197. Not impressed.

[ja.jack]

Took the cup for its first service on Friday. I had the test drive passport so was let loose in the 197 demo. And boy, did I give it a hammering.

Yes, its got fantastic brakes and feels more stable going round corners at 80 ish, and compared to the cup's low budget interior its like a palace. But the thing that bugged me was the power delivery characteristics . The rev limiter seemed to be just at the end of the power band. Consequently, when I did a few standing start sprints I found it almost impossible not to bounce it off the limiter in first and second gears.

Very frustrating! Not so in the 182 as you run out of puff before the cut-out, so are usually in the next gear up. Not important you might say but it annoyed me.

I think if you are after more thrills than the 182/172 can supply, you should look past the 197

 

[Fred@BTM]

it felt very strangled when i drove it, had no balls

 

[miltage2]

197 is just not the same! how about a new v6 version. Would like to drive the 197 Cup thou when it is out

 

[tommyboy]

v6 then it will be redeemed

 

[jayxx83]

They look pretty good on the road though. Very muscular and agressive, shame about the lack of poke.

 

[BLUNTY]

Test driven one also on friday, brakes felt better gear box excellent but my 182 seems much faster and more raw as a hot hatch should i do nt think i will be buying a 197 unless they make it more involving as it seems to be a bit to refind for me

 

[Batman]

i think io may deliberate on a v6 version running 300bhp rwd that wud be awesome

 

[16v_jon]

it feels like driving a cup with 3 fatties coming along for the ride

 

[Jay]

Would be interesting to drive a cup/trophy version though!?

 

[DH_GTI]

drove one today and though the same, lack of power feeling, but sounds so so so so good, i think, wont be trading my 182 in for one tho

 

[Graham Gooch]

as much as i want one i dont think i will get one,

its just too slow or at least feels that way i really like it though

 

[Phill1978]

i would of got one but the idea of a car weighing only 90kg (one fatty) extra and with recaros and 300nm torque vs 215nm and 222hp vs 195hp was more appealing

evo wrote:
"Once you’re in the groove, the 197 is an awesome proposition. If Porsche ever did a hot hatch, it would feel like this – searing engine, supple, adjustable chassis and brakes that never give up. It moves the game on from the 182 in virtually every respect.
My only concern is that you need to be going really hard for the 197 to shed its clinical efficiency and really start to deliver visceral thrills. Perhaps the root of the problem is that you no longer get that compelling big engine/little car feeling

Once people understand which most CS fans knew before it came out that the 182/172/cup were the last of a generation then they will accept the 197 as aside from a compromised vx220 or elise there isnt any 'new' 06 released cars that are ever going to truley go back to the Cliosports of old.

still when did a 172 or 182 have these Genuine Highend seats that could as welll be in a Audi RS4 ...

have high speed stability that a 172/182 cant match and stability at high speed is important as a. a fast car is pointless without it and b. you die if it isnt there..

to top it off with the luke warm reception of the 197 renault will deffo go a long way with the cup to making it very hardcore and lighten it to bring it inline with the HP per tonne of the 172cup not only that the 197 may only be out 18months before a 200 or 210 variant comes out just in time that the Megane250 is out so knowones toes are stepped on.

still, you could just strip a 172/182 or buy a trophy and fettle another 15hp and have a much faster car in a straight line and more importantly Small car Big engine feel still.

the 192 is a real sensible car now lots of people will buy them who wouldnt have looked at a 182/172 thats not a good thing for us wanting a bit of exclusivity is it now

 

[Fletcher]

I really like the new recaros in that 197.

 

[fizzy_drink]

The more stability, the less agility. That's how it goes AFAIK.

 

[seb]

nice post meggerman.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

The seats look good , but thats about as passionate as i can get about the 197 .

 

[miltage2]

loving those 197 Recarro's !

 

[gazcaddy]

loving those 197 Recarro's !

They are well comfy too!

 

[DebV6]

Love the recaros! But I wasn't impressed with the drive either, it felt dull and didn't feel like it had the same character as the 182

 

[Graham Gooch]

those seats have made me realise why i want one again,

Ive booked a 2nd test drive as i cant make my mind up lol, must try to relax and let the car do the work

 

[Graham Gooch]

This will always happen look at the history

the 5 gt turbo was 830kg the clio 16v added that up to 980kg. Thats a massive hike and the power went up only 10% odd from 120bhp to 137bhp.

The generation of clio 16v and williams devotees must of been shocked at the 172s portly weight etc... thats life eventually people will accept the new clio and get on with it! Several people have written on here to have had good drives in 197s, at the end of the day I trust renault to make the right decisions, they are a business and you cant get away with flimsy cars that are not built that brilliant anymore.

 

[Phill1978]

they are a business and you cant get away with flimsy cars that are not built that brilliant anymore.

true, and im sure the clio197 has better plastics and features but are they put together well ? as manufacturers have been able to do it on BMW`s and Mercs etc.. for decades regardless of interior quality in terms of plastics and ergonomics.

cant see how there can be a nxt generation supermini after the 197 if its 1240kg now and only 20cm shorter than the hatchback megane then nxt gen must by that logic be 1300kg and 10cm shorter.. can a supermini exist as a format nowadays ?

 

[kully]

defo more civilised than hot hatch .............. more for the older mature racer than ppl wanting hot hatch fun

 

[Graham Gooch]

true, and im sure the clio197 has better plastics and features but are they put together well ? as manufacturers have been able to do it on BMW`s and Mercs etc.. for decades regardless of interior quality in terms of plastics and ergonomics.

cant see how there can be a nxt generation supermini after the 197 if its 1240kg now and only 20cm shorter than the hatchback megane then nxt gen must by that logic be 1300kg and 10cm shorter.. can a supermini exist as a format nowadays ?

the ones I have sat in at goodwood felt sturdy and when I test drove one the build quality is at least one level above the 182, tbh getting back into my car its plainly obvious the 182 is a 'budget' car

as for can the supermini still cut it.............in a word yes, the 197 isnt THAT heavy , sure its put on weight but its not a million miles from the civic type-r weight and that flew with a real 197bhp, If renault produced the car with a real 200BHP not ps or hp DIN etc with its current gearing it would be a very quick car, probably quicker to a ton that a megane, this is the core reason renault have tamed it somewhat.

Like I said as a ownership prospect for a car that has to do everything the 197 is certainly attractive, and it stands out against the humdrum superminis that you can buy, it genuinely turns heads in the brighter colours like red. I find myself sticking up for this car alot, guess I just like it. I know that if I had the chance to drive one like a hooligan I could enjoy it.

 

[Fletcher]

They are well comfy too!

I didn't think the Recaro seats were on any demo cars?

 

[Dj Marky MarK]

I had this for a week when it was released a few weeks ago which including a blast around Castle Coombe.

I've got the 172 and was really looking forward to driving it. Overall, I wasn't half as impressed as I'd hoped to be.

The first thing that I didn't like was the speed sensitive steering. At slow speeds the steering feels electronic and unattached. That is what speed sensitive steering does, but for this kind of car, is a bit unnecessary and takes a bit of getting used to.


It also wasn't as pretty as I'd seen on pictures. I rememeber seeing the old 172/182's and thinking how good they looked and even better close up. The 197 didn't make me want to keep having a 2nd look.




The brakes were really good. Really sharp. Interior didn't impress me. Cheap plasticy look and really basic.

Here's a fact for you... if you sit inside and measure door panel to door panel then it is actually wider inside a Williams than the new 197. All the safety buffering bits they put in doors now mean it's a wider car from the outside, but not in the inside.

The main thing I noticed about the 197 was that it didn't feel as quick as the 172. Because the power band is so progressive, you don't have that burst of power in the high end like you do on the old one. Ok you get more power for longer, but it just didn't seem as fun.

I'd really had high expectations for the 197 and whilst it is still a great car and for the money probably the best new "hot hatch" you can buy, it's lost some of the old "Clio Sportness" that made the olds ones so much fun. Whilst you can still get good 172/182's... I'd save your money.

 

[Neil G]

I think this car is quite a beautiful looking machine but I have yet to drive one so can't comment on that.

 

[jooliona]

had a good look at them at donington on sun, i'm still surprised by how much bigger they are. it just seems like its closer to a megane now so i dont know why u wouldnt get a megane instead? :S

 

[Kinsella]

I went for a test drive in one the other day -

Love the body, its kinda different and i love it, the interior again is totally new, not just an update like clio have been doing for years, but the big lacking place i find is its power, the thing needed to be revd hard to make it even move like my cup - it did sound mint tho....

I actually kinda want one !!

If your into flying everywhere then you would want somthing faster or just to stick with the 182, if your into the all round thing like me i would be swayed to actually get one - i may get one in a year or two 2nd hand when they price drop haha.