Went past renault today and noticed that they had the 197 outside on the showroom floor, so as i had a couple of hours to spare, thought i would go in for a look around...
first impressions - the thing is huge!!!!!! reminded me of a v6, really wide arches, it really was big.. much much bigger than the 182.. they had two colour, Albi Blue (demonstrator) and the Nimbus Red (sp) in the showroom.. the red is stunning.. The interior is very similar to the megane, same keyless entry idea, push start button etc, and again, feels huge!!
So we chatted back and forth, he really new his stuff about the clios, owned a 182 FF and was looking to get a megane 225 soon, and basically i managed to blag a test drive.. (im only 19, and look younger). He drove first, to put in petrol etc, and then let me go.. Here is what i thought of it...
Seats/Postition - Much improved over my 182, really grip you well, and much more adjustments in the seat, and the wheels, reach and height was handy..
Clutch - Horrid, way too light for my liking, really difficult to find a biting point, bit of a let down
Brakes - Awesome, very very good, though they would need to be with all the extra weight, look nice behind the 17s aswell..
Steering - Very very light at low speeds, (under 30mph) but got heavier the quicker you go, still i felt it did not give as much feedback as the 182..
Performance - When i first pulled off, i though, christ this thing is slow, but its not too bad.. it was only on 90 miles, so fair enough, not run in (didnt stop me and him giving it the beans) but after a while, the pace seemed to pick up, and you are actually going alot faster than you think, the 182 seems quicker, but probably as it is a smaller car
Overall i thought it was a very nice, quick car.. the looks are amazin, really has grown on me.. that was until i got back into my 182..
The car pulled so so much better, and felt like a rocket!! no joke... maybe just as its a much smaller car, and it felt quicker, but that test drive made me appreciate my clio alot!! first thing i noticed was how heavy the clutch was, how much better the steering was, and how quick it 'felt'.. whether or not it was, i dont know.. here are a few pics
first impressions - the thing is huge!!!!!! reminded me of a v6, really wide arches, it really was big.. much much bigger than the 182.. they had two colour, Albi Blue (demonstrator) and the Nimbus Red (sp) in the showroom.. the red is stunning.. The interior is very similar to the megane, same keyless entry idea, push start button etc, and again, feels huge!!
So we chatted back and forth, he really new his stuff about the clios, owned a 182 FF and was looking to get a megane 225 soon, and basically i managed to blag a test drive.. (im only 19, and look younger). He drove first, to put in petrol etc, and then let me go.. Here is what i thought of it...
Seats/Postition - Much improved over my 182, really grip you well, and much more adjustments in the seat, and the wheels, reach and height was handy..
Clutch - Horrid, way too light for my liking, really difficult to find a biting point, bit of a let down
Brakes - Awesome, very very good, though they would need to be with all the extra weight, look nice behind the 17s aswell..
Steering - Very very light at low speeds, (under 30mph) but got heavier the quicker you go, still i felt it did not give as much feedback as the 182..
Performance - When i first pulled off, i though, christ this thing is slow, but its not too bad.. it was only on 90 miles, so fair enough, not run in (didnt stop me and him giving it the beans) but after a while, the pace seemed to pick up, and you are actually going alot faster than you think, the 182 seems quicker, but probably as it is a smaller car
Overall i thought it was a very nice, quick car.. the looks are amazin, really has grown on me.. that was until i got back into my 182..
The car pulled so so much better, and felt like a rocket!! no joke... maybe just as its a much smaller car, and it felt quicker, but that test drive made me appreciate my clio alot!! first thing i noticed was how heavy the clutch was, how much better the steering was, and how quick it 'felt'.. whether or not it was, i dont know.. here are a few pics
