197 and 200...How much difference is there?

[yellow_chris]

Im not to clued up on any models past the 182 since i havent owned any of them (yet )

So im looking for some advice since in the next few weeks il be getting another clio.

Ive first been looking at getting a 200..must have the cup pack (not driven the non cup so i dont know the difference) and recaros.

I then thought about getting a 197 f1..? as ive never been in/near/driven one i know nothing about these yet.

Reason im asking is between the cars ive been looking at there is a good £3k+ difference between the 2..

In your opinions which one and why?

 

[AUTOCRASH]

pm steve a trader on here if your looking for a minter and spec!

 

[yellow_chris]

pm steve a trader on here if your looking for a minter and spec!

R -SPORTS or something along that lines? ive seen his 197 on PH for sale..really nice but then its not an f1, if i get a 197 has to be an f1

 

[Knuckles]

I was in the same position as you, ended up with the r27 for insurance lol

My spec had to be

Ly
recaros
cup chassis

I figured I'd look for r27s as you could only get ly in that spec an itd come standard with recaros and cup chassis ( they introduced the cup chassis with the r27 so there's a bit benchmarkness about it)

Then I wanted
xenons with cornering lights (look for washer jets)
Climate control (look for buttons on dash)
Cup spoiler or no spoiler (so I can fit the cup spoiler later)

Find an r27 and a ff 200 and see which you prefer.

I imagine it's £3k extra for not much extra car if you get the 200

 

[yellow_chris]

It was liquid yellow ones i looking at lol.

What extras were available with the r27s? Just so i know what to look out for.. Ive seen them fitted with the aero kit and im quite liking it!

The only good thing about getting a 200 is..chances are it will still be in warranty,have lower miles,newer..but then its still quite a bit extra to paying on top of a 197 if they are basically the same

 

[Kyle92]

If you have they money and want a 200 i'd say go for the 200. In my opinion, visually; they're better. Not so sure about what's in what so I can't help there. But I know if I had the money to pick i'd go for the 200, it's all about what you want not whats cheapest at the end of the day.. if you can afford it

Edit, also.. If i'm right i believe the r27 is just an FF 197 special edition

 

[Beef-Mc]

http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24860

This would get my vote tbh, some pretty nice options on it.

 

[Knuckles]

The aero kit is a must have IMO, wasn't keen on the splitter at first but now I love it. I just need the skirts and spoiler now

Electric heated folding Mirrors (on the mirror adjust knob therell be a dot on the bottom to spin the knob round to which will fold them in)

Xenons with cornering lights (look for washer jets. Complete novelty but it's quite cool at night)

Climate control (buttons/ screen on the dash rather than the knobs)

Standard kit iirc is
auto lights
auto wipers
anthracite alloys
recaros
Red brembos

I made sure to get one with all the decals as they're over a grand to buy from Renault (as I didn't want an r27 without them, would you de sticker a trophy? )

Youll find a lot of 200s are coming to the end of their warrenty. I took a 3 year warrenty out on my car when I bought it.
And re milage. Mine had around 27k on when I bought it

 

[Knuckles]

http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24860

This would get my vote tbh, some pretty nice options on it.

+1 on that

 

[Kyle92]

+1 on that

^^^

 

[yellow_chris]

Yup i seen this one for sale..closest f1 to me for sale.

Has anyone driven both the 197 and 200 with the cup packs? would like to know the difference..I have driven a 200 cup and loved the driving(not as fast as i thought but thats nothing to worry about) the feel of it on the road and the handling was second to none in my opinion hence why i want the cup packs.

 

[200 Alex]

Not a massive difference from 197 to 200. 200 handles better and in my opinion looks much better. I have driven both extensively (I own a 200).

I jumped from a 182 to a 200 and there were a few things I noticed instantly.

The weight of the car. The 200 feels a bit heavier, but also seems to grip better. It's a strange sensation, difficult to describe.

The brakes. Are incredible, enough said.

The whole interior and feel of the car. It is so much more presentable on the inside, the steering wheel is a lot smaller and so a lot easier to use. Seats are more supportive and comfortable. The yellow rev counter is also a nice touch. Speaking of revs, the gear shift beep is also fantastic in my opinion. Really worth having on the track too.

The engine/gearbox. The gearbox is worlds better than the 182. The extra gear is also nice to play with. Engine wise, due to it being heavier they are about the same, the 200 may be a little better lower down.

On the whole I have had no regrets buying mine, cracking cars and so much more grown up than a 182. The perfect hot hatch.

 

[yellow_chris]

I must say the brakes were amazing when i test drove one..done an emergency stop test really impressed with them.

It was 200s i started looking at but then i thought i could save some money getting a 197 instead

 

[Kyle92]

I must say the brakes were amazing when i test drove one..done an emergency stop test really impressed with them.

It was 200s i started looking at but then i thought i could save some money getting a 197 instead

If you're spending so much on the car anyway, i'd just go all out and get the 200

 

[yellow_chris]

Just go full out lol.

Has anyone dirven both a 200 and a 200 cup?

 

[200 Alex]

Depends what you want mate.

Cup has poverty interior and key start but is a little lighter.

Non cup or 'full fat' has keyless entry, push button start and soft touch dash etc.

I've gone full fat with cup pack, it's the best of both worlds

 

[yellow_chris]

has to be the non cup then .. what difference does the cup pack to the non cup pack make? what extras are involved there apart from calipers and suspension ?

 

[crombie1]

i think the 197 looks much better

 

[not normal dan]

I have just got rid of my 197 an replaced it with a 182 trophy, originally had a ph2 172 before the 197. The 197 was a cracking car no doubt about it, felt planted in terms of handling brakes weren't as good as expected until I replaced the brembo pads for ferodo ds2500 which made it awesome. The performance wise well, it was a quick car don't get me wrong seemed to have a bit more power lower down compared to 1*2 but lacked the "raw feel" which tbh kind of dissapointed from the start an tbh put me off the car which is why I only had it for 9 months. But I did like the little extras like the keyless entry an start an it did feel like a well put together car but it just didn't really feel like any sort of jump performance wise, maybe I should have gone for the megane at the time, oh the mpg weren't quite as good tbh but I guess f you want mpg you go tdi.

 

[Kyle92]

it was a quick car don't get me wrong seemed to have a bit more power lower down

What're they like 0-60? Someone asked me and I couldn't give them an answer as I've never had the chance of driving a sport (on a 197)

 

[not normal dan]

What're they like 0-60? Someone asked me and I couldn't give them an answer as I've never had the chance of driving a sport (on a 197)

Not sure but I'm sure google will tell you, I like a quick car but I don't spend too much time looking at 0-60 times as I prefer to concentrate on the drivability and handling which is in my opinion what clio sports are all about. Point an shoot handling an just enough power to give other bigger cars a scare on track or a b road

 

[MarkCup]

has to be the non cup then .. what difference does the cup pack to the non cup pack make? what extras are involved there apart from calipers and suspension ?

Red calipers, anthracite wheels, much firmer springs/dampers, 7% (I think) quicker steering rack.

How do they compare? Couldn't tell you, I've never driven one with Cup suspension.

What I can say after having covered 13k + 2 trackdays in my non-cup 200 is that the cup setup is not needed. My car has as much Renaultsport DNA running through it as any other, but it's driveable at pace on roads which would have a cup suspended one stuttering.

On a billiard table smooth race track I don't doubt the cup setup would feel sharper, but mine doesn't feel lacking in any area on road or track. At all.

 

[Kyle92]

Not sure but I'm sure google will tell you, I like a quick car but I don't spend too much time looking at 0-60 times as I prefer to concentrate on the drivability and handling which is in my opinion what clio sports are all about. Point an shoot handling an just enough power to give other bigger cars a scare on track or a b road

Yeah i'm not too bothered myself, my friend just likes to boast over the fact he could probably beat a 200 off the mark so i wanted to see how it compared haha. Cheers anyway

 

[not normal dan]

Red calipers, anthracite wheels, much firmer springs/dampers, 7% (I think) quicker steering rack.

How do they compare? Couldn't tell you, I've never driven one with Cup suspension.

What I can say after having covered 30k + 2 trackdays in my non-cup 200 is that the cup setup is not needed. My car has as much Renaultsport DNA running through it as any other, but it's driveable at pace on roads which would have a cup suspended one stuttering.

On a billiard table smooth race track I don't doubt the cup setup would feel sharper, but mine doesn't feel lacking in any area on road or track. At all.

Got to agree there I found my 197 so easy to drive at pace on the back lanes

 

[gez 172]

Recaros are a must IMO, makes the cars driving experience much better having them hold you in.

 

[200 Alex]

I've only ever driven cup packed 197's and 200's.

The ride is very bearable on my car and the quicker steering rack really makes it easier to drive, especially around town.

I will agree with everyone who has said they don't feel as 'raw' as a 182. I had a 182 cup which felt like a crazy little exhaust popping, three wheeling tin can. So much fun.

The 200 is the bigger, more sophisticated brother. In every sense of the word.

 

[Chapppers11]

it's driveable at pace on roads which would have a cup suspended one stuttering.

On a billiard table smooth race track I don't doubt the cup setup would feel sharper, but mine doesn't feel lacking in any area on road or track. At all.

The Cup pack hasn't hindered me on any road tbh, and I live in the middle of nowhere. It's seriously epic as well, but like you, I haven't driven without.

All I will say is that resale will be slightly easier with.

Ado near me has driven both and chose the Cup chassis with Recaros. Probably best if the OP tries both!

 

[R-Sport.]

apart from the look the MOST noticeable difference is the acceleration between 1 & 4k revs- the 197 is almost pedestrian compared with the 200-

Also the 200 handling is another step up!

I have been looking at all the faults on the 197- gearbox etc & you can add another one to the list-
Steering racks-

When I look at the fault threads on 197.net every other one is about clunky steering, its only now ive realised that you can replaced the track rods, ball joints etc etc , however the steering racks are not as good as they should be....

The same on the 200 though .............

S

 

[ado]

As chappers mentioned I've driven all the cars in question at length.

200 vs 200FF: only reason I went for the 200 FF was because I planned on using it on track days and the quicker rack felt much better. Otherwise the normal suspension is much better suited for road.

197 vs 200: there isn't a huge difference between them but the little changes made the 200 much easier to drive at low speeds. The torque delivery is much better for when you really need it.

Perfect combo for me would be 200 non cup with the cup rack.

 

[msa197]

Also the 200 only has 4 seats where the 197 can sit 5!

 

[R-Sport.]

I would summerise by saying if you can afford both then choose the one you like the look of best-

all the differences can be resolved with mods anyway-

S

 

[Bobby.]

For me I would get a 197 and with the money you saved on buying a 200 put towards a turbo conversion.

F4rt is a fairly easy conversion, obviously get it mapped once fitted, 260 brake, still get 30mpg and your have some raw grunt then.

 

[jimbo666]

My R27 is for sale, can't get better than that!

 

[Gorms]

As i said in a similar thread the other day. For me it would be a 200 purely for one reason and one reason only, warranty. The earliest 200s were registered in June 2009 so will now be out of warranty but 2011 cars can still be found for good price.

But if you are not that bothered and intend to modify the car just get a 197 on the cheap, buy coilovers and stick a Megane lump in it then you have the perfect combo.

 

[Chip-mk1]

For me I would get a 197 and with the money you saved on buying a 200 put towards a turbo conversion.

F4rt is a fairly easy conversion, obviously get it mapped once fitted, 260 brake, still get 30mpg and your have some raw grunt then.

If I get a later shape clio, thats exactly what I intend on doing, the chassis is just so capable taking way more than standard power, and with an LSD being relatively easy to come by (well compared to a 172/182 box) it makes perfect sense to turbo them I think.

 

[gez 172]

200 insurance is cheaper than a 197 too. By quite a margin for some reason.

 

[Chip-mk1]

200 insurance is cheaper than a 197 too. By quite a margin for some reason.

IIRC the emissions is lower too, which might mean tax is?

 

[Chip-mk1]

IIRC the emissions is lower too, which might mean tax is?

Ccorrection, I just checked and although the co2 emissions is lower on the 200, both still fall into band J so are currently the same price, but if the banding changes in the future they could end up cheaper than the 197 then

 

[Bobby.]

If I get a later shape clio, thats exactly what I intend on doing, the chassis is just so capable taking way more than standard power, and with an LSD being relatively easy to come by (well compared to a 172/182 box) it makes perfect sense to turbo them I think.

Find someone breaking a R26. LSD, gearbox and engine with turbo all in one might be exspensive but think of the potential! and as you say they feel like they can put so much more power down.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Recaros are a must IMO, makes the cars driving experience much better having them hold you in.

Guess if you spend that amount on some seats then you have to try and justify it to everyone you can....

The standard seats are fine, they are even shaped slightly like buckets anyway.
I have hit corners hard and not once has the seat not held me properly.

Recaro's would be a nice upgrade I agree, but a must....that's just rubbish.