I drove a cup manual and think that as an overall package for use on the road it’s a better prospect than the mk3. Certainly goes about its business very well, slightly more foregiving (not a bad thing for every day driving) and turns in just as well. The only thing I felt wasn’t as good was the steering feel. IMO the Megane looks spot on, and is certainly the best looking of the current hot hatches. Waiting to find out how the Trophy deals look before I decide where my cash is going next.
It's softer, heavier and isn't even that quick in a straight line. Similar lr power to the later MK3s with more weight. Definitely will benefit from a tweak to extract more power to help shift it down the road. 4WS is nice but I think it's there to help hide the weight. General build quality is better then the MK3 for sure but it's definitely a car aimed more at road use to the general public and not so much for the enthusiast like the MK2/3s It had the potential to be great but it isn't, it's certainly not the evolution you would expect from the MK3, Will make a wonderful road car and daily driver but it doesn't have the precision or "raw" feeling the previous gens have had.
Ah didn't realise you'd driven one Jamie! I suppose it will seem soft compared to yours lol! I saw my first one today, in white, it's at a dealers in Trowbridge. Think its a demo as there's a baby seat in the back so one of the salesmen is probably hacking around in it. Looked good, very smart. I liked it but I didn't feel uber excited by it!
Haha yeah that's true, Don't get me wrong I utterly adore the looks on them, front arches are proper fat
The press keep going on about the rear wheel steer making the car feel `odd` when cornering. But they do say it has superior mid corner balance than the type R. what did you think?
I used to own a car with rear wheel steering and once i got used to it it was great for fast cornering, the only thing with the one i had it wasn't progressive, it would just go so you definitely knew it was working.
I still feel disappointed with the mk4. The interior is nicer but you'd expect it to be with being a new car. It just isn't the drivers car the mk3 is.
No Not a chance, it was a Citroen ZX volcane, i actually went back to the dealership and complained that there was something loose on the rear, they said you found it then, it has rear wheel steering, it just clicked each way it wasn't progressive, but once i understood it it was great fun, good for roundabouts, could drive around the outside or inside of other cars.
never knew a zx had rear wheel steer. Brave car to buy!...reviews were generally positive at the time though.
it was the diesel one as well, really enjoyed it, it was way better than the Peugeot 205 stdt we had for a month before
Both cars had the same engine 1.9 td, the Pug was so bad on fuel it was pathetic, think the best ever was 27mpg on a run, the ZX driving like a lunatic wouldn't go below 44mpg. The idea of the Pug was great a 205 Gti with a diesel engine, but just didn't work
strange,only engine management poor set up on the pug i suppose. pug was probably even lighter than the ZX,so it should have done more mpg.
When you put your foot down in the Pug it black smoked so bad, Peugeot had it back 4 times in the first month and told me it needed to have at least 6k miles for it to settle
I think the RWS is just something that you need to get used to and once you do it will be better than without. That's what a lot of the journos are saying. I bet it's quick when you get the drop on it, it's like anything... Wonder what the R will be like, anyone have any more news about that? I hope it's badass!
it helps to keep the car balanced mid corner. Tests show the car is better than any other hatch, when settled into fast corners. It seems to be the odd sensations it creates ,that makes drivers feel uneasy about fully committing. When Porsche introduced RWS to the 911,i cant remember anyone saying it created any odd handling traits.
On the RWS.... You don't notice it in most driving - in fact, you have to apply a lot of lock to get the real wheels to turn. (You can see it from the RS Monitor). The most usual case in normal driving is when you're on full lock spinning the car around, it really helps the turning circle. I've only gotten it to kick in at speed a few times, namely on the roundabout near my house. It's a strange lateral movement in your seat that you don't expect initially, but it doesn't feel uneasy. It's pretty impressive how it continues to grip though! Interesting you found it softer Jamie! Most of the magazines complained about how hard the ride is. Mine is definitely softer than the Clio Trophy it replaced. It feels similar to how I remember my 250 to be, but it's been a long time to it's hard to compare directly. It's definitely a bigger, easier to live with car though. Most hatches seem to have gone that way. The only complaint is that regard is the boot - it's far smaller than the MK3.
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] It has been a decent amou t of time since I drove a cup setup but the MK4 definitely felt a little soft to me for what is meant to be a flagship hot hatch with Cup
Ah fair enough! I had KW coilovers on my old ST and it's made every car since feel like they're gliding on butter!
The mk3 didnt sell in great numbers, so its no surprise that renault want this to appeal to a wider audience.
mk4 wont either.The run of the mill models are utterly average .Why buy one of these ,over more popular brands,when it cant better them in any dept? We have a Renault dealership just down the road,but i have barely seen any around.
I've seen one in white at the dealer in trowbridge. Smart looking machine in the flesh, different to the mark 3. Not sure white does it justice but it wasn't really that clean which didn't help. Was a demo used by a member of staff I assume as there was a baby seat in the back too.
Wouldn't say it can't better them in any dept, straight line speed is definitely an issue. Shouldn't of put a 1.8 in it, especially with a lot of cars moving to 2.5 and 3.0 engines in hot hatches. But handling it's definitely the king of the hatches at the moment.
Not all of them, BMW and Ford are still sticking large engines in their hot hatches. Renault are going to fall behind if they don't up it for the 5
No there not, ford has gone from 2.5 5 cyclinder to a 2.3 ecoboom engine with big problems, along with the smaller fiesta st engine catching fire. The bmw's are going smaller in capacity and adding turbos. Every manufacturer is looking to downsize as they can't meet the stupid EU emissions. Ugly looking 5 door hatchs with shit sounding engines. There was always one hot hatch at the time I lusted after and would buy. At the minute I'm not bothered about any new hot hatch.
BMW are still sticking a 3L in theirs and most are still putting 2L in. Still confused why Renault dropped to a 1.8.
As has been said, they are all reducing their engine sizes. A 1.8 isnt far off what most others are doing. Sure I read somewhere that the next hot 1 series will have a smaller engine.
The civic type R in every test beats the megane. Honda even redesigned a virtually brand new floorpan, so multi link rear suspension could be added to it. Renault have made the best they can from a compromised package. Honda built that thing from the ground up to be the new hot hatch king. If it looked better,they wouldnt be able to make them fast enough. But lucky for everyone else..they utterly fked that bit up.
It's a Nissan unit, the Renault F4R was at the end of it's life and now with Nissan and Renault being a joint effort it's more cost effective.
Next hot 1-series will be a 2.0 turbo four pot. Though weirdly, it sounds like the next Focus ST might get a version of the 2.3 EcoBoost.
Large engined cars will not be sustainable long term, what with the environment getting royally fucked up by global warming, the laws will start to determine that all cars become more efficient and it will be small engines with turbos and / or electric motors (this is at least how I see things moving). I am always right about everything just to clarify. Recognise.
When can we expect to see UK road tests on the new Megane Trophy against competitors ( & probably predecessors)
evo have done a test.Not exactly glowing.Still moaning about the uneasy feel of the rear wheel steer.
