Went on a little road trip to Wolverhampton thanks to Matt offering the chance of road testing the200t and Rob for making it a bit of a surprise.
When we first arrived there were 2 Clio RS outside a white one and a yellow one but on closer investigation the white one was a GT!
In the showroom was the new metallic red Clio and must say it did actually look really smart in the there.
We went out in the 200t and were 4 up so the power-to-weight ratio wasn’t the best.
It is quite cramped and claustrophobic in the rear and the doors offer poor access in and out.
The ride was firm but not uncomfortable and the exhaust could be heard rasping and popping away.
The piped in pretend engine sounds in the rear just seem to boom and would become annoying if left on for long – not really something I would spec or want.
The seats and driving position is easy to adjust and get comfortable and everything seems easy to hand. The instruments are not the best and I found the rev counter far too small and the fuel gauge for too big, the digital speed also took a bit of getting used to!
Now the engine/gearbox – at no time did I think the gearchange was slow (last paddle shift I drove was a Ferrari) – it drove easy in auto round town and then if you wanted zipped up and down the gears when asked.The engine was free revving and would hit the limiter easily and didn’t feel like a 1.6. What it would be like one-up would have been nice to try, I think the old 2.0 is still better at the top end and still has it beaten onsound/feel as the 1.6 sounds like a mini-megane at full chat.
Chassis/brakes – brakes were keen and a solid pedal and easy to modulate on stopping. The chassis was compliant but firm with well judged damping. I can’t but think it would have been better with adjustable dampers tied in with the “RS drive” button. So it can be soft when just not on it but super firm when going for it. The overall handling was a bit difficult to assess as the roads weren’t really the best to show off its abilities but it did change direction quickly and seemed to stay quite flat even with 4 inside.
The fit and finish was a lot better than the preview car we viewed at Harratts and the liquid yellow suited it well in fact if it wasn’t for the paint it probably wouldn’t look like a £22000 car next to the lower spec Clio’s!!
It’s become refined and less extreme in nature all of the time until you press the button and then it becomes a little bit more“rs-mental” in its manners...
So would I buy one.....No I wouldn’t as I am not the target for this new Clio. It has too many fripperies’ for me and the 5dr layout has in my view made accessability worse along with the styling that’s designed to try and hide it. But I am sure it will appeal to those with young kids and can only afford one car as it will do a dual role very well.
I would really like to take it for a maximum attack of the Buttertubs as that offers a mix of almost all roads in which to test it to the full!!!
One final one is it worth £22000.00? If Audi can charge £40,000.00 for the TTs with DSG then this is worth the money!
When we first arrived there were 2 Clio RS outside a white one and a yellow one but on closer investigation the white one was a GT!
In the showroom was the new metallic red Clio and must say it did actually look really smart in the there.
We went out in the 200t and were 4 up so the power-to-weight ratio wasn’t the best.
It is quite cramped and claustrophobic in the rear and the doors offer poor access in and out.
The ride was firm but not uncomfortable and the exhaust could be heard rasping and popping away.
The piped in pretend engine sounds in the rear just seem to boom and would become annoying if left on for long – not really something I would spec or want.
The seats and driving position is easy to adjust and get comfortable and everything seems easy to hand. The instruments are not the best and I found the rev counter far too small and the fuel gauge for too big, the digital speed also took a bit of getting used to!
Now the engine/gearbox – at no time did I think the gearchange was slow (last paddle shift I drove was a Ferrari) – it drove easy in auto round town and then if you wanted zipped up and down the gears when asked.The engine was free revving and would hit the limiter easily and didn’t feel like a 1.6. What it would be like one-up would have been nice to try, I think the old 2.0 is still better at the top end and still has it beaten onsound/feel as the 1.6 sounds like a mini-megane at full chat.
Chassis/brakes – brakes were keen and a solid pedal and easy to modulate on stopping. The chassis was compliant but firm with well judged damping. I can’t but think it would have been better with adjustable dampers tied in with the “RS drive” button. So it can be soft when just not on it but super firm when going for it. The overall handling was a bit difficult to assess as the roads weren’t really the best to show off its abilities but it did change direction quickly and seemed to stay quite flat even with 4 inside.
The fit and finish was a lot better than the preview car we viewed at Harratts and the liquid yellow suited it well in fact if it wasn’t for the paint it probably wouldn’t look like a £22000 car next to the lower spec Clio’s!!
It’s become refined and less extreme in nature all of the time until you press the button and then it becomes a little bit more“rs-mental” in its manners...
So would I buy one.....No I wouldn’t as I am not the target for this new Clio. It has too many fripperies’ for me and the 5dr layout has in my view made accessability worse along with the styling that’s designed to try and hide it. But I am sure it will appeal to those with young kids and can only afford one car as it will do a dual role very well.
I would really like to take it for a maximum attack of the Buttertubs as that offers a mix of almost all roads in which to test it to the full!!!
One final one is it worth £22000.00? If Audi can charge £40,000.00 for the TTs with DSG then this is worth the money!
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