Evo hot hatch test - includes Polo GTI

[Lima]

You probably know what to expect here, but it's still worth watching.

[sabloke]

I love this video! Typical EVO quality motor journalism. I wonder why our Wheels and Motor won't learn from these guys rather than trying to compete with TG in dumbness...

[Gambit]

Yes totally agree with the review polo gti is very boring compared to a rs200 Clio that I test drove. At the end of the day would have
Much preferred the Renault but the polo was always for the +1 who values comfort and plushness over driver engagement.

[GTI JOE]

Yes totally agree with the review polo gti is very boring compared to a rs200 Clio that I test drove. At the end of the day would have
Much preferred the Renault but the polo was always for the +1 who values comfort and plushness over driver engagement.

.......and, value, bang for your buck

[gavs]

I drove both but I settled on the polo for 2 reasons:

1) Price. The Clio, as good as it is, aint worth an extra $12k over the Polo and with the 12k I saved, that could go to some pretty hefty mods to waste any clio!

2) Harshness. I got the Clio for a fair drive therough Warrandyte area and while good for a fang, I couldn't see me making the 6hr commute to Mildura in it, it really isn't a comfortable place to be in for cruising.

While it is a great car, if I went to the Renualt stable, Megane RS250 and that is it, no clio on my wish list.

[break]

Clio's really are a one trick pony in contrast to the hot Polo's. Absolutely ball tearing around a mountain road/track... but compromised on the daily commute (says someone that drives 70km a day in my Clio, and used to do the same trip in a Polo GTI).

I couldn't agree more on the price factor of the Clio... as fun as they are, they are not worth the RRP here in Aus. Really, they should be sold as a competitor to the new Polo GTI, and priced accordingly (ie. around the $30-32k mark), rather than being as expensive as a Golf GTI.

[pologti18t]

Clio's really are a one trick pony in contrast to the hot Polo's. Absolutely ball tearing around a mountain road/track... but compromised on the daily commute (says someone that drives 70km a day in my Clio, and used to do the same trip in a Polo GTI).

The old 172 had quite compliant suspension. Only the Cup suspension Clio RS200 has a bone jarring ride. Makes you wonder why Renault doesn't release a RS200 (and Megane RS250) model in Australia with the standard non-Cup suspension (ie softer)

[sabloke]

You guys are missing the point of the RS 200, completely. Not a car for commuting, true. If judged as a hatch is not great value for money either. One trick pony, maybe. But boy, does it deliver when you ask it to do that trick! The way I see it, the Clio drives like a proper sports car while looking like a hatch. If Renault would use this chassis and engine and brakes while dropping on top a humpy shell ala TT or something, people would pay $90k for it Get on a mountain road early in the morning on a weekend behind the wheel of a little RS 200, that's the only way to understand the point of this car. Alternatively, listen again, carefully, what the reviewer has to say about it: "one of the best road cars, at any price". He knows his stuff, otherwise Ken Block wouldn't have handed over his 650 HP Fiesta, ha ha!

You want value for money, great for commuting and with fantastic resale value? Get a Mazda 2, or a Yaris. A hot hatch might be compromised in some degree when talking comfort, fuel economy or practicality. But come on, why compromise on driving joy? What's the point of it then?

[Buller_Scott]

1) Price. The Clio, as good as it is, aint worth an extra $12k over the Polo and with the 12k I saved, that could go to some pretty hefty mods to waste any clio!

clio's far superior as a driving car to a golf gti, and they're similarly priced...

as for wasting any clio, what mods could you do? hr sway bar, coilies, chip, custom dump.... no one makes bushes for the 6R yet (so no reducing that no-feedback-from-steering feeling)... you could have $1million and say you could turn the gti into a giant killer, but there are only so many things that you could actually do to a 6R gti, based on the stuff available for it at the moment....

there is a reason why many, many motoring journalists have called the clio "one of the best driving cars (not just hatches) in the world"... dunno if coilies, a strut brace and a tune would have a new, watered down polo gti beating THAT.... (just saying).

[sabloke]

Many reviewers, the one in discussion included, rate the Clio higher than the Mini superworksbellsandwhislesedition, that cost at least $10k more. Anyone complaining though? BMW beaten at their game by Renault for significantly less money. Is the MIni a competitor for the Polo as well?

Here's the thing, no one is complaining about the harsh ride in an Elise or 911. So, why complain about the Clio then? Just because it cost a fraction of the other two, it has to ride like a good old Citroen?

[Wolf]

Hopefully with the increase in recognition and improved quality, the RS brand will increase its resale value.
It's still suffering from the crap way it was handled into the country from decades ago.
Rep stays with cars like a bad smell.
Right now though, new models are smelling like daisies. (nb: or whatever smell appeals to you)
Cheers,
WOLF
- RS and VW parts supplier -

[Gambit]

Here here you should not misunderstand the purpose and intent behind the Renault sport brand, it holds the RS emblem for a reason. I would happily trade the polo gti for a rs200 any time without hesitation for a mountain pass run.

[pologti18t]

Anyone read the latest Wheels? From that report, though the Clio is more viceral... the Polo did a faster lap and qas quicker in a straight line.
I think the Megane RS250 is well worth the extra

[sabloke]

I disagree. The 250 is a different car. More powerful and faster, without a doubt. However, it is less raw than the Clio, heavier and turbocharged as well. I do prefer the lighter Clio, only because it feels and drives like a go-kart. Brakes like one, too (35m from 100 km/h!!) I also like the fact that it doesn't stand out but it doesn't look boring, either. Just right IMO.

Love my Clio but gotta agree the Polo GTI is very good value if you're after a fast hatch. Would I buy a Polo? No, I'm too old to drive one But that doesn't mean I don't respect its qualities. However, stop saying that an APR tune and some tubes bolted between the wheels will transform it into a giant killer. That is rubbish and you know it... You'll end up talking like the R crowd that think a tune makes their Golf faster than Lambos and Aston Martins

[break]

The old 172 had quite compliant suspension. Only the Cup suspension Clio RS200 has a bone jarring ride. Makes you wonder why Renault doesn't release a RS200 (and Megane RS250) model in Australia with the standard non-Cup suspension (ie softer)

Yeah, the non-cup spec 172/182's are all pretty reasonable at absorbing the bumps... but the steering and particularly the clutch are just sooooo heavy for such a small car. Not to mention the driving position is horrible if you're anything bigger than a midget.