the cambelt change). I liked mine but the rattles became really annoying after a while - must be that really harsh ride shaking the car apart.

I had lurked a bit before joining and I saw quite a few 'anti-197 vibes'.

For me, the 197 seems to tick the right boxes.

 

[Neil G]

I've got to have the cambelt done on my 172 next month so I'm going to hang onto it for the meantime. TBH it's been a great little car, reliable and cheap on petrol & insurance.

It's always the same when a manufacturer redesigns a much loved/cult model in a car range.....everyone whines for a while then comes round to thinking it's the best.

There are a few 197 owners on here (Seb) so probably worth chatting to them about what the car is actually like to drive etc. From what I gather it's even better on the handling front which at the end of the day is what makes RS Clios such fun to drive

 

[Andyman]

Think of all the Clio Sport models your picking the slowest probably least fun example.

If you want fun go for a Cup followed by a mk1 172 then a Trophy.

If the car is a decent one owner example the owner will have had all the wee rattles ironed out just like any other car.

TBH yes it will feel slightly low rent compered but like whats been said you cant compare the 2 as they are a totally different car. IMO the Clio is no where near as bad as a few folk are making out and personally i think the seats are pretty comfy and thats with 100k worth of sitting

 

[goochio]

I'll do you a straight swap for my 172?

Im also from Shrewsbury!

No thanks mate, want a 182

Paying £1700 on the S3, i know its alot but im enjoying it now before i have to get something sensible!

alright mate, ive recently brought a 182 and have 4 yrs NCB, went with privilige and its £841 fully comp. they were much cheaper than anyone else. im 22 aswell.

 

[Jezzer]

Well, if my single priority was 'fun' then perhaps I would've bought a 182 cup. However, I wanted a car which was both fun and relatively solidly built. At one point, I was damn close to getting a (bright red) 172 but the build quality put me off - even though the car had a really high enjoyment factor. So I bought the S3 instead.

So, honestly, I don't mind driving the 'slowest and least enjoyable' Renaultsport Clio. I like the other things the 197 brings to the table - a more supple ride, improved build quality, more supportive/comfortable seats, greater all-round refinement/subjectively better looks.

Here's a bit of background: My first car was a Renault 5, then I had a 1.4 Clio Mk1, then a Megane Coupe 16v, then a Laguna, then an Alfa 156, then a BMW 3 series, then an Alfa 147, then an Audi A4, then an S3. Now, I'm going back to the Clio because I've always had a soft-spot for Renaults and (touch wood) I've never had any problems with them - unlike my Alfas and my Audis....

It's a case of horses for courses isn't it?​