Love the bit about the nice power curve and beyond it pulls nicely - LOLThere were mixed opinions when i posted the drive some saying the 172/182 is better, faster blah blah, to me the 172/182 was so boring that i didnt enjoy driving it no more and waiting for that 5k kick just to get moving was frustrating and expensive, The 197 i have however is spot on no flat spots as some mention and has a nice power curve and even at 5k and beyond it pulls nicely, The 197 gearbox is absolutely fantastic and makes shifting a pleasure, the exhaust note is spot on too - no need for a halfrauds special to make it look better and sound nicer, I personally didnt get climate control with my 197 but i never used it anyways in the 182 so AC will suffice, Some buy CC for that fancy screen but to me its just a gimick - cant beat warm air / cold air or window down job done and less likely something will go wrong. I'm not worried about future resale as this car will have to do me a while anyway....
People say the 197 doesnt feel as quick as a 172/182 but thats due to it being bigger but it is make no mistake.... All this i raced a 197 and raped it - 1 word " Boll*cks " is all i have to say on that... A standard 172/182 is not going to rape a standard 197 i've owned both now and i cant see it happening tbh..
i really really want one only thing is my car is only really a weekend car for going out blasts with the boys in the summer and it spends most of its time in tripple figures speeds chasing other cars so the front end takes a hammering, tyres and brakes are constantly needing replaced and im not sure i can have as much fun getting my new car all stone chipped and replacing 17" tyres and brembo brakes! lol
Dear oh dear - its a good car, don't need to make things up!!!! LOL
Will bell you sunday morn about the meet, i have the day off work but i need to see what preggers wants to do first otherwise she'll have my bal*s tbh mate
Alright mate, let me no! Did you check the 25th?
Glad you're enjoying the car. Had mine 7 1/2 months now and absolutely love it - people look and wonder what it is, it has good road presence, drives lovely and feels quite solid. You've bought a great car, only thing I'm unsure of is the Cup spoiler without the rest of the carbon pieces, but it is growing on me slowly.
Once again, enjoy!
Lmao, na mate just seems to be a very busy month this month! South Mimms this Sunday and Herts/Essex meet next Sunday! That will do for now!
Lol, well it is cars in the afternoon then the local alleys when the sun goes down!
^^^^^ Wont be seeing you then!! Lol!
197 is a much better car, FACT.
The brakes, the suspension, the build.... Its all better than the 182.
When did i make something up or i did i miss something reviewing my own car ?
drove it the 30 miles home and at a steady 70-80 got 45 mpg
+1i can see where your coming from with what you have said and congrats on the 197 too mate
my dad had a white 197 cup and i must say it looked stunning, the problems lied in the driving, the box is way too short if you ever want to go on a long journey as motorway drives = headache, the mpg is absalutey awfull and we couldnt get the 197 above 29 no matter how slow and high geared we drove, so people saying they get high 30s are talking shizer,
my dad got sick of it and for the money it cost it wasnt worth keeping, hes just collected his 55plate 182 today which cost half the price and is allready proving to be a much nicer car to own/drive for him
torque wise the 182 has it in bags compared with the 197, the power is all over the rev range and not only at 7k unlike the 197
it all comes down to 'different strokes', but imho the 197 would have suited a 1600 turbo lump better, as the mpg and driveability would have been way better, low down torque etc. i think renault have realy messed up with adding so much more weight for little extra power
i do still love both, bhp per tonne is better in the 182 yet the 197 handels better
im loving the understated look of the 182 a lot more allready.
is the 197 worth double the price of the 182 is the question
Yes!
good to hear your write up rossy, and nice to hear that your owner experience has lived up to your excitement and anticipation. The additional 7k i paid for my 197 when i traded in my 182 1 year ago has been well worth it and i dont miss the 182 at all.
I think the whole "grown up" comments around 197 ownership is where the 197 divides opinion. The 182 and 172 shape clios are 8 years old now (172 51 plates), and expectations of refinement, build quality etc have moved on loads since then. Some will still appreciate the rawness of the 182 and 172 (which i translate to lack of refinement and inferior build quality - no escaping this), but those owners who look for a bit more than an old school hot hatch cannot fail to see the appeal of the 197. It delivers a huge amount at a very competitive price.
I can also see where gaz is coming from, my 197 will be gone by the weekend as i too will be trading to a 3.0 BMW, but as there is no fair comparision to be made between the 2, i still believe in the hot hatch category the 197 offers the best all round package (including value for money against a mini cooper works for example).
What BMW you going for?
i can see where your coming from with what you have said and congrats on the 197 too mate
my dad had a white 197 cup and i must say it looked stunning, the problems lied in the driving, the box is way too short if you ever want to go on a long journey as motorway drives = headache, the mpg is absalutey awfull and we couldnt get the 197 above 29 no matter how slow and high geared we drove, so people saying they get high 30s are talking shizer,
my dad got sick of it and for the money it cost it wasnt worth keeping, hes just collected his 55plate 182 today which cost half the price and is allready proving to be a much nicer car to own/drive for him
torque wise the 182 has it in bags compared with the 197, the power is all over the rev range and not only at 7k unlike the 197
it all comes down to 'different strokes', but imho the 197 would have suited a 1600 turbo lump better, as the mpg and driveability would have been way better, low down torque etc. i think renault have realy messed up with adding so much more weight for little extra power
i do still love both, bhp per tonne is better in the 182 yet the 197 handels better
im loving the understated look of the 182 a lot more allready.
is the 197 worth double the price of the 182 is the question
its a Z4 coupe 3.0si sport auto - pics and thread to follow in a week or so!
I like the rarity of the 197 to be honest. I rarely see any near me which I think is great. Only time I see any is at a meet and even then there may not be any.