Mk4 .:R32
On my way to the gym, I was passing the renault garage and thought lets have a look around to if anything take my fancy (decent 182 or 197). Anyway, I ended up enquiring about the 197
Anyway, he took me out in the 197 annnd initial thoughts:
Looks (interior and exterior)
I didn't think it looked that special. Looks like any other new clio inside apart from the seats, which you could argue is the case with any of the sport range but fair enough. I would definitely be getting recaro's as an optional extra, 800 quid but worth it. I like the side diffusers, add a subtle sportiness to the car. Car looks too high though.
Performance
It Kangaroo'd like a biatch in 1st gear. You can tell its a fair bit heavier than my 172. It seemed as though there was ever so slightly more torque lower down than my 172, i.e. upto about 2-2.5k revs. I just felt asif it was lacking a little umph mid range. Didn't manage to test out the 6th gear as I was only on B roads and there was a fair bit of traffic. I imagine that would be good on the motorway though. My 172 is definitely faster, but not greatly so.
Economy
Rubbish in comparison to my 172. On average it came out as 24MPG with mixed driving styles over a 6 mile round trip. Saying that apparently Renault have altered the ECU settings on the newer 197's which allows them to do better MPG.
Brakes
The brakes were amazing, brembo ones. I almost made love to the windscreen a few times lol
Wheels/Tyres
I noticed it gripped the road much better than my 172, but that's probably due to the fact I've had my tyres on for a few thousand miles. The wheels suit the car perfectly, if I got a 197 I wouldn't change the wheels.
Suspension
It could have done with slightly stiffer suspension. I imagine aftermarket suspension will become a big seller with 197 owners. Should be sat about 3 cm lower imo.
Steering
The steering was horribly light. I prefer to feel whats going on underneath me. It would be great in traffic jams and for turning the car at low speeds, but I didn't enjoy that aspect.
Build Quality
You can tell that Renault are sorting the build quality issue out with their cars, its much better build quality than my 172, but saying that I'm sure it will develop some rattles in time
My 2p worth
Oh yeah and a 3.5 V6 Espace tried it on when I was back in the 172. He had a rolling start from behind me while I was at the traffic lights, I booted it and I thought why the hell aren't I losing this people carrier by much? I pulled about 5 car lengths. pulled into the left hand lane and slowed down, when it passed me I saw the 3.5 V6 badge on the side.
Anyway, he took me out in the 197 annnd initial thoughts:
Looks (interior and exterior)
I didn't think it looked that special. Looks like any other new clio inside apart from the seats, which you could argue is the case with any of the sport range but fair enough. I would definitely be getting recaro's as an optional extra, 800 quid but worth it. I like the side diffusers, add a subtle sportiness to the car. Car looks too high though.
Performance
It Kangaroo'd like a biatch in 1st gear. You can tell its a fair bit heavier than my 172. It seemed as though there was ever so slightly more torque lower down than my 172, i.e. upto about 2-2.5k revs. I just felt asif it was lacking a little umph mid range. Didn't manage to test out the 6th gear as I was only on B roads and there was a fair bit of traffic. I imagine that would be good on the motorway though. My 172 is definitely faster, but not greatly so.
Economy
Rubbish in comparison to my 172. On average it came out as 24MPG with mixed driving styles over a 6 mile round trip. Saying that apparently Renault have altered the ECU settings on the newer 197's which allows them to do better MPG.
Brakes
The brakes were amazing, brembo ones. I almost made love to the windscreen a few times lol
Wheels/Tyres
I noticed it gripped the road much better than my 172, but that's probably due to the fact I've had my tyres on for a few thousand miles. The wheels suit the car perfectly, if I got a 197 I wouldn't change the wheels.
Suspension
It could have done with slightly stiffer suspension. I imagine aftermarket suspension will become a big seller with 197 owners. Should be sat about 3 cm lower imo.
Steering
The steering was horribly light. I prefer to feel whats going on underneath me. It would be great in traffic jams and for turning the car at low speeds, but I didn't enjoy that aspect.
Build Quality
You can tell that Renault are sorting the build quality issue out with their cars, its much better build quality than my 172, but saying that I'm sure it will develop some rattles in time
My 2p worth
Oh yeah and a 3.5 V6 Espace tried it on when I was back in the 172. He had a rolling start from behind me while I was at the traffic lights, I booted it and I thought why the hell aren't I losing this people carrier by much? I pulled about 5 car lengths. pulled into the left hand lane and slowed down, when it passed me I saw the 3.5 V6 badge on the side.
