My 200 test drive opinions....

[Pep]

Just had a go in a Clio 200 at my local Stealer, White, Speedlines, Cup chassis, unfortunately no Recaros Had done 7k so not a new engine.

Had a right ballache down there with the sales manager, but thats another story!

Got in, couldnt really get comfy. Couldnt get low enough, felt better than the 182 but nowhere near the DC2.
Felt well built, super quiet inside.

Did a 13 mile run in it, country roads mainly but a few carraigeways. Low down it felt no better than my mates R27, properly flat, if anything worse than the DC2. Handling was good, steering was great and the brakes are awesome, but still felt a bit detatched, and again no difference to the R27?
Speed wise, felt very slow in all honesty, no urgency to get towards the redline at all, and will they hit 60 in second, never took it over 6.5k?
Gearbox was nice.

Overall it left me a bit disapointed, didnt seem to excite me at all. As capable a car it probably is I never got that impression. Yeah I was nowhere near the limit in it, and never hit the redline, but even over 5k there didnt seem any increase in acceleration.

Anyone else share my views, or am I wrong?!

 

[Bluebeard]

I personally think they are brilliant. (197's, not driven a 200)

They are docile enough to drive around town easily but are awesome on the limit. Not something I would spend £8,9,10k on though. I'll wait until they're £5k.

 

[f0xy]

As said they are super quiet inside.....but IMO boring.

Handling was very good for a standard car when I drove it round brands.

 

[Dyewitness]

More details of the ballache please!

 

[gaz44]

Interesting read but what he said...^^

 

[Pep]

More details of the ballache please!

Got a load of bad history with this garage being messed around a few years ago so im alwasy cautious.

Booked the test drive with a salesman who knows me last week, he wasnt there when i got there, so another guy was sorting me out. Asked for licence, then came back asking for counterpart (never had this with any other test drive) which I didnt have. Sales manager comes out saying he can;t let me drive it etc being a patronising c**t. Was trying to argue his point and I just said I've had a lot of trouble from this garage in the past, but thought i'd try again, been waiting months for a test drive, finally got it sorted and you wont let me drive it! He asked if I could get the paper or come back another day, and I said I either drive that car today or I go to Nottingham and deal with them.

Salesman I know came back, smoothed it over a bit, then he came out saying no im not going until he has covered himself with his manager, made me wait another 5 minutes whilst he was on the phone, then comes out nice as pie saying it's fine!

Saw Gray in his ph1 when we put some fuel in it too, salesman had a good laugh at the wheels making a joke to me until I said he was a mate of mine lol.

 

[Dyewitness]

How did the 200's exhaust sound? I didnt even test drive one before ordering

 

[Pep]

^ erm nothing too special I didnt think. Engine was a bit throaty but not loud.

 

[ForceIndia]

Sounds like it was still quite tight. It's the refinement that I don't like if I'm honest. I prefer rawer cars.

 

[mini-valver]

Not going over 6.5k is your problem. Need to ring its neck to get the best from it, changing at 6.5 is like changing at 5.5 in a 172, lol.

 

[Fletcher]

Hopefully test drive a 200 soon.

 

[Pep]

Sounds like it was still quite tight. It's the refinement that I don't like if I'm honest. I prefer rawer cars.

Even at 7k? Just didnt seem all that to be honest.

Not going over 6.5k is your problem. Need to ring its neck to get the best from it, changing at 6.5 is like changing at 5.5 in a 172, lol.

So in that last 1k is where the car comes alive?!
Couldnt really wring it's neck with the salesman next to me, and the roads wernt the best in a car I didnt know.

Hopefully test drive a 200 soon.

I'll save you some time....don't

 

[Fletcher]

Even at 7k? Just didnt seem all that to be honest.



So in that last 1k is where the car comes alive?!
Couldnt really wring it's neck with the salesman next to me, and the roads wernt the best in a car I didnt know.



I'll save you some time....don't

Don't say that

 

[Pep]

Will be nothing on your 172 at all.
Try it out by all means, but if you dont walk away and feel glad to get back in the 172 you're wierd!!

 

[Fletcher]

Will be nothing on your 172 at all.
Try it out by all means, but if you dont walk away and feel glad to get back in the 172 you're wierd!!

I'm keeping the 172 mate

The 200 would be my GF daily driver.

 

[alanc1000]

Poor Renault, they cant win can they!

If they made the 200 / 197 less refined and more raw, a majority of potential owners would be put off, i mean who REALLY wants a noisy day to day car? If you look at the averag 197 owner, its not really boy racer material, it seems to be early 30s drivers, even seen grannies in them.

I seem to recall the press knocking the 197 for being unrefined on the motorway due to being stuck at 4krpm at 80mph!!

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[Munson]

I must say, engine wise, the single 197 that I test drove ages ago, felt like vtec without the vtec.

 

[mini-valver]

Yeah, the last 1k RPM is where all the power is, thats what the box was made to do, its really short and drops you right back in the power again. Try and get another pop in one!

 

[Munson]

The one I drove - I took it to the red line plenty of times but still didn't feel that it was really quick. Quick enough in real terms of course. It just didn't feel it. I felt as though I was just sitting there waiting to run out of revs and change gear. Certainly nothing happened at 7k+ that hadn't already happened.

I imagine the 200 must be better though with the lower ratios.

EDIT: No. I'm not a hater. I love them overall and would swap my shed for one tomorrow.

 

[alanc1000]

when i had the map print out from my rolling road session on the 197, it had only 9k miles but you could see a visible and decent power curve at about 4,750k. It wasn't just a blip!

I haven't even seen a 200 on the road yet, but would love to drive one to compare if there are any improvements over the 197. If i owned one I'd just make sure i walked towards it with the back facing me, not the front!

 

[Fletcher]

when i had the map print out from my rolling road session on the 197, it had only 9k miles but you could see a visible and decent power curve at about 4,750k. It wasn't just a blip!

I haven't even seen a 200 on the road yet, but would love to drive one to compare if there are any improvements over the 197. If i owned one I'd just make sure i walked towards it with the back facing me, not the front!

I'm yet to see a 200 the road too.

 

[mini-valver]

Roy, they dont feel quick if you just boot it and wait to have your head ripped off. Its the way you can barrel through a B road, buzzing from 6-7.5k and do it as quick as any car on the road will. Its not the type of car you can toe on a slip road and hit 120 before you get to the bottom, alot of people seem to think they will bend time, lol.

I know you're probably well aware but it needs to be driven around the roads you know well before you can judge it as you find yourself braking later, turning in later and being in a higher gear on exit. You cant judge a hot hotch purely on a 15 minute test drive which you only revved the car in a comfrotable rev band every so often in hope its going to spin in 3rd or some s**t. Get a PROPER test drive or you're judging the car on something its never ever going to be good at.

 

[Paul.]

Just had a go in a Clio 200 at my local Stealer, White, Speedlines, Cup chassis, unfortunately no Recaros Had done 7k so not a new engine.

Had a right ballache down there with the sales manager, but thats another story!

Got in, couldnt really get comfy. Couldnt get low enough, felt better than the 182 but nowhere near the DC2.
Felt well built, super quiet inside.

Did a 13 mile run in it, country roads mainly but a few carraigeways. Low down it felt no better than my mates R27, properly flat, if anything worse than the DC2. Handling was good, steering was great and the brakes are awesome, but still felt a bit detatched, and again no difference to the R27?
Speed wise, felt very slow in all honesty, no urgency to get towards the redline at all, and will they hit 60 in second, never took it over 6.5k?
Gearbox was nice.

Overall it left me a bit disapointed, didnt seem to excite me at all. As capable a car it probably is I never got that impression. Yeah I was nowhere near the limit in it, and never hit the redline, but even over 5k there didnt seem any increase in acceleration.

Anyone else share my views, or am I wrong?!

i posted a similar response a few months back after driving one. 16K for a clio???? LOL

 

[Steve]

Roy, they dont feel quick if you just boot it and wait to have your head ripped off. Its the way you can barrel through a B road, buzzing from 6-7.5k and do it as quick as any car on the road will. Its not the type of car you can toe on a slip road and hit 120 before you get to the bottom, alot of people seem to think they will bend time, lol.

I know you're probably well aware but it needs to be driven around the roads you know well before you can judge it as you find yourself braking later, turning in later and being in a higher gear on exit. You cant judge a hot hotch purely on a 15 minute test drive which you only revved the car in a comfrotable rev band every so often in hope its going to spin in 3rd or some s**t. Get a PROPER test drive or you're judging the car on something its never ever going to be good at.

At last someone has seen the light. :clap:

As said you need to forget whats gone before & wring it's neck then they fly.

My 172 was like a bad shopping trolley in comparison down one of my favourite tracks.

 

[Gaz_]

I tell thee a ten min drive will leave you cold. But, on my way home 11 o'clock at night, deserted B road, nothing comes close to the 197 on the ragged edge, point it, wrestle it into the corners, 6.5k on the way out, (slight corection to counter the oversteer if prevoked (sp)) bang up the cogs. MINT! The weather is just right at the mo, nice and cool at night, but with no greasy roads.

Mr Hudson understands. Since when as a RS Clio been a straightline drag car anyway?

 

[Gaz_]

i posted a similar response a few months back after driving one. 16K for a clio???? LOL

Fail. How much you think your old LY was new?

 

[Jay]

There's a handle on the right of the seat to lower the seating position

 

[Munson]

Roy, they dont feel quick if you just boot it and wait to have your head ripped off. Its the way you can barrel through a B road, buzzing from 6-7.5k and do it as quick as any car on the road will. Its not the type of car you can toe on a slip road and hit 120 before you get to the bottom, alot of people seem to think they will bend time, lol.

Yeah I know. That's why I love them. It is possible to have both positive and negative opinions of a car. We don't all have to wet ourselves just because it's a Clio

 

[ForceIndia]

If that float's your boat, cool. But I don't like the power delivery, in much the same way I don't like vTec (even though I appreciate how stunning vTec is).
It's a car that divides opinion, no doubt. Even when looking at the reviews, Autocar think it's fantastic, Evo think it lacks something (197)
What I've read suggests that the 200 addresses the issues that bothered me (lack of low down torque, numb steering), so I'm looking forward to driving one.

 

[Louism]

Yeh your post is rubbish. Sound is great when you boot it, the no reall urgency to red line is cos it red lines at 8000 reves. You do have too boot it all the time like in the 197 but very slightly less. It grips so well, i mean really really well. Also the recaros are over rated by people who havent been in them.

 

[Louism]

If that float's your boat, cool. But I don't like the power delivery, in much the same way I don't like vTec (even though I appreciate how stunning vTec is).
It's a car that divides opinion, no doubt. Even when looking at the reviews, Autocar think it's fantastic, Evo think it lacks something.
What I've read suggests that the 200 addresses the issues that bothered me (lack of low down torque, numb steering), so I'm looking forward to driving one.

Dude as you know i love mine but...the low down power thing is still not sorted, you have to boot it all the time. On a b road you only need one gear tho which is 3rd.

It sounds great when you are driving it properly.

 

[ForceIndia]

Yeh your post is rubbish. Sound is great when you boot it, the no reall urgency to red line is cos it red lines at 8000 reves. You do have too boot it all the time like in the 197 but very slightly less. It grips so well, i mean really really well. Also the recaros are over rated by people who havent been in them.

Nice.

 

[Munson]

Yeh your post is rubbish.

This from the crusader who was banging on about being constructive in posts?

They're (the 197 at least) fantastic cars. No doubt about it. It seems you can't have any negative opinion of a 197/200 without people saying 'you don't get it'. Reminds me of V6 Wars.

 

[Gaz_]

You just keep it on the boil, its not hard. Highly strung NA, all the way. If you want loads of low down grunt, buy a TD

 

[Pep]

Yeh your post is rubbish. Sound is great when you boot it, the no reall urgency to red line is cos it red lines at 8000 reves. You do have too boot it all the time like in the 197 but very slightly less. It grips so well, i mean really really well. Also the recaros are over rated by people who havent been in them.

Why is it rubbish?
It's called an opinion, I wanted to like it but compared to other cars I've owned it doesnt step up.

The seat was as low as possible

I appreciate it's probably a good car on the limit, but it just lacked anything special at all driving it. Felt solid but just not like a hot hatch for me.

 

[Louism]

na dude my point was about a car that someone had just bought and owned anyway im done with that.

Its issues are the low down power, the amount of fuel it uses, thats my issues with it

 

[ForceIndia]

You just keep it on the boil, its not hard. Highly strung NA, all the way. If you want loads of low down grunt, buy a TD

Don't want loads, just a useful amount. I seem to remember the CTR getting mullered on here for it's lack of grunt. And that's def got more than the 197.

 

[Louism]

As has been said its your opinion, i think if you were able to drive it properly (i mean for longer) to lean what it can and cannot do you wouldnt feel that way.
It has to be driven on the limit and a test drive doesnt allow you to do so...im going to get a ruby

 

[Pep]

^ 90% of the time the car wouldnt be driven on the lmit.
Day to day I couldnt live with it for my stated reasons. Wanted to like it, gave it a shot and didnt.

I wouldnt get offended if you couldnt handle a DC2

 

[alanc1000]

You just keep it on the boil, its not hard. Highly strung NA, all the way. If you want loads of low down grunt, buy a TD

... or a 3.0 BMW, my peak torque is 2321lb-ft at 2750 rpm!!