clio 172 or cup or focus which

[what car?]

will be leasing a new car. rates on cliosport 172 and cup and the focus st170 are all great, so which is best?



the cups performance is best, but the slower but higher spec 172 seems more appealing long term, i.e. half leather, aircon, ABS (sensible with all that power), so maybe my mind is altrwady made up?



maybe not?



the focus st170 may be heavier and not as powerfull, but whats in it?



so all your appreciated advice is valued highly......





write on

 

[Tom]

172 all the way

Focus is a noisy version of the 2.0 ghia

 

[KDF]

what one tom ? sorry I missed it ..

 

[u33db]

172 instead of the cup - youll get the important stuff like abs etc....

 

[what car?]

so cup or not cup?

 

[rt172]

Normal 172 unless you are using the car mostly for fun.

 

[what car?]

agreed, i mean abs doesnt weigh all that much.



really its a very messy range, why renault encourage faster cars with inferior safety features i dont know. the cup should have abs, full stop.



i know some say BAS is pants, but i totally disagree, you can stop and steer at the same time, if youare without abs and you skid, at speed under pressure you just always forget to pump the brakes!



plus if you are driving like a twaat and screech at a junction or a crossing, you look like a right twaaaat, but with abs, your car looks and sounds fast without the im a twaaat driver image when everyone can hear that you dont look where youre going!



if the cup had abs, then id go for it, and cummon renault, you could at least have half leather, im sure it dont weigh too much!

 

[rt172]

I personally think the ABS on the 172 is really good. If I break too hard, the wheels will lock audibley for a fraction of a second before the ABS kicks in. Just hear a chirrup from the wheels, no screeching. This means that the ABS isnt at all intrusive. Its only there when it needs to be.

Having once skidded across a main road in icey conditions with no ABS and being very lucky not to have killed someone, Ill always take ABS.

However, when it comes down to it, its about what you want. Sounds to me like a normal 172 appeals to you most.

 

[jon_r]

quote from Reno:

"Apart from the saving in weight, the ABS has also been removed because it is not suited to competition use. The braking system has been redesigned to adapt to extreme conditions of use. The braking power is retained but the degree of assistance has been reduced to make it easier to apply progressive braking while driving to the limit."

Personally id have the Cup with Climate.

 

[visceral]

driving to the limit in COMPETITION USE......not on the pot hole covered diesel sloshed cattle tracks that make up the UK road system.

Personnally Id take the 172.....hey! I already have.

Sit in a 172, and then a Cup....no doubt the Cup is more Raw edged, but sat in traffic on the way to work the 172 just makes more sense.

IMHO of course.

 

[RobFenn]

Completely agree with your ABS comment there What Car?, but as the Cup was meant for homoglation you can see why it was omitted, however, it is strange how it is not now an option like Climate Control.

Id take the Cup, i would want a light hot hatch, like they used to be, the driving experience in the Cup is that little bit more raw which im drawn to..however the 172 probably does make the most sense when you think of how it will be used day to day.

I have nothing against the focus, it looks smart, handles as well as the 172 and the engine has a nice tone, tad slow for something not much cheaper than the Focus RS.

-Rob

 

[KDF]

What car ?



dont forget its not just the ABS you would be missing out on, the 172 comes with side impact airbags built into the seats aswell as a million other things like a proper split folding rear seat and a spare wheel.

Really unless your going to use the car on a track, get the 172.. if your a track nut get the Cup.

 

[Pugboy]

cup...obviously...unless youre into your al-can-tart-ra and gimmicks.

Youll never look back

 

[paddymph]

Flame Red 172 please

 

[Chris n nic]

If its a company car, youll probably want the luxuries in the std 172 ( important things like "proper splitting rear seats" )

Not sure if Im right, but isnt ABS just as bad in the ice?

 

[Chris n nic]

If its a company car, youll probably want the luxuries in the std 172 ( important things like "proper splitting rear seats" )

Not sure if Im right, but isnt ABS just as bad in the ice?

 

[craigy172]

dont buy a focus my freinds got one i whip his ass all the time, its so slow and handles like a bag of poo.

go for a cup but if you like the extras go for a 172.

both great cars

 

[Pete]

Get the 172, focus is a horrid pile of poo, 172 has all the extras!

 

[TheOnlyGrunt]

If its a company car you may have need for the extra 3 point seat belt the 172 has.

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by paddymph on 03 October 2003


Flame Red 172 please

Is that nail varnish pink?!

 

[JonC]

I feel the Cup is more of a marketing ploy than anything else. Where as all the mainstream manufacters are release hatches with ever increasing power, toys, equipment, safety features, Renault has done exactly the opposite to differentiate itself from the rest of the market.

Strip everything out reduce the cost and therefore making it more affordable as the days of uninsurable hot hatches are long gone. Keep the same basic car and use the same engine and as weight is also reduced, it will keep up with the new breed of heavy more powerful hatches while keeping redevelopment costs low.

The Megan RS will be the heavy, well equiped and powerful hatch will take over the mantle of the hot hatch from the 172/Cup to compete with the likes of the Focus RS, R32, Alfa GTAs etc. Phase out the standard 172 and offer the Cup with A/C, leather seats, xenons etc as expensive options. Well done Renault for coming up with a great money spinner. IMO of course.

 

[JillyB]

buy a black car, doesnt matter what it is, if its a cup the spray it

 

[jonnyboy]

Quote: Originally posted by JillyB on 03 October 2003
buy a black car, doenst matter what it is, if its a cup the spray it


Damn right

 

[Chris n nic]

Quote: Originally posted by Rich-D on 03 October 2003

Quote: Originally posted by paddymph on 03 October 2003


Flame Red 172 please

Is that nail varnish pink?!

LMFAO!!!

 

[Darren555]

I have driven a Focus ST170 & the handling really is top drawer. Probably the best FWD car I have driven, but performance is pants compared to a Clio.

Darren

 

[Seedy]

I like my Cup but if i am honest its got too MANY comforts. Compared with my old 106 Rallye (when compared to the 106 GTI, The Cup should have!! none of the following.. no electric windows - no rear wiper - less stereo speakers (ie fronts only, well its only me in there) LESS sound deadning. er less of the dashboard gimmicks trip computer ect.. less door trim inside (see BMW M3 CSL) i am sure they could have stipped another 30+ kg off it originally...

Even no power steering well the steering feel on the Rallye was properly weighted under heavy use all the better for non assistance i say!!

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by Seedy on 03 October 2003


I like my Cup but if i am honest its got too MANY comforts. Compared with my old 106 Rallye

LOL

Thats what im like after coming from a 306 Rallye...

It aint no "stripped out racer" like some peeps think and they should try a Rallye out to see what its really like!

 

[D-CUP]

Yeah, the stripped out no comforts talk is a bit silly IMO.

ABS isnt a comfort (and is sh*t in icy weather). Nor is cruise control, xenon lights, or ESP which you really dont need.

 

[KDF]

Tell me what is good in the ice ??? car wise ! when it comes to ice it dont matter about abs or not, neither has an advantage.

Cruise control is handy on the motorway, but not really important to me (i dont have it, wouldnt want it)

Xenon lights, err I will stick with my Xenons okay you dont really need them but they are a hell of a lot better than normal lights, you get a proper white light from them and its much better for night driving.

 

[KDF]

Quote: Originally posted by Rich-D on 03 October 2003

Quote: Originally posted by Seedy on 03 October 2003


I like my Cup but if i am honest its got too MANY comforts. Compared with my old 106 Rallye

LOL

Thats what im like after coming from a 306 Rallye...

It aint no "stripped out racer" like some peeps think and they should try a Rallye out to see what its really like!

See thats what gets me about the Cup, its neither one nor the other. If your gonna go for weight loss/speed then it should be stripped properly, or you go for comfort like the 172. The Cup IMO isnt built for either, its built the way it is to save money and make a cheaper car.

 

[JonC]

Exactly KDF, Cups are great, but imo the whole thing is just a marketing ploy to get people to buy the Clio with the "less is more" strategy.

 

[Cup-pa]

Why the focus, why not civic type R - similar money, virtually same performance as the cup. Cup every time out of the 3 you listed though.

 

[paul172cup]

None of the above

Never liked Fords and would never buy another Renault again.

 

[oliverreed]

Go for the sh*tty focus - less on the road coz they are crap so more unique for the wrong reasons!

 

[rt172]

Quote: Originally posted by paul172cup on 04 October 2003


None of the above

Never liked Fords and would never buy another Renault again.

Thats a good point actually. Im another in the "never touching Renault again even if they paid me to" catagory. Its worth What Car? taking into account the likely service (see "lack of") that he will receive at a Renault dealer when his whole car drops to bits within 5 minutes of picking it up.

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by _KDF on 03 October 2003


See thats what gets me about the Cup, its neither one nor the other. If your gonna go for weight loss/speed then it should be stripped properly, or you go for comfort like the 172. The Cup IMO isnt built for either, its built the way it is to save money and make a cheaper car.

Actually I am rather impressed they managed to keep a reasonable level of spec on the Cup and still save 89kg over the 172.

The 306 Rallye has f*ck all and is very basic spec wise, yet even minus all that stuff its still only 52kg lighter than a GTi-6!

So think what they "could" have done if theyd adopted the Peugeot approach and done a pure no frills model.

 

[KDF]

Now that would have been interesting. !

You got to admit though the mk2 172 is pretty heavily geared up with extras 4 airbags, spare wheel, aircon, sound proofing etc. So there was a lot that could come out over the 306 GTI-6.

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by _KDF on 04 October 2003


You got to admit though the mk2 172 is pretty heavily geared up with extras 4 airbags, spare wheel, aircon, sound proofing etc. So there was a lot that could come out over the 306 GTI-6.

You do realise that the GTi-6 has also got climate, several airbags, auto-wipers, etc... and is fully loaded as well?!

The Rallye has b*gger all, it dont even get an alarm!

So its not a massive weight saving between the GTi-6 and the Rallye...

 

[KDF]

Well peugeot arent exactly quality cars are they ? i mean dont get me wrong but peugeot cars are always very light, so even with a stripped out rallye sl*g style car there wasnt that much to come out.

The mk2 172 by comparison is a much heavier car (not heavy by germen standards though)

I mean look at the Cup and the mk1 172 there isnt much difference between them and the mk1 172 still has all the goodies.

 

[rt172]

Quote: Originally posted by _KDF on 04 October 2003


I mean look at the Cup and the mk1 172 there isnt much difference between them and the mk1 172 still has all the goodies.

Agreed about the not much difference between them (not that Im biased or anything), but the mk1 172 doesnt have all the goodies. I think its only got spare wheel, multichanger, aircon and leather over the Cup. Probably explains why they are a similar weight.

No automatic wipers, lights, xenons, climate control, nice dashboard for us MK1 owners...