Feedback from the guy who has my 197

A lot easier than the Clio, however, they are ~50bhp down to start with, so realistically they are only getting on a par with the Clio. Any more than that and you will be looking at a charger of some sort...
 
I drove one of the ST's when they first came out, and although I was impressed by it, for some reason I could never bring myself to buy one. Probably just aswell as now I feel they look quite dated, horrendous with the stripes etc and the depreciation you have also mentioned.

Even though the 197 is 6p more per mile, its worth it.