buying a 197

[n1ck]

hello all

i need to choose my next company car and the 197 is one of the options, as is the megane 225.

a bit of background from me before i ask some questions - prev cars i've actually owned have been a fiat 124 spider, then an s1 111s elise, then a 205 gti 1.9 when the bambino arrived - however i've had many short term company cars eg vectra sri, focus tdci, mondeo tdci with my current one being a mondeo ST tdci.

unfortunately (!) i now need to pick a car that needs to last me 3 years/80k miles that a) i'll have to drive ~50 to 100 miles a day in and b) will be tracked to within an inch of its life (considering i'll get all tyres/brakes/maintenance included).

questions:

1) fuel consumption when driven hard?
2) reliability?
3) ease of upgrades? ie induction/exhaust/mapping
4) any known problems?
5) what's the factory satnav like?

i've got a 197 (with the stereo upgrade & panoramic roof) on a 72hr test drive at the moment and i must admit i really have taken to it - decent power, great grip and a tight chassis even in these bloody wet conditions.

what are people's thoughts? my main concerns are the lack of leather as an option, and the (relative to my usual cars) lack of storage space.

any feedback is gratefully received

nick

 

[Gaz_]

motorway driver? The 197 does rev quite high in 6th.... which could get tiresome, the meggy would be a better cruiser?

 

[Pep]

if you want good gains go for the megane as its turbo, thats about all i know on the subject though!

they are both nice cars, i would go for the 197 though as i prefer smaller cars, but if you need the space then the megane is a good option, by far the best car in its class.

 

[n1ck]

the megane 225 probably specs out too expensive - well over £230/mth - if i wanted something a little bigger i'd get the CTR GT at £185/mth.

motorways will be no more than 20% of daily drive - being in field sales and working small patches it's mostly As and Bs.

 

[carina]

Well i own a 197 and my bf has a 225....


If you are travelling long distances then i would actually go for the meggy - for one its got a hell of a lot more storage space (one reason why i dont think the 197 is equipped to be a womans car ) and when me and the bf travel to Bristol (over 100 miles) we both agree the meggy is a little better.... however, i love the 197 and think its fab driving it around town and on the motorways you can really put it to good use . Also if you have an issue with the noise of the 197 at high speeds, just turn the radio up. Also the 197 is a little cheaper to run... but then if its a company car i am assuming you wont be paying those bills?

Either way both cars are ace and think you will be happy with either of them.

 

[martynh]

They do a derv Megane RS now, been getting very good reviews.

 

[black kro]

^ ditto, a LUX with leather and cup chassis

re-map to 190bhp/318lb/ft too

 

[singerm]

Alright n1ck. I've been running my 197 since Oct 2006, almost 15k and regularly use it on the Motorway aswell as the occassional thrash. Make no mistake, it does not have long legs! 4000rpm means around 80mph, so when u compare it to ur Mondeo.....I think u get the picture. Economy wise, if u want the best out of the 197, dont expect much better than 28mpg or thereabouts. Reliability hasn't been an issue so far and its been ok on oil. Overall, its been pretty faultless and the grip and cornering stability are awesome, but there's no denying, it does need more torque or the car needs to be a good chunk lighter. Thats where ur really gonna notice the difference with the megane and its punchy turbo. So, if u do find out about any decent performance upgrades let me know!

 

[n1ck]

28mpg? the one i've had for the past 2 days started at 25mpg (1k miles) and is now down to 23.8mpg (1200miles).

i've really fallen for it, so methinks this will be getting ordered soon - though i do wish they had leather.

spec will be - stereo upgrade, satnav (if possible), panoramic roof, funky xenon steering lights / climate control / wipers, smoked rear windows, and maybe the white wheels (do they look nice with a red body?) and as an outside the recaros (but i can't find a dealer with a car with said seats to try them).

then it will be fiddled with to add the sports cats / exhaust and then induction once one has been developed - plus a remap when that too is sorted.

can't wait

 

[trile]

satnav isn't available...
altough you could buy an aftermarket one.
You sure are going to have one crazy company car with all the mods u mentioned

 

[n1ck]

got a satnav unit so ok with that.

anyone got a pic of the recaros inside a 197?

 

[Saundo]

Damn you get a good choise of cars!! As we now buy our cars instead of leasing them i get the choise of a focus or a focus with no option to buy my own

 

[Munson]

n1ck, you mention the TypeR GT. Have you driven it? You should

 

[n1ck]

got the ST next tuesday/wednesday, then the CTR GT the week after.