Loving the 220 !

[REM261]

Well had my car 5 weeks now. Was previously in a MK3 200 full fat , cup chassis for nearly 3 yrs .
anyway never driven an auto in 20 yrs of driving and must admit took me a bit of time to get used to this .
i read many , many articles and posts on here over the last year or two about the 200T , the gearbox etc . Some quite heated debates !
to be honest for some of these reasons I decided against the 200T as a possibly replacement at the time. Then out the blue while picking my previous car up from dealers I saw the 220 trophy , went for a test drive and decided to take the plunge .
the reason I'm writing this is I now can't believe what I read at the time about the gearbox is this and that and it's not proper RS etc !
I could throw my mk3 around with the best of them and often did and now having owned this car for a few weeks I know everyone is entitled to there opinion but everything about this car is spot on and In my humble opinion a true RS .
i will finish on something that summed it all up lovely for me today.
driving today minding my own buisness something happened that I'm sure we have all encountered .
out of nowhere blinding lights about an inch off my chuff . After coming to a halt at a roundabout I saw it was an Astra VXR two young lads inside ( I'm 41 lol ) music blaring . I thought to myself I'm going really see what this trophy will do for the first time . Put it in race , manual .
Anyway I won't bore you with the details as I'm sure this post has done that already !
But 10 miles later . Pulled up at traffic lights and VXR pulled by my side , lowered his window , music down and simply said great car mate , had no idea they handled that well and were that quick . Drove home with a smile on my face .
Glad I took the plunge and made my own mind up instead of listening to others .
loving the 220 .

 

[Chris]

Any clio will outhandle an astra vxr! Clumsy things!

Glad your enjoying it!

 

[nutnutwelshman]

Glad you're enjoying her love my 200T get it on Track in the summer

 

[Jimmy]

Good to hear you're so happy with it! Just goes to show that you can read all the press reviews in the world, but until you get behind the wheel of a car you don't know what it's like!

 

[simon7929]

It is a good car and very quick in race mode. It is very well put together and better built than the previous Clio. However it doesn't give you the raw experience of a true hot hatch like the mk3. Even with a manual gearbox I'm still not convinced it would be as much fun as the old 197/200?

 

[Gilmos1]

You're doing the same thing as the mags have done. Comparing a car that was designed over 10 years ago with one that is about 3 years old. Whilst they are both labelled hot hatches, they are poles apart in reality, just like an ST or 208 Gti is. I loved my old 200, was rawish (not like my Elise) but very different to my 200t.

 

[Chris]

It is a good car and very quick in race mode. It is very well put together and better built than the previous Clio. However it doesn't give you the raw experience of a true hot hatch like the mk3. Even with a manual gearbox I'm still not convinced it would be as much fun as the old 197/200?

Define true hot hatch...

The Meg 250 is far from raw yet labelled as ones of the best hot hatches money can buy. The new fiesta st is labelled by all the magazines as the best current hot hatch and it's not more raw than a 200t lol.

 

[simon7929]

You're doing the same thing as the mags have done. Comparing a car that was designed over 10 years ago with one that is about 3 years old. Whilst they are both labelled hot hatches, they are poles apart in reality, just like an ST or 208 Gti is. I loved my old 200, was rawish (not like my Elise) but very different to my 200t.

I'll compare my Corsa VXR (new shape) with my wives 200t to make it fair as they are both modern hot hatches. VXR feels modern, well built and is fun to drive. It's like an updated 197/200 with a turbo. For me, this is how the mk4 Clio should have been. I still stand by what I've said before about the Clio, very quick, well built but doesn't give you the thrill that a hot hatch should when driven hard.

 

[J's RS]

thanks to this post I am more at ease with my decision to get the Trophy when it arrives in South Africa

 

[Gilmos1]

I'm surprised you're comparing a 2015 VXR with what was a few years ago the recognised 'Best Hot Hatch' you could buy? I need to try a Corsa.

 

[simon7929]

I'm surprised you're comparing a 2015 VXR with what was a few years ago the recognised 'Best Hot Hatch' you could buy? I need to try a Corsa.

You'll be shocked! I'm not saying it's perfect but I've had a 197/200/R26 and my wife has a 200t which I drive frequently. I would say the Corsa is just as capable as all hot hatches I've had. It does have a diff and bigger brakes which does enhance the drive though I must admit. Forget the image, bite the bullet and try one.

 

[REM261]

I take your points Simon but this started out as thread about 220 trophy which in my opinion is more refined than corsa , quicker , better chassis and and classier and will always be rarer than the corsa.

 

[FramerateUK]

I take your points Simon but this started out as thread about 220 trophy which in my opinion is more refined than corsa , quicker , better chassis and and classier and will always be rarer than the corsa.

I think the main difference between the current Clio 200/220 is that it's so much more refined to use every compared to the old one and it's class rivals.

It is less raw (I can only base it on my 220 test drive), it felt more like a smaller Megane rather than a fizzy supermini - that's a good thing to me.

 

[simon7929]

Maybe it's my age? I love old school hot hatches with their bone shaking, adrenaline flowing experience. It must be a mid life crisis I'm having.

 

[Chris]

Maybe it's my age? I love old school hot hatches with their bone shaking, adrenaline flowing experience. It must be a mid life crisis I'm having.

The 2015 vxr is hardly an old school hot hatch though is it lol... Dont contradict your point, either compare it to the current gen of hot hatch or too previous renaultsport models, it cant be everything...

Thats half the problem of why its been slated, as its being teed up against the fiesta, which previous generation was crap, where as the 197/200 was a highly praised car.. As i said, it cant be everything.

 

[///M]

I take your points Simon but this started out as thread about 220 trophy which in my opinion is more refined than corsa , quicker , better chassis and and classier and will always be rarer than the corsa.

Not to mention brand image and history. Renault have a glorious heritage that can not be ignored. Multiple one make championships, Alpine's, mental stuff like the R5 Gordini / Turbo 2, the Clio V6, success in rally and the Dakar, class leading in Formula E, they've won Le Mans, long service in F1 including multiple championship wins, gave Alain Prost his big chance, plus loads of other stuff I can't be bothered typing about...

Vauxhall has what? John Clelland?

:foxspeed:

Only joking, I'm sure it's a decent car but I know for certain what I'd rather be driving.

To the OP, glad you're enjoying yourself, sounds great!

 

[Gilmos1]

To be fair the (Opel) Manta GTE/400 was one hell of a rally car in the hands of Jimmy McRae in Rothmans livery[emoji106]

 

[Womble]

The whole problem is I don't have one and I can't see one being better than it really is.

You can't buy new old hot hatches, move on get a grip and live in the 21st century with a car that works. Everyone has forgotten about the old Renaultsports and their problems.....,.

As for comparing it with a Vauxhall. It is like comparing alambos and Ferraris.

Back on Topic

Glad your loving the 220

 

[///M]

The whole problem is I don't have one and I can't see one being better than it really is.

You can't buy new old hot hatches, move on get a grip and live in the 21st century with a car that works. Everyone has forgotten about the old Renaultsports and their problems.....,.

As for comparing it with a Vauxhall. It is like comparing alambos and Ferraris.

Back on Topic

Glad your loving the 220

And that is exactly why I drive old cars!

 

[///M]

To be fair the (Opel) Manta GTE/400 was one hell of a rally car in the hands of Jimmy McRae in Rothmans livery[emoji106]

Could not agree more mate, honestly was joking. We're all fanboys at the end of the day. Nice one for the reminder. First bit of Motorsport I ever saw live was the Manx with McRae in the AC Delco Manta. Just been enjoying some old footage on YouTube.