Advice and views on new 182’s

[langers]

Ive had my 182 for 2 weeks now and thought I would post my findings, advice and opinions on this forum for other people who have never had one...

1. Shop around - When looking for my car I played dealers off against each other, I went for a test drive in a Honda Type R and the renault 182... I prefered the 182 by far and went to the local dealers.. there I got a quote. Then I went to two other renaults dealers with this quote and told them beat it... I even went back to the Honda dealer and showed them what I could get.... I got massive discounts this way and ended up paying about 12k (first owner).

2. The car does not come with a spare tyre, I asked two dealers about this and one said ts because of the exhaust system going down the middle of the car and the other said it was now Renaults policy not to do spare wheels.

3. Instead of a spare wheel you get this foam that inflates the punctured tyre and fills the whole... this is only temporary... ive not tested it so cant give you my view on this.

4. I am 6 foot 3 inches and find the driving position a little hard going, the steering wheel is about 1-2 inches too far away for me and as a result I have to move the seat forward a bit too far, this in turn effects my clutch control... The steering wheel can be moved up and down but not in and out.

5. The driving seat although movable is still a little high for my taste.

6. You adjust the back of the seat using a handle rather that a twiddly nob (no giggles please)... this I find makes it very hard to get the seat just right.

7. When I first got the car it felt like it was going to stall when idle.... this has got better as I have worn the car in.

8. The engine in my car is not always smooth sounding, sometimes I can hear a noise (just my old astra when the tapets got loud).. it does not always do this.

9. When pulling away when I first get in the car I feel a quick thud or bump coming through the break pads, this only happens when the car has been idle and off and ive been told its to do with the ABS and that its fine.

10. The suspension is very tough and bad roads can sometimes make the ride quality very unplesant... its a sports car though and you expect this.

11. The car drinks petrol.... even when driving miss daisey!

12. The car is fairly noisey inside (but can sound good)

13. I find you either have to have the stereo on 16 volume or above for it be loud enough, below and it is jsut too quite.

14. The speakers lack bass

15. There are diffirent views on wearing the car in, when I first got it I found the temptation to go fast too much... I phoned a few dealers... some of them said not to worry and drive as I want while others said take it easy.

One dealer made the best point though, ive only got the car for 3 years and its under warranty and they test the engines before going into the car.

Ive done 350 miles now, the first 100 I didnt go over 80 mph or about 4 rpm.. after this ive pretty much drivin it as I want... ive still not gone faster than a ton and ive not had the engine at high revs for long periods of time.

I can feel the car getting looser everytime I take a drive.

16. This car is fast ! ... I raced an old RS 2000 escort the other day and absolutely murdered it... the guy could not keep up and when we got the corners he jsut faided away. Ive also seen off an older version Honda type R and had some fun from some traffic lights against a new mini cooper S.

17. The steering is very heavy.... but just right when you get going.

All said and done this car is not a car .... its a go kart.... and I love it.

I am lucky, my partner has a Mazda 6... the steering on that is so light you can blow the steering wheel to take corners, everything about it is right...However it does not have character.....

If you want a very fast car that makes you smile when every drive it then go ahead and get one.... if you like your comfort and you want a car you can drive for 10 years then dont bother.

 

[Toypop]

How long did you have to wait from placing your order to receiving the car?

I have ordered a Titanium silver 182 so any photos you could post to wet my appetite would be much appreciated.

 

[langers]

NP, I will take some shortly for ya.

I to got the titanium silver

 

[cliotuRS]

your totally right with your views. although being 5.8 tall i can fit just right with some adjustment. steering wheel is indeed a little too big and mine runs very lumpy for the first 1-2miles. steering is heavy and interior build is arse. mechanically everything is sound so far i have 16K on the clock in the 172 (pretty much the same as the 182).

 

[rigone]

I agree wih all youve said, except for heavy steering, which I think is weighted just right. Ive had mine a week and just gone through 1,000 miles. Coming from a diesel laguna I cant get over how quick it is, especially over the magic 5,000 revs. Its a joy to drive such a communicative car and it really gets the heart going when you make swift progress along minor roads. I have noticed a big difference on the motorway though - it just doesnt feel so at home over a long duration, but I knew this before getting it. Driving position for me is not too bad with the seat right down. My girlfriend has complained that the passenger seat is much too high but I just put my foot down and that shuts her up. I should add that as a company car (boo-hiss) I didnt have the option of cup suspension. Despite this it handles better than any car Ive driven before and I really dont think I posess the skills to notice the difference between cup and non-cup suspension although Im sure its worth going for if you have the choice. It still feels firm and sporty! I have enjoyed a few minor duels on the roads around Kent although havent really gone through anything worth posting on driving tales yet. No problems to report really - all the usual quirks are there but for such a reasonably priced car you cant fault it really.

 

[Toypop]

Cant wait to see the pics. I want to see what my car will look like but all the titanium pics so far have been too small or not very good photos.


I notice you say that suspension is harsh, did you get the Cup packs? I went for them because I would probably regret not having them mainly because people would see the non anthracite wheels and consider my car inferior. As pointed out I doubt most people are good enough drivers to benefit from the Cup suspension and even if they are they shouldnt be pushing that hard on public roads.


The steering wheel is definitely too large and I dont know why they couldnt fit something smaller. The drivers seat doesnt go low enough and when it is lowered down it looks ridiculous with my mate in the passenger seat looking down on top of my head!!!!

 

[Griff]

"11. The car drinks petrol.... even when driving miss daisey!"

Compared to what? A moped!

So many owners have commented how fuel efficient the 172/182 is for a car of its type.

 

[182_blue]

Quote: Originally posted by .Griff. on 12 July 2004

"11. The car drinks petrol.... even when driving miss daisey!"

Compared to what? A moped!

So many owners have commented how fuel efficient the 172/182 is for a car of its type.

lol, its coz the tank is small, and because the fuel guage goes down quick to start with

 

[rigone]

^^^^^^^Good point. For a sporty car I think its pretty economical. I have had from 25-40mpg so far. I think thats good when you compare it to any similar performing car - Mini Cooper S, BMW 325 etc. The fuel tank is small compared to a larger car so Iguess it seems like its drinking a lot of fuel!

 

[langers]

Before I got the car I tested a 182 with and without the cup packs..

There was a noticable diffirence in the ride (nothing huge but still).. I found the car leaned a little more round corners .... the ride was more comfortable without the cup pack when just going down the street.

The CUP wheels look much better IMHO

I will try and put the pics up tomorrow, but its fealthy at the moment.... the wheels look realllly dark because of all the break dust

Also .. for the first time in two weeks I have driven the car in the dark and the head lights are amasing... it lights up the whole street !

 

[rigone]

Interesting that. I remember Phil Bennett writing that the 182 sat rallycar flat round bends with the cup pack or something like that and I must say that in the noncup pack you do do get a bit of roll when pushing round corners. Still sticks like glue though. I agree they look better too although after a week of not washing the car in this weather you honestly cant tell they are the silver wheels on mine (except where I scuffed one this morning - gutted).

 

[KnightAzul]

Quote: Originally posted by rigone on 12 July 2004

I have noticed a big difference on the motorway though - it just doesnt feel so at home over a long duration, but I knew this before getting it.

The concept of crusin at high speeds on the motorway is not really what the 182 was designed for. Your average diesel rep mobile and a lead foot will cruise at higher speeds and do it way more economically. However itll be a different story with an encounter on a twisty B road ...

You cannee have everything!

KnigthAzul

 

[J182]

lol, not washing the wheels thats what i did for a bit and you cant tell the diffrence!! but silver wheels look so much better then the anthracite with the Artic blue think they clash horribly would look a better if the car sat a tad lower though.

 

[Jools182]

Good post langers, i agree with most of your points. I did not go for the cup sus pack, kinda wish i had now after reading all the posts about what a difference it makes over the standard set up. I am still real happy with the car. She should be going in for her 12,000 mile service soon so that should be interesting considering Renault dealers rather dubious reputation....

 

[rcp]

Anthracite wheels with the Artic Blue looks stunning in the flesh. I wasnt sure about the 182 wheels compared to the 172 Cup wheels at first but once you get use to them they are great IMO.

 

[CocoPops]

Quote: Originally posted by rcp_ on 13 July 2004

Anthracite wheels with the Artic Blue looks stunning in the flesh.

Just what I wanted to here.....

Only 4 days to go!!!! hehe

 

[J182]

Comes down to taste I guess!

 

[langers]

In my opinion the silver (no cup option) wheels look better on the blue (what ever you want to call it) 182 while the darker (cup option) wheels looking better on the titanium silver.

I havent seen any other 182 in the other colours

 

[FierceBanana]

I agree Langers

 

[J182]

Or Yellow, looks amazing with the anthracite alloys.

 

[cliotuRS]

yea but wont most people switch for aftermarket wheels as their first mod.

 

[FierceBanana]

you could be right, but i really like the anthracite alloys so probably not gonna bother changing them.
With the exception of a trackday wheels

[Edited by FierceBanana on 13 July 2004 at 5:11pm]

 

[dk]

Quote: Originally posted by cliotuRS on 13 July 2004

yea but wont most people switch for aftermarket wheels as their first mod.

i wouldnt think so, i only know of 1 who has so far!

They are very nice wheels, theres no point in changing them

 

[Lee]

I really like the Anthracite wheels against the Arctic Blue. Everyone whos seen mine has commented on how good they look.

I cant imagine well see many running around with different wheels on. Its not like they are as bad as the Mk2 172 wheels.

 

[CocoPops]

Got any new photos Lee?

You know, tide me over til I get mine on saturday

 

[Lee]

No sorry Lee, Im waiting until Ive given it a good waxing. You know what it looks like anyway. Its just a common 182.

If Im not too hung over this weekend Ill do it then otherwise it will be the following weekend. I dont want to start the job if I know I have to rush it.

I did take a nice photo of a plant at work which Im trying to get back to health again though.

 

[CocoPops]

Quote: Originally posted by Lee M on 13 July 2004
No sorry Lee, Im waiting until Ive given it a good waxing. 


I meant photos of the car

 

[Balders]

Theres a couple of references to adjusting the height of the drivers seat in the above posts. Does anyone know how to do this? I didnt even know it was possible...

Cheers

Balders

 

[dk]

its just one of the levers moves the seat up and down, try them all on the seat