After a long four month wait I picked my new Clio up on Sunday and said goodbye to my trusty Megane 250 which I've had from new since 2010. It's been a fantastic car but it was getting a bit leaky in the rain and I just fancied a change. Nothing from the same class (Golf, Leon, 135i ect) appealed to me (and I didn't want the same car twice so ruled the 275 out), I didn't want any engine noise through the speakers nonsense and didn't want anything less practical as I've got my Caterham for trackdays. Intentions on ordering were to keep it for about 2-3 years with a view of getting the new Alpine (if it turns out to be a good one) or an Evora. Currently doing the house out so didn't really want to spend a fortune on a new car when the money should really be spent on the house. I've only got one 175 miles on the car so far but I'm very impressed. General fit and finish of the car is great and the paintwork is fantastic. The gearbox is taking a little getting used to (I've only even owned manuals) but it's surprising how quickly you get used to it. I was also told that this car has the new gear lever too, replacing the previous one. Having not used the old one I can't compare, but it feels weighty and does the job well. It feels very responsive. I've kept it in the auto setting most of the time, but on the occasions I've switched to manual, the shifts have been instantaneous. They've obviously done a lot of recalibration work since the original 200 and it feels great. Brakes are fantastic - I know this because my left foot found the brake instead of the missing clutch pedal by mistake yesterday, Oops. Still, excellent stopping power on the road and noticeably more bite than the Megane (and way more bite than my 7. I'm not always convinced it's a good thing as I quite liked the progressive feel of the Megane brakes). They're still quite progressive though and don't feel over servoed like a lot of other cars. I've heard there are a few issues with cooling on trackdays, but mine's unlikely to get any heavy trackday use so I'll probably be ok. Power wise it's hard to say yet as I'm taking it easy, but the delivery is definitely more linear than the Megane, you don't quite get that thud of torque, but it really does rev out nicely when you put your foot down (more opinions on that once I've got some more miles on the car). I overtook a car car going from 40 speed limit to NSL yesterday. I knew the opportunity was coming so I kept the car in sport. When I hit the throttle, the car dropped 2 gears immediately and just roared past with no problems. I think it's going to be great fun once it's loosened up properly. Interior wise, the R-Link is a huge step up from the system on the old 250 and the general fit is nice. The door cards feel more solid - you can tell this is a generation newer than the Megane and while others may disagree, the interior is much improved. My only complaint is I miss the armrest from my Megane as the glovebox is pretty small - there's not much space to hold phones, wallets, keys ect. It's a little noisier at 70mph (more wind rush) but that was to be expected since the car is in a different market segment. Seating position feels about the same as the Recaros in the Megane, but there's less around you (again, no arm rest) so you get the sensation of being higher. It's far better than the likes of the Fiesta which is way too high. It seems to suit me better as I could never rest my elbow on the door in the Megane properly as it was too high, but it's just right on this car. Regarding R-Link - I know it's been on the 265/275 for a while, but I'm genuinely impressed. On my trip this morning it showed me all the traffic incidents and every speed camera - I had no idea it did this! No need to use Google Maps on the phone anymore. The new monitor system shows a lot more stuff, but is mostly pointless. The throttle calibrations are the most useful thing in there and I've not really played around with them yet - I've stuck it to linear). I've seen the results of the data logger online and that looks pretty cool though if you're doing trackdays. The car certainly feels more nimble than the Megane in tight bends, the rack feels faster and when you turn into a fast bend there's less of a sensation of the back end coming around to catch up - you can tell there's less weight. The turning circle is better too - first thing I noticed when parking the car up on my drive. I'm not hammering it enough to be able to see how well it puts the power down out of bends, so the jury is still out on how well it copes without an LSD. Compared to the Megane I'd say the ride is actually a little better in most cases, but over potholes and rough roads it feels a little more jarring (nowhere near as bad as my old ST185 on KWs). There's not a whole lot in it though and they generally feel very similar. I think the lower profile of the tyre makes the ride a little more rough in places (they're still a 40 profile, but the tyre is a good bit narrower than the 250, so the sidewall is shorter). I'm definitely more aware of potholes driving this one, I think those diamond cut wheels will damage easily. The car: https://goo.gl/photos/rsr9SbHxFwb9NBox8 The new gear lever: https://goo.gl/photos/uvyKLbZFXW7wVeFSA Still getting used to everything, but if this gearbox ended up being in the new Megane (or more likely, the Alpine that's on the way) I wouldn't be worried at all. I've adjusted to it very quickly and I'd never even driven an auto before (apart from the demo car). Early days though, you'll have to ask me how I feel about it in about 6 months to give a better answer! Like me, if you're not sure you'll like that new EDC gearbox, go and drive a 220 and you may be surprised!
Thanks for posting This is very much of interest to me - I've got the 275 you talk about and the wife has a mk4 Clio dci, so I know a little of the quality of the Clio. I'll be happy to be truthful with the gearbox being semi-auto, as long as the calibration is right, which it sounds like it is now on the 220. The thing that puts me off is the bodyshell. I know the doors are well hidden - we have had loads of people we've given lifts to stand next to the side of the car waiting for the front seat to be folded back for them - but I just don't like or want a 4 door car. How are you finding the performance compared to the 250? Is there a noticable difference? When you say you had the box in manual, are you using the lever, or the paddles? Feel free to post some more pics up here, inc. interior if you fancy.
I'll take some shots tomorrow when there's some better light. When I buy my next car, if it has 2 doors it'll only have 2 seats. Otherwise I'd take the extra doors. They're just so much more practical and to me that's what a hot hatch is about. Power wise it's hard to say because I'm still running the car in (it's on 225 ish miles now), so while I've revved it through a few times, I'm not using the power all the time. It doesn't have that big lump of low down torque that the 250 has, but it almost doesn't need it, because if you put your foot down, it'll drop several gears to put you right in the power band. It really does pull when you stick your foot down too. I put it into manual for the last part of my drive earlier and the acceleration was brilliant to be honest, not only that, but being able to keep your foot planted while shifting gears (which are lightning fast). You also get a burble from the exhaust on full throttle changes. It's noiser than the Megane on throttle too - it's like when you have the boot cover off and back seats down, but quiet when you're just cruising. So you've got Normal and Sport, which are auto. It goes into manual if you pull a paddle, but only for about 30 seconds. If you want full manual, you move the gear knob to the left. At this point the car won't change gears on it's own at all, not even if you hit the rev limiter*. If you've got the car in manual and sport, you can hold the RS button down to get into Race mode, which turns the TC off and gives you the fastest changes. I haven't really played around with race mode yet. *I haven't tried this yet. I don't fancy bouncing it off the limiter. It's possible it'll only keep the gear in Sport/Race, it may shift up in Normal if you hit the limiter. The auto mode was bloody fantastic through the M4 traffic today too. Absolutely effortless. The stereo is much improved from the 250 - though that's not hard! I found a setting in the menu which really boosted the midrange nicely (Arkamys ADS or something similarly named). There's a bass boost too, which works nicely but I haven't bothered using it since I'd rather not have people outside hearing my bass. My only complaint is that they didn't offer it in blue - I quite like the old blue from the 182/197.
Good write up Andy. Interesting comparison from a real world owner. Whats the run in period like on it?
They say not over 3500 rpm for 600 miles. While I am taking it easy, I've never followed the run in to the letter. It's pretty hard in an auto too since it'll shift up, especially if you've put sport mode on. I've been very careful (as I always am) to only rev it out a little once it's well up to temperature. I'm making sure to vary the revs and if they means it goes a bit over then so be it. It hopped into 1st when I came up to a roundabout yesterday - it's a good noise when it's really revving out! Aerofoil, not sure where you've got the tuning info from. Guys on Clio197.net have got nearly 250 bhp out of the 200T, given that sort of power would have a cost a fortune to get out of the old 200, that's pretty good going. No intention of tuning it though, it's well balanced as it is.
Tuning is not just engine power though. You could do wheels/tyres/suspension/brakes/rollcage/lightening/other engine mods that don't involve remapping.
I've got over 400 miles on the car now and getting more used to it. Had a fantastic run in the Brecon Beacons on Sunday, went along a road I drive a lot in the Megane and Caterham and tried Race Mode for the first time. Firstly, the Clio is far more composed than the Megane over rough roads - it just seems to find grip where the Megane didn't. I'm guessing this is partly due to the brilliant Pilot Super Sport tyres, but also the ride felt smoother and less jarring. Race mode is fantastic, if you really want to drive it like a manual. I didn't find I was missing a clutch pedal, though I did find myself reaching for the gear lever a couple of times. Still being relatively gentle on the car so I'm not taking it right up to the limit yet. Came back through the Rhondda valley and drove through a lot of towns and villages for the first time. The gearbox in normal does a really nice job of keeping the revs down and not changing when it doesn't need to. It stayed in 4th (at 30mph) for a good 10 minutes and had no need to change. If you hit sport, it usually drops a gear to give you more headroom when you put your foot down. I did confuse it on one roundabout where I wanted to go but didn't give it enough throttle. My mistake - with an auto, how far you push the throttle determines the gear, so if you really want to go, just mash it (unlike a manual where you have to manage the clutch). It's taking some getting used to but after a week I'm pretty much there. Will need to drive the Caterham regularly now so I don't forget how to change gears! Brakes are still taking a little getting used to, they're just much grabbier than my previous cars. Power wise, I'm not missing the Megane at all. The Clio absolutely flies when you put your foot down. I can't wait to get some more miles on it so I can start driving it properly.
Nice, write up. I was really tempted by the 220 Trophy but the lack on xenons put me off how to you find the headlights? I decided to keep the Mini SD & bought a 182 trophy but I'm impressed by the standard lamps on that. Do you have the leather seats? What kind of mpg you get from it running it in? When the time comes to change it will be in the mix.
I was a little concerned at the lack of Xenons, but actually, the standard halogen lights seem to be a bit more effective than the Xenons on my 250. I didn't even notice until I was coming along a local road at night and realised I didn't have my full beams on and didn't need them either. Got the leather Trophy seats, which feel like softer versions of the Recaros form the Megane. They grip in all the same places, but they have more padding. The heating elements are great too, really nice on cold mornings! I'm on around 700 miles now, MPG is currently at 27, but I haven't exactly taken it easy. Generally it seems better by about 2-3 mpg than the Megane in normal usage, but just as bad when you put your foot down. I actually find myself driving it a little harder just because it's a bit more fun No regrets at all with swapping the Megane, just wish they did the car in blue or grey since white really shows the dirt up!
Sat in another one at the weekend, interior wise just as nice as any megane and the seats are actually very good, very hugging even for a fat bstrd like me. Still can't quite get over the face and not sure the change would be worth it for me but couldn't criticize anyone making the choice to get one. I bet the back seats work better than those in the slopey roofed meg too.
Yeah the interior feels very well put together. I'm still impressed with R-Link too, works really well. I do prefer the looks of the Megane. I always loved the front on the pre-facelift model, but I'm starting to like the Clio more. The more I use (or not!) the gearbox, the more I think I'll never go back to a manual (for an everyday car). It's so good at getting the right gear it's uncanny. You do feel like a bit of a yob though when you've left it in sport and just put your foot down to go past someone and it's dropped 2 or 3 gears and made a hell of a lot of noise!
How's life in the Trophy 220? Any issues or has it been a nice transition? I'm seriously considering buying one but I might wait for the facelift. What forum is best for doing research on them? Cheers
Still really enjoying it! My only complaint is that I've yet to get used to the slightly over servoed brakes. They're brilliant at stopping the car, I just wish they were a bit more progressive in their feel. Much to my surprise, I don't miss the 250 at all. The Clio feels very similar in most ways, with the obvious exception of the gearbox - which is still brilliant as far as I'm concerned. I think there's a bit less leg room in the back seats (I rarely carry people to be honest), but the ease of getting into them makes up for it. Launch control, while absolutely useless in normal use is hilarious. Loads of engine noise and tyre squeal followed by a silly amount of grip and a great launch. I even tried it on a greasy road and the car had no trouble with it. It left 10m long rubber lines on a farm road near my parents place! As far as researching them, I think the media have put people off, which is a real shame since it's a great car. Theres quite a bit of information on the official RS forums. The only real issue appears to be overheating brakes on trackdays. Some people have resolved this by fitting the Brembo calipers from the Clio 197/200 - trouble is they don't fit under the standard wheels so you'd need new wheels or spacers. They're great on the road though, so if you're only intending to do the occasional trackday then you probably won't have any issues.
