Hi Guys,
Just a quick update with some of my findings and thoughts after about 6 weeks of owning my Racing Blue 182 Cup. It's actually been more than 6 weeks but 6 is a nicer number than 7.7142. A little background, before buying I this little rocket I had never owned a hot hatch nor actually owned a supermini. I had access to a 2000 reg Ford Fiesta for a number of years as my primary car and it was brilliant (in some ways). So the 182 is my first foray into hot hatch ownership and indeed Renault/French car ownership! 600 miles in and here is what I have to say.
- The Clio 182 is a good looking car
The facelift was a successful one (are you listening, Ford?) and this generation of Clio seems to have aged well. Add to that the extras that a 182/Cup pack/Cup bring and it is a nice purposeful little car.
- Racing Blue is a good looking colour
This is quite a bit thing for me, I think Racing Blue really makes the Clio stand out and makes it look special. I know there are a couple of colours that have the same effect but as I own one in Racing Blue I've got to sing it's praises.
- Racing Blue hides dirt well
Having owned a black car, I'm well versed in the art of being upset when the slightest amount of dirt spoils a freshly cleaned car. Somehow the Clio still looks relatively clean even when it is covered in winter filth which is a big thumbs up from me (you may beg to differ looking at the pictures below)
- Visability is excellent and the body proportions make parking a doddle
The breadvan shape, short bonnet, lack of boot and small footprint all add up to make this car a joy to sling around in tight spaces (minus the turning circle, which might get it's own bold type bullet point later). I'd say it is probably the best car I've owned visability wise and that is always a big tick for me. I test drove a Megane 250 a few years back and decided the car wasn't for me on the titanic blind spots created by that body shape.
- The turning circle is rubbish
I've got to be honest, this one took me by surprise having owned only rear wheel drive cars with different engine orientations for years. It makes perfect sense but the first time I tried to sling the Clio into a parking space I missed by a country mile.
Yes we know, but I'm going to say it anyway. My personal favourites are the cigarette tray that keeps coming with the USB charger every time I pull the phone charging cable out and the steering wheel which is made out of the cheapest plastic I have ever seen, ever.
- The steering wheel is rubbish
Yes we know again. It is too big, the quality is woeful and it is not a particularly attractive design. I completely get why people change theirs for aftermarket items or re-trim them but in the interest of originality I'll be keeping mine and moaning about it.
- The steering isn't as good as I'd hoped
Ok shot's fired now. I had read many superlatives relating to the way a renaulsport clio drives and they all struck a chord with me. Having owned many Ford's I can say that steering feel, weighting and accuracy is important to me. I've always been a bit disappointed with my M3's steering despite it having the faster rack from the CSL, it feels slow, too heavy and slightly 'gloopy'. The Clio is a different brand of disappointment, it is pretty good but weighed down by two things that grate on me. Firstly is the size of that wheel, it is like piloting a container ship. Secondly is the self centering action, I feel like (at least in my car) it is too strong. For comparison, my favourite steering rack was the setup in the Mondeo ST220, light, accurate, perfectly weighted and with plenty of feel. The Clio's also sometimes feels a little vague but I'd like to drive it in the dry on a warm day to confirm this as most of my hooning has come on cold/damp/icy days like today.
- It's an eager little thing
Yep, despite going through a couple of negative points I still love this thing. It is light, agile and quick. Having a large capacity engine in a light car is fantastic, all that extra torque makes it feel energetic in any gear which some petrol cars struggle with (and diesel at low RPMs before turbo saves the day). I bought the car to hoon around locally and it does that with aplomb.
- Those ugly seats are comfy
Yes I bought a cup, yes it has the horrible fabric seats from the 90s. No I'm not going to swap the nicer leather and alcantara seats in. Keeping the cup a cup is part of the long game. The benefit of those cloth seats is that I think they'll wear better than the more special chairs in the regular 182/FF's. Despite the absence of lumbar support they are lovely to sit in. The only negative for the driving position for me is that the steering wheel (to my knowledge) doesn't adjust for reach so I feel like I am slightly too far away from it.
- The engine isn't that special in most circumstances
I'll start by saying this; I am not an exhaust man. I never have been, but the Clio is the first car I've owned where I want an aftermarket exhaust. The engine itself is perfectly adequate, torquey at low revs and that nice timing change above 5000rpm ish. But it doesn't sound that special at low rpm and at high rpm everything is a bit boomy. Wanting to keep mine standard but needing a new exhaust anyway (my car is still on the original, or what's left of it) I will get an exhaust (still open for debate, I was looking at Janspeed catback until recently) but I'm not interested in any induction options even though that'd probably assist in easing my disappointment. The biggest annoyance of this lack of theatre is that when combined with the interior out of more cooking Clio's, when I am around town I feel as though I am just in your average 1.2 with no real cues as to the talent that lies within.
Torque steer was the biggest catalyst for going 'BMW', I used to get extremely frustrated at wrestling with the steering wheel accelerating in other high performance FWD cars and whilst it doesn't bother me in the Clio so much, it is there. The benefit of this setup is well known and I must say it is refreshing to not have to worry about putting a decent amount of power on mid corner or roundabout. In fact, it has been helpul in some instances (see following bullet point).
- My Clio is remarkably tail happy
As with most points here, the lift off oversteer capability of many a hot hatch have been discussed many times before. But I have never really encountered this phenomenon. What I do have is a car with brand new Uniroyal Rainsport 2's on the front and some less shiny ying yang ling long's on the back. The result is hilarious but not a crowd pleaser, at quite sensible speeds on wet roundabouts the car will be going sideways without any real provokation. Thankfully FWD saves the day and a helpful dose of the loud pedal get's us pointing straight again. It is a trait that I would like to remove though, and I am the biggest advocater for good tyres so this will soon be rectified.
- My Clio is not particularly economical
Yes this is a tuned engine of reasonable capacity, but 27mpg out of my last tank wasn't particularly impressive. More data is needed for me to properly gripe but I was expecting low 30's even though many journeys had been done on cold days over short distances. I would expect a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine in a car weighing a middle aged woman over a tonne to return mid to high 30's without trying too hard. This could be down to a variety of factors I know, but still.
- I am glad I bought one rather than an EP3
This was the other car that met most of my criteria when I was searching. I had convinced my brother many years ago to buy an EP3 over an RX8 and whilst I think it was the right choice, I also found the Civic to be boring and ugly. I have exchanged much banter with my neighbour on the subject (him owning a recent Type R and now an EP3 too), but in my opinion the Clio is the better car. What do I wish the Clio had? The lovely EP3 gear knob/gear shift, it is a thing of beauty in my eyes and maybe the engine too. Oh and the reliability. But the Civic was a car that in non-type R form was only owned by people over the age of 96 and the nose is proper ugly. I also think like ginger people that Honda's don't have souls. Please feel free to hate me. That car was a hoot when VTEC did it's thing but day to day I would have not enjoyed ownership as much.
That's just about all I can be bothered to waffle on about for now. If anyone actually read all of this please feel free to tell me why I'm wrong, disown me from the forums or digitally high five me for pointing out the obvious. I just felt like having a blow off after taking my first proper drive in it today, half way up the Cat & Fiddle to look at a sky without clouds (a rare sight for me these days). Pictures below, which sadly for me have demonstrated just how much this thing needs a decent clean or maybe even a professional detail, it has obviously been washed by a gorilla for most of it's life.
. Standard induction and janspeed is still my preferred option. How different does the exhaust sound compared to standard? As much as I'd love to go through a full refresh I am trying to mind the pennies as this was supposed to be a minimal cost purchase (I know that's impossible but I'm trying SO HARD).
