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Just sold my Silver 172 Cup and bought new 197



MarkCup

ClioSport Club Member
LMAO

Hot hatch = hooligan
197 = family(ish) fast car that handles really well

I think they're gorgeous, well built...just not the right car for me.

I also think you're trying to hard to justify to yourself that you made the right purchasing decision.

And suggesting that we all need to grow up is a slightly moronic way to introduce yourself in my opinion.
 
  Astra VXR ex 172 owner
people say the 197 is well built but correct me if im wrong it may be bigger but its still a renault at the end of the day!!
 
people say the 197 is well built but correct me if im wrong it may be bigger but its still a renault at the end of the day!!

Yep, its just we haven't had 3 years for all the rattles to start yet, so obviously there much better built, right?
 
  182
untill the new sport gets a power lift i dont think these arguements will ever stop lol like everyone says put a 225 lump in it with a turbo and take this lovely range of clio to another level

simple
 

Gaz_

ClioSport Club Member
  Extreme mode
they do feel alot better. Better quality plastics, things like gearbox are much better engineered, more precise (sp) heck, even the door handles feel much better in operation. Also the 197 has a better fitting glovebox ;)
 
  Astra VXR ex 172 owner
well the rattles will come so its a gonna end up the same... its just that ppl say oh its bigger its better build quality ... so thats like trying to say a laguna wont break down as much as a clio bcoz its bigger?? im not saying u in general but thats how sum ppl put it across
 

Gaz_

ClioSport Club Member
  Extreme mode
lagunas have better built interiors....... deffinately, no question.
 
  RenaultSport 197
Hey GT_GAZ the Cup suspension is more focussed but I wasn't comparing it to a 172, I was comparing it to the 197. The 197 has superior handling and has been pushed beyond the limits of what was possible in my Cup (even with fresh Michelin Pilot Exaltos) and unlike the Cup doesn't smash into every hole and dent in the road.

I've never said that the 172/182's are bad cars, I love em and owned one for 3 years! The 197 represents a new generation of hatch. Bigger, safer, better build and more refined.

In the flesh, on the road, the 197 turns more heads than my Cup ever did.

Both cars are winners, but for different reasons.
 
  RenaultSport 197
Anyone that's been inside a 197 will know the build quality is far surperior, the doors are like as thick and heavy as my mums A4!!
 
  RenaultSport 197
I love my car and am not tryin to justify the purchase! Anyone that gets to own such a sophisticated piece of kit is a lucky bugger.

Read my first post and perhaps you'll understand why I making this point.
 
  Astra VXR ex 172 owner
cant imagine why to be honest coz in my point of view they dont look sporty ... ok they r cool cars but so is a new shape astra n that dont turn top many heads as my mate has one! am not slating the 197 at all im just a 182,172 fan lol
 
  Spec C 12.5@110 (345/355)
"Anyone that gets to own such a sophisticated piece of kit is a lucky bugger."

Lol, it's a small French hatch with a big engine, FWD, no LSD, dubious power output and shares the same platform with a Nissan Micra.
 

Fletcher

ClioSport Club Member
Anyone that's been inside a 197 will know the build quality is far surperior, the doors are like as thick and heavy as my mums A4!!

I've sat in a 197, and and yes it does feel better build then my Mk2 172, but thats not to say it won't start rattling when it reaches say 30,000 miles.
 

Munday

ClioSport Club Member
  RB 182, 1275GT, C220
The key thing to remember is that its 200Kgs heavier than a 182 and only has 17bhp (or ps) more.
 
  106 GTi
The ride and composure the 197 has are the best part of the car. It did ride really nicely, but felt the feedback of what it was doing through the front wheels ala CTR ruined the drive for me though. It grips and handles very well, and does ride a hell of alot better than a 1*2.

The lack of torque steer is just boring though ;) - impressive though how it just the wheel just stays straight when you give it a good bootfull to the redline even in 1st or 2nd, compared the tussle the 182 gives me. That lack of anything makes the 197 feel slow when maybe it is or is not?
 
  RenaultSport 197
It amuses me how all of you that slate the 197 do not actually own one and most of you have probably never driven one! lol
 
  Snotter's
my 2p's worth,my bro has just gone from a ctr to a 197.I have to agree the 197 doesnt feel very quick,dont like the abs setup and the backend is a touch light under braking but apart from that its a fantastic car.As for been slower than 1*2 my friend has a 172 cup on 36k and the 197 is about half a pubic hair faster.I know every car is different but pace wise there about the same from what ive seen.Im sure when they have some mileage they will free up just like all the "quick" 1*2's do
 
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
Hi GTVLEW

I take it you also have a 182, judging by your picture?

Clearly you havn't driven a 2Ltr RenaultSport engine for more than a few thousand miles, otherwise you'd know that they don't fully bed in until at least 30k.

The 197 feels slower because it's a bigger car! Have you ever been in a Lotus Elise? Probably not, or you'd no what I'm talking about.

And who would want to rant a car when you first own it, that's nuts!?!

Let's have a little discussion on the 172/182's shall we? Seeing as I owned one for 3 years...

How about the drivetrain that sounds like a tank?
What about the annoying longthrow gearbox?
Where is the six gear when I need it at 70 on the motorway? (just like you have pointed out on the 197)
What about the torque steer?
What about the constant need to reset the tracking?
What about the rock hard unforgiving Cup suspension that over time adds more and more rattles to the c**kpit!
What about the poor build quality and long list of faults that most owners endure?

As I said originally I've owned both cars, the original for 3 years. The excuses are weak. Many great cars have faults, as I've demostrated above.

Get your head out of Evo and start reading a few more reviews mate. There are hundreds out there....
Read my past , i too have owned a 2002 172 from new and sold it 3 years later with 55,000 on the clock, had a year off and bought an alfa 3.0 V6 GTV sold that and decided to by another clio 182 FF with cup kits i have personally done 12,000 miles in the 182 out of its 23,000 miles so i have racked up 67,000 miles in them so i think i know the clios a bit too,as far as bedding in like i said the 172/182s are quicker out of the box than a 197 , yes they loosen up after mileage also my tracking never went out once ,yes i had the exhaust changed under warranty a few times , wheel bearings , gearbox etc and what are you on about where is 6th gear, why produce a car with an 18mph/1000 rpm final drive.the only reason to stack the ratios so close together is to keep the engine in the sweet spot to offset its weight ,24 hr test drive was enough for me to make up my mind and as far as the mag quote, plain and simple the 197 has not moved on far enough, 19 years i have owned performance related cars so i'm no kid mate. to cut it short i was left wanting more from it. My money is going on a megane R26 this sept :rolleyes:
 

MarkCup

ClioSport Club Member
It amuses me how all of you that slate the 197 do not actually own one and most of you have probably never driven one! lol

How naive you are - how long have you been on here?

A lot of us will have driven the 197 on track/road probably before you were even aware it existed.

Come along to Brands Hatch on 14th May, show us how superior your car is?

I'd love you to take me round.
 
It amuses me how all of you that slate the 197 do not actually own one and most of you have probably never driven one! lol

How naive you are - how long have you been on here?

A lot of us will have driven the 197 on track/road probably before you were even aware it existed.

Come along to Brands Hatch on 14th May, show us how superior your car is?

I'd love you to take me round.

I'd love you to take me around :eek:
 
  Cupra 300 ST 4drive
Just a quick one , the build quality on mkIII , the wifes 138 Dynamique S is now on 3850 miles, and the rattkes are starting folks.
 
  H22A7 Accord Type R
The Tiff Video in the 197 is superb!! Oh and nice to see CS never changes. Opinions are like arseholes..........and there are plenty around ;)
 
  Mountune Tractor
they do feel alot better. Better quality plastics, things like gearbox are much better engineered, more precise (sp) heck, even the door handles feel much better in operation. Also the 197 has a better fitting glovebox ;)

Yeah my 172 glovebox is s**t!
For that reason only I'm upgrading to a 197.
lol
 
  RenaultSport 197
How old am I?

I'm 31 years old, if that matters!? I work as a Cisco Network Specialist at Vodafone's World HQ and I can tell you that our offices have got more supercars than what you've probably seen in your life!

I work with some of the most highly paid people in the uk and have been on Corporate track days and have been taken out in countless supecars, so I think I know what's good and what's not.

I wouldn't put my car on a track until it's done at least 10k and is well loosened up. If you want to test me then come back in a years time, if I can be bothered.

The only people that dis the 197 are you 1x2 owners! You can't accept that Renault has moved on and feel threatened by the change. All you do is reference one review from Evo out of countless top reviews from Top Gear 5th Gear, AutoCar etc. The 197 is a great car and is proven all over the web and in magazines.

If it doesn't live upto your expectation and you want more power then step up to a Megane and leave the 197 to satisfy those that want something equally as well built and designed, but slightly smaller and less powerful.
 
  RenaultSport 197
Just one other point gtwlev....If you have been in a 197 and a Megane R26 you would know that the interior is almost exactly the same, so if you really want a Megane and are doubting the new Clio's build quality you are being a little hyporitical!

Laterzzz

Vrrrrrooooommm!!!!!
 
  Mountune Tractor
How old am I?

I'm 31 years old, if that matters!? I work as a Cisco Network Specialist at Vodafone's World HQ and I can tell you that our offices have got more supercars than what you've probably seen in your life!

I work with some of the most highly paid people in the uk and have been on Corporate track days and have been taken out in countless supecars, so I think I know what's good and what's not.

I wouldn't put my car on a track until it's done at least 10k and is well loosened up. If you want to test me then come back in a years time, if I can be bothered.

The only people that dis the 197 are you 1x2 owners! You can't accept that Renault has moved on and feel threatened by the change. All you do is reference one review from Evo out of countless top reviews from Top Gear 5th Gear, AutoCar etc. The 197 is a great car and is proven all over the web and in magazines.

If it doesn't live upto your expectation and you want more power then step up to a Megane and leave the 197 to satisfy those that want something equally as well built and designed, but slightly smaller and less powerful.

Take a chill pill dude.
You have got a nice motor, a lot of RS owners don't like the 197 at the moment and they have slightly good reasons to back it up. Enjoy your car and the others like me will enjoy ours.
 


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