Clio 197 Sport

[zimbo]

Anyone on here ever been for a road test etc in a Clio 197 Sport or even thought about one of these? Seemingly they are pretty good!!
Had a nosey around one yesterday @ a local dealers (in Black :p) and I notice that the dealer is selling them with a £2000 reduction in price. I am assuming these cars will be the pre-registered cars that they have just with delivery mileage on, just like the clio I got from them years and years ago, brand new just pre-regd and 8 miles on the clock (my one had).

£12,988 sounds pretty good for an 197bhp clio, specially when you consider the new S only has 175bhp and only STARTS @ £16000 for a standard version before you even look @ any options. Even the Diesel cooper I fancied only starts @ £14,200 basic!!

Im telling you its such a pain being a Car/motorcycle nut like I am because it makes things like making decisions very VERY difficult to do.... Always changing my mind. :p:D LOL

[Sweeney]

Clios are getting a very very good write up, wouldn't go wrong with it. It of course doesn't suffer any daft "characteristics" ;) The CUP is an even bigger improvement over standard car if you can get one i'd go for that.

[Gorbash12346]

the engine struggles with the extra weight and in a straight line at least 172's and 182's eat them haven't driven on e but the handling is supposed to be brilliant if a little lacking in feedback around dead ahead

[The Dogfather]

Clio 197 (07) plate 3k miles - £11k at motorpoint.co.uk - Colour Nimbus

Basically your going to loose £2k in the first six months.

[The Dogfather]

How about the ludicrous Mazda 3 MPS (245bhp) for £15.5k or
New Leon FR TFSI £15k or
New - Old Shape WRX £14.5k or
56 plate 4k miles VXR Astra £15k or Focus ST

[FergusM]

The 197 got reviewed against the Cooper S in EVO magazine, the Cooper S beat it easily, it said it was too heavy for the amount of power it was putting out. Did get great reviews for the handling though. I spotted a white one today and it did look cracking.

[illegalhunter]

The Clio has a lot better value for money , no aircon in a S as standard.

[Julz]

I could certainly recommend one, have you tried looking at online dealers? We got our meg cup for £4.5k less than the dealer could quote and it's still worth more second hand on the open market than we paid for it new!!:D :D Leather recaros, climate control, mp3 all standard and it's an absolute buzz to drive, plus, there's not millions of them! I've had the megane for 1 year and 11 days and only ever seen 3 others on the road!! Certainly doesn't reflect how fabbydoo the are!!:confused: :)

[euan]

Came across this - Evo group test.

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/211096/mini_cooper_s_works_v_renault_clio_197_r27.html

[Gorbash12346]

funnily enough i read this one.. though it is auto express unfortunately :(

http://www.fiestastoc.com/forums/ipb_seo.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.autoexpress.co.uk %2Fcarreviews%2Fgrouptests%2F215616%2Ffiesta_v_cli o_v_corsa.html

also i believe their struggling to sell the normal models whereas the special editions are flying out the showrooms

oh and i've had that very suspension since i bought my zetec s in 2006

[jamesbeaumont]

The cooper S and the 197 are two very different machines, one is a raw unrefined high reving nutter and the other is a fast smooth and refined vehicle. With peak torque arriving at 5500 rpm in the clio it will have to be thrashed to stay anywhere near an S and will be tedious in most circumstances. The difference in price is more than justified when you compare the interiors, build quality, reliability, running costs and depreciation. The S will probably be worth twice as much after 4 years:p Good seats though:cool:

[Craig]

The cooper S and the 197 are two very different machines, one is a raw unrefined high reving nutter and the other is a fast smooth and refined vehicle. With peak torque arriving at 5500 rpm in the clio it will have to be thrashed to stay anywhere near an S and will be tedious in most circumstances. The difference in price is more than justified when you compare the interiors, build quality, reliability, running costs and depreciation. The S will probably be worth twice as much after 2 years:p Good seats though:cool:

can't agree with the build quality, reliability and depreciation regarding the R56 S James. My 2 cars had bad build quality, which meant they were in the garage a lot (ie reliability is rubbish) and loosing 25% after 6 weeks is in my mind absolutely ridiculous for what is supposed to be a "premium" mark.

there are a few holes in your argument.

[jamesbeaumont]

can't agree with the build quality, reliability and depreciation regarding the R56 S James. My 2 cars had bad build quality, which meant they were in the garage a lot (ie reliability is rubbish) and loosing 25% after 6 weeks is in my mind absolutely ridiculous for what is supposed to be a "premium" mark.

there are a few holes in your argument.


Sadly youve been very unlucky:( I was more referring quality of the interior finish and solidness, they may fall apart a bit unfortunately but its a nice place to be. Its a small BMW and I expect because of this it'll keep going far longer than a french hatchback. Im shocked you lost so much money in 6 weeks but thats when depreciation takes its biggest hit and theres no way a mini would depreciate as fast as a clio:eek: Hence why you cant buy a 6 year old second hand mini for less than £6,000 and 3 year clios can be found for under £5,000. Did you sell private or through cherished?

[The Dogfather]

Just buy a MX5. Great performance, reliability, good resale and handles well. Problem solved! :D

[KenL]

With peak torque arriving at 5500 rpm in the clio it will have to be thrashed to stay anywhere near an S and will be tedious in most circumstances.

These are supposed to be hot hatches...

Not sure that what you say about performance is true. Never heard of a Renault Sport Clio describes as slow or tedious.

Are you a badge snob?:p

[FergusM]

I personally would never buy a Renault, wife had a 52 plate Laguna and was great, comfy, loads of kit etc etc.... until about 50k miles and then started to literally fall to bits. Drivers window would not open, sun roof would not open, bits of trim falling off all over the place, squeaky seats.... dealers were useless...solution to sunroof not opening was to unwire teh switch and they woudl call us once they had the bits...never got that call as 4 months later it went.

And every time it went in for a service, and I mean literally, it needed work on the suspension. Each service took 2 days...would hate to see the bills renault got under warranty.

Still...it was a company car and at end we just handed back the key card...soooooo glad to see back of it.

Where as...replacement VW...never a thing wrong with it, over 40k miles, due to be replaced in May at 3 years old and only been at dealers for servicing. At times I wish I had bought a VW ;)

[jamesbeaumont]

These are supposed to be hot hatches...

Not sure that what you say about performance is true. Never heard of a Renault Sport Clio describes as slow or tedious.

Are you a badge snob?:p

"It is you that will have the headache though. The 197 engine is a bone of contention and it’s no different here. So, there is a real lack of torque below 5,500rpm, then a pronounced boom period that will have eardrums pounding if you visit it often" - MSN cars.

"Swapping cogs is something we had better get used to - the Clio's gearbox has the shortest ratios we've ever experienced in a modern-day hot hatch. That's great for extracting the full 194bhp from the 2.0-litre engine - and makes nipping around town equally enjoyable. However, it results in a shocking 4,000rpm buzz at motorway speeds" - Autoexpress.

"Other manufacturers have overcome the extra bulk that all today’s hot hatches seem to suffer from by fitting them with some sort of forced induction; high-revving engines are so yesterday it seems, and the poor Clio lost out in terms of real-world performance to the effortlessly more muscular turbo hatch champs we’d taken along to the test" - Evo
;) Dont get me wrong its a fantastic car but there must be a reason why theyre such a rare sight.
Im not a badge snob, the Williams my dad had was an incredible car and I quite fancy the corsa vxr in yellow:eek: :o

[Gorbash12346]

Sadly youve been very unlucky:( I was more referring quality of the interior finish and solidness, they may fall apart a bit unfortunately but its a nice place to be. Its a small BMW and I expect because of this it'll keep going far longer than a french hatchback. Im shocked you lost so much money in 6 weeks but thats when depreciation takes its biggest hit and theres no way a mini would depreciate as fast as a clio:eek: Hence why you cant buy a 6 year old second hand mini for less than £6,000 and 3 year clios can be found for under £5,000. Did you sell private or through cherished?


umm sorry but thats a load of crap imo (apologies but it's my opinion)

ever been in a 197? the fit and finish is light years ahead of it's predecessors and i'd actually put it's interior ambience and comfort much higher than the current R56's while it seems to resist creaks and squeaks far better too

as for it running far longer than a french hatchback?? umm whats peugeot running??? detuned versions of the same engines... and mini has split from bmw hence why the dealerships are now seperate the join is being pulled apart piece by piece sure the renault depreciates faster than the mini but thats only because people only look at the badge (a great example being 116's 316's and 318's their absolute scrap compared to similar priced rivals the only reason they sell is because people are buying a 'BMW' for the price of a 350z a guy walks in and buys a 318 m sport and says he loves the driver involvement... now i could understand the build quality bit in this case (the nissans not far off but still) the e46 318i is the most dull car i've ever had the misfortune to drive

at the end of the day i have a different viewpoint i spent about 11k on a fiesta st that was nearly new 2500 miles and 6 months old was an ex managers car was fully loaded and would have cost 15k new so thats,

voice activated in dash 6 cd changer with bluetooth handsfree and the climate control even uses the voice activation
ipod connector, heated front screen, power fold mirrors, privacy glass, centre rear headrest, curtain airbags and side airbags (admittedly not standard) heated seats, muti-function controls, auto wipers, auto headlights submarine lighting(interior lighting pack sorta)

sublime handling if not the outright power that the cooper s has

plus a tried and tested slightly tuned version of the mondeo engine which can and will do well over 200k miles without breaking a sweat if it's looked after

and my cars value after running it a year is 10k

theres more out there than just badges i suggest you try before you buy

[The Dogfather]

umm sorry but thats a load of crap imo (apologies but it's my opinion)

ever been in a 197? the fit and finish is light years ahead of it's predecessors and i'd actually put it's interior ambience and comfort much higher than the current R56's while it seems to resist creaks and squeaks far better too

as for it running far longer than a french hatchback?? umm whats peugeot running??? detuned versions of the same engines... and mini has split from bmw hence why the dealerships are now seperate the join is being pulled apart piece by piece sure the renault depreciates faster than the mini but thats only because people only look at the badge (a great example being 116's 316's and 318's their absolute scrap compared to similar priced rivals the only reason they sell is because people are buying a 'BMW' for the price of a 350z a guy walks in and buys a 318 m sport and says he loves the driver involvement... now i could understand the build quality bit in this case (the nissans not far off but still) the e46 318i is the most dull car i've ever had the misfortune to drive

at the end of the day i have a different viewpoint i spent about 11k on a fiesta st that was nearly new 2500 miles and 6 months old was an ex managers car was fully loaded and would have cost 15k new so thats,

voice activated in dash 6 cd changer with bluetooth handsfree and the climate control even uses the voice activation
ipod connector, heated front screen, power fold mirrors, privacy glass, centre rear headrest, curtain airbags and side airbags (admittedly not standard) heated seats, muti-function controls, auto wipers, auto headlights submarine lighting(interior lighting pack sorta)

sublime handling if not the outright power that the cooper s has

plus a tried and tested slightly tuned version of the mondeo engine which can and will do well over 200k miles without breaking a sweat if it's looked after

and my cars value after running it a year is 10k

theres more out there than just badges i suggest you try before you buy

If you can get 10k for Fiesta ST after a year then doesn't that mean that it's lost £5k on it's new price? BTW, you'd be lucky to get £8.5k in the real world which means the car has lost 40% on its new price in 18 months. Pretty horrific but typical of Fords and Renaults. I agree that the ST will last but who wants to keep a 200k Ford, it'll be surpassed by newer better cars, and when you come to trade, BANG! You get shafted by big bad Mr. Depreciation.

[The Dogfather]

Just to save arguing here's the depreciation index for the 197, Cooper S, Fester ST and my MX5.

It seems you're best off buying most cars one year old, like I did :D apart from the MINI

http://www.whatcar.com/depreciation-index.aspx?MA=25&MV=25500&ED_ADD=48055&RT=0&ED=50023&ED2=53552&ED3=50298&ED4=0

[Gorbash12346]

or in other words i lost £1k on what i payed for it... buying nearly new is the way to go:D

[ianking]

Gorbash, Agree with you about the E90 318. I drove one the other day, driving position lovely, build quality great but man oh man was that 4 cylinder engine pants. No power what so ever. Worse fuel consumption than the 325 because I had to work it so hard. Plus it makes a daft noise because it is missing 2 cylinders.

[Fairy]

Being a former owner of a 172 and now an owner off a 197 i can def recommend one of these to you..as for power and weight rubbish the only people that have seen a difference are going from 182's cup or trophy as these are the hardcore versions thus meaning handling and speed are awesome and also having driven my girlfriends cooper s the handling in that is just fantastic its like driving a go kart...

the 197 does not dissappoint however..starting a journey from cold is very disappointing in the 197 as it needs to be warm for it to perform at its best..once you get it warmed up it will rev its way up till the shift light comes on and then a very smooth and very precise gear change and off again...(must add just now that gearbox is much better than previous 172 i had)get yourself face to face with a corner and all you need to do is point the car in the direction you want it to go and it will just stick to the road with no problems and feels very solid and no body roll at all..when it comes to stopping again no dissapointment there as the brembo four pot calipers react quickly and have good feel.all round very good car interior is laid out very nicely very comfortable sport seats as standard..

I managed to get mine in Deep Black with Xenons, Cornering Lights and rear tints as extras its 07 plate with only 4500miles and got it reduced by £2000 for £12995.

[KenL]

I managed to get mine in Deep Black with Xenons, Cornering Lights and rear tints as extras its 07 plate with only 4500miles and got it reduced by £2000 for £12995.

Bargain ;)

[zimbo]

Thanks Fairy (or should that be thank you to your boyfriend...) Mmm think I might have to go and get a road test in the one at my local dealers, which is Deep black, with the standard seats (would like one with the Recaros tho) and see what it's like!!

But will have to make sure I can leave without signing on any dotted lines in the process... :D

[Julz]

Oh don't go for the recaros, they are the comfiest seats in the world and it just makes you want to stay in the car and drive!!:rolleyes: :D Like I said in my previous post, have a look at online dealers too, I got mine from Nationwide Car Contracts, but their stock is ever changing!! In comparison to the mini I had, before and after mods, I find my megane smoother, comfier, better build quality and very 'spritely'!!;) So I can only imagine what the clio would be like. That's what I originally was going to get but decided that a wee bit more room was needed!! I did love my mini, obviously, but I adore my megane! If you ever want a wee peek at it, just let me know!!:cool: Must actually get a pic to send you!! Will have a look!

[AndyP & Lenore]

Must actually get a pic to send you!! Will have a look!

Never mind sen him, post up for all to share.;) :D

A.:D

[Big Gordy]

Sorry Julz :eek: but with Megans you either love or hate them and I fall into the latter I'm affraid:( I just can't stand its rear end:mad: design dissaster IMO

[AndyP & Lenore]

Sorry Julz :eek: but with Megans you either love or hate them and I fall into the latter I'm affraid:( I just can't stand its rear end:mad: design dissaster IMO

"Shake your little ass" - Not so little though is it.

Not yours Julz, yours is a tiny little touche.:o ;) But the Megan's does look a little like it's had a few too many cream cakes of late.:eek: :D

A.:D

[zimbo]

Cheers Julz, I must admit I am not a big fan of the Megane especially that dodgey looking rear end, the front end does look really nice though!! My brother and his wife have a diesel version and I have had to cjange the headlight bulbs on it twice now and it is the most rediculous job that I have EVER had to do on any car, it is not just a simple job of opening the bonnet and going to the light, removing the cover the removing the bulb etc ...No No no you have to go up through the wheel arch and feel your way round the light housing and hope for the best!!! First time took me about 1 1/2hrs and the 2nd time about 30mins...

so if I do go for look at Clio sport will definately have to have a look @ the headlamp set up... :D

[The Dogfather]

The Smart I owned had the same arrangement, but because it had the wide wheels the steering lock was limited and as a result you couldn't get at the flap. You had to take the wheels off.