I drove a 182 Trophy and it blew me away!

[Tom|Nbk]

The only car which truly "blew" me away recently was a Group N Evo 6 Rally Car which I had for a whole day. The thing was an absoloute animal with 280BHP and weighing just over a tonne

My 172 didn't blow me away but that was because I came from an E46 320i which has the same amount of power and a little more torque. It does feel a fair bit faster though which it is.

 

[Brett]

They're all light years ahead of a 1.2. IMO yes they do feel like an entirely different car. Harder, more direct. Less elastic between the control surfaces and the bits they control. Obviously monumentally faster too.

Thanks, That is kind of reply I was after.

 

[scott7912]

Thought a Evo 6 i drove a few year back was quick, a friend of a friend owned it, it was a mint on i almost bought it. Then yesterday my mate picked me up in his new Focus ST which he had mapped the previous day to 280bhp or something, now that thing is fast, just power on tap in every gear, not so good on the twisty bits though due to it wheel spinning in 1st and 2nd gear. He said the Trophy would win hands down on the twistys.

 

[SirSimon]

Check out all the Trophy bashers.....

Get a Trophy you KNOW it makes sense.

 

[JT182]

Did I read something in this thread asking how a Trophy compares to a 1.2? Well.....
:lolup:

Simply, in driving terms, the best Clio that Renaultsport has ever made. I must have drove mine a thousand times now, and every single time it never fails to put a smile on my face. It's just the way it goes about its business on a challenging road that is amazing; the grip, the fantastic handling, the point-to-point pace, it just laps it up and wants more!

It looks gorgeous, one of the best things about it is the colour IMO. Granted, in photos it does look a bit dull, but when it's clean I wouldn't want any other colour. It stands out so much from 'normal' 1*2's. I parked up next to a silver 182 without Cup Packs last weekend at Renault and mine looked a million times better really. Gorgeous looking car is the Trophy.

The driving position as with all 1*2's is a criticism that most people make, but it's perfect for me. I'm 5 '10' ish, and love the driving position. The interior on the whole I find decent too. Ok, it's never going to rival a Mercedes S-Class in comfort and luxury levels but so what? It has good seats at least! So much better than the FF or Cup seats. I like seeing my little plaque aswell on the driver's Recaro each time I open the door.

The only thing I wish it had is Xenons. I love seeing photos of Ali's v6 and Christopher's RB with their Xenons blazing! I wish I had some!

 

[shadowsun]

I figured a 172 or 182 would feel the same as my Clio just faster but oh how I was wrong. It's not something you can easily describe which is why it put such a smile on my face. The car was a bit wrecked in my opinion, but even in that state it was like driving a heat seeking missile with the agility of a cat.

I'm lead to believe that the 1.2 Clio's are Sports models have different types of power steering because the 182 felt alot more direct and now going back to my 1.2 it feels as if you have no direct contact with the road.

I will also add that I've never really been into cars until recently so have always drove small engined cars, never an Evo or anything like others have so for me this was a BIG DEAL

I simply asked if they felt completely different to drive or just faster and better handling.

Tbh if you have never driven one its a perfectly reasonable question to me after all they are essentially the same car, if you picked the average person off the street and put a trophy next to a 1.2 at best the most they'd notice is wheels and exhaust.

 

[JonC]

The xenons on the Clio are IMO overrated. They look good from the outside, but from behind the wheel, they're not that great. They light up the road well enough to the sides but up a head, there is a sharp cutoff in the light beam limiting the range. I tried increasing the range on my 172 by adjusting the thumb wheel on the back of the lamps, but didn't really light it up any further and instead experienced more headlight flashing from oncoming cars!

The regular lamps, though only slightly dimmer (have Philips xtreme 80%+ builbs), light up the road further a head more effectively.

 

[Jay_A]

I started with a FF197 and now have a Trophy. Kinda speaks for itself.

But hey we have a Meggy 225 aswell

 

[bearne1]

Gone from a non-Cup 172 Phase 2 to one of these (I have to wait 1/2 months mind) and test drove it today, stunning car and the steering response was fantastic. Grips to the road like I have never experienced before...............

 

[Jamie]

I was going to start my own thread but as ever thought I would dig up an old one.

I recently bought one and it has blown me away.

It's amazing.

I too have come from a ph2 172 and I love it.

 

[clio_luke]

i love my ff182 but i should got a trophy.
when i picked up my 182 there was a trophy just in that day for an extra £500, should have had it

 

[JamieG]

How much different would the handling on a 172 CUP with properly setup H&R coilovers be to a Trophy?

 

[BenG]

Depends on driver ability. But I have had a spirited drive with a guy with a H&R'd 172 and I was carrying more speed into the bends and more speed out.

 

[Matt@Stealthsport]

Trophy is a well setup car out of the box and is also a limited edition like the Williams was and is fun on the road and track.

I love mine and can't see me ever selling it

 

[JamieG]

Depends on driver ability. But I have had a spirited drive with a guy with a H&R'd 172 and I was carrying more speed into the bends and more speed out.

Thanks

Pretty much what i was expecting. I am more than pleased with the H&R's on my cup - would love to try a trophy though!

 

[Tunst]

I have that feeling all the time, as my daily driver is a slow ass berlingo van... the 172 feels like a rocket when i get to drive it :approve:

I have a berlingo 2.0Ltr HDI Feels like a rocked compared to my 1.2!

 

[maz172cup]

lmao, i need to get myself a van

just catch a bus

 

[BenG]

Thanks

Pretty much what i was expecting. I am more than pleased with the H&R's on my cup - would love to try a trophy though!

The 172 used to be fitted with standard dampers and sportlines before the H&R's and let me say the H&R's made a massive difference. I have to compensate with added bravery to keep up now.

 

[Kneel]

I figured a 172 or 182 would feel the same as my Clio just faster but oh how I was wrong. It's not something you can easily describe which is why it put such a smile on my face. The car was a bit wrecked in my opinion, but even in that state it was like driving a heat seeking missile with the agility of a cat.

I'm lead to believe that the 1.2 Clio's are Sports models have different types of power steering because the 182 felt alot more direct and now going back to my 1.2 it feels as if you have no direct contact with the road.

I will also add that I've never really been into cars until recently so have always drove small engined cars, never an Evo or anything like others have so for me this was a BIG DEAL

I know the Trophy is an extra special clio, and tbh I do want to go out in 1 just to see what all the hype is about as it has such a high regard compared to a 1*2 etc. I think the biggest part of the wow factor may be the fact that you have come from a 1.2 though. I had my 1.2 with coilies on it, and at the time it felt amazing the coils really did make a huge different in terms of handling and at the time I thought it made up the gap between the 1.2 and a renaultsport clio...
Then I got my 197, non cup packed and it blew me away. It was the best handling car I have ever been in, such a joy to drive and it had just the perfect balance between feel and aid imo. I could always tell what the wheels were doing and could push the car as hard as I could, it was effortless to go fast and I could throw it into any corner I came upto with confidence. It was a completely different car, so much better and so much more fun.

The xenons on the Clio are IMO overrated. They look good from the outside, but from behind the wheel, they're not that great. They light up the road well enough to the sides but up a head, there is a sharp cutoff in the light beam limiting the range. I tried increasing the range on my 172 by adjusting the thumb wheel on the back of the lamps, but didn't really light it up any further and instead experienced more headlight flashing from oncoming cars!

The regular lamps, though only slightly dimmer (have Philips xtreme 80%+ builbs), light up the road further a head more effectively.

The xenons in the 197 lit up everything I needed to see, I cant see 1*2 xenons being that bad :S

 

[kam2turbo]

All I can say is wow! The power feels awesome and going back to my 1.2 is hardwork but the experience makes we want a 172/182 more than ever.

This particular Trophy was number 50 of 500 and I must admit it was a bit tatty which put me off - also has almost 50,000 miles on it.

What are the differences between the 172 and 172 cup and the same for the 182 and 182 cup? I checked wikipedia and it didn't really say very much.

I noticed that the car felt a lot loser than my Clio but I'm assuming this is because its almost double the mileage of mine.

Cheers.

50/500 i owned this last year and car was all good . you sure it has got almost 50k cuz when i had it, it almost had 60k and that was last year so now should be roughly 70k. if still under 60k then 100% some one clocked it back trust me. thats not right :nono:. no wonder your saying its loose and tatty.. i bet the dampers are ko.d and i bet the car will still sell for 6k all day long...

 

[kam2turbo]

forgot to say. 172 cup and trophy all the way for real. them two are simply the best trust me. nothing else better. 172 182 forget it.

 

[BenG]

All cliosports are fantastic and very capable cars on the road, why argue over which one is 'slightly' better than the other. This is just rediculous, I would love to own any.

Everytime I go on a cliosport meet there is always a bit of 'spirited' driving and to be honest the Trophy is quicker than most (on the majority of occasions) but the others are Never far behind, and at least always in my rear view mirror, some days I cant keep up ! I struggle to shake the H&R'd 172.

Im not sure on any of the other 1*2's but the Trophy is soo much fun to drive and inspires soo much confidence and just floats over the rough stuff with ease.

 

[Darren S]

Given the opportunity, I'd trade in my 182 for a tidy Trophy over a 197 or 200.

The Mk2 RS's (to me) are the best shape in the history of the Clios - slightly pipped to the post by a marginally lowered Williams. They just look 'right' and so in proportion.

D.