Renault Megane RS250 vs Golf GTI review

[Ideo]

No no no... sick of being stuck behind middle aged women driving 10kms under the speed limit in GTI's

Troll, troll, troll your boat…

When will some of the Renault boys realise that most people here respect the RS as a great car, but after looking at their priorities decided against buying one? Just a personal choice. From both sides. And an equally valid one. I mean, it’s not like anyone did something stupid like buying a Astra VXR.

You don’t need to continually justify your purchase. Honest. Both are good cars with the same end purpose but different approaches to actually getting there.

[markwid]

You don’t need to continually justify your purchase. Honest. Both are good cars with the same end purpose but different approaches to actually getting there.

Hear, hear. Why some of them Renault fans can't accept that others have different needs and/or taste?

[Capercat]

@ Ideo, lighten up, thread topic is RS250 vs GTI

Leave it for those with both RS250 & MK6 GTI road experience.

Have you driven both cars? give us your feedback please, otherwise go bang on a R thread.

[weewilly]

i don't get this thread. It will only incite. People expending energy trying to prove their rightness. Whats the point. It will not convince, it isn't insightful or informative and will only end with differing OPINIONS remaning. Besides who gives a rats arse what sabloke thinks.
the thread is not staying on topic as there has only been one review in four pages. seems the highly intuitive and gracious R owners are having to justify purchase and one or two frog eaters lamenting theirs.

[Capercat]

Hear, hear. Why some of them Renault fans can't accept that others have different needs and/or taste?

Agreed, sensible comment.

[sabloke]

Hear, hear. Why some of them Renault fans can't accept that others have different needs and/or taste?

Agree. However, not my case, I'm nobody's fanboi. If KIA makes a car that drives like my Clio and cost $3,000 less, I'll buy it. Seriously.
Like someone said above, we are talking performance cars here, so performance is the main criteria, not "all-roundness", and that's why the GTI falls short. Just like the Megane would fall short on things like rear vis test (what visibility?!), important for some. There's no such thing as a perfect car.

[markwid]

Like someone said above, we are talking performance cars here, so performance is the main criteria, not "all-roundness".

Ok, that is your criteria. So your choice would be guided by that.
Others have different criteria...is that so hard to understand?

[Ideo]

No. We aren’t talking performance or sports cars. We are talking hot hatchbacks – shopping cars that have been substantially approved by the factory so that they have a bit of performance and are a bit sporty. All of the genre are a bit compromised in one way or another. It is the nature of them. The Golf, whether it is R or GTI is slightly more biased towards all round ability at the expense of driver involvement and handling. The RS to outright handling at the expense of all round ability.

Oh, and yes I have driven both the GTI and the RS, and the R, obviously. And the Focus XR5, the afore mentioned Astra VXR, the Mazda 3 MPS, the BMW 130i, a MK5 R32 and an 8P Audi S3. Have you?

In terms of overall driver feel and involvement, the 130i is at the absolute top of the game, so long as the run flats have been removed. It may not be the fastest, but it is far and away the best drivers car. But, the interior is abysmal for the price, the standard BMW offset pedals apply, I’m not a fan of the styling and I’d have to get one secondhand.

After that came the RS. Great car to drive in my short drive, but a bit frantic for what I am after – I don’t drive much around the city, but I do a lot of country driving and highway driving and it simply isn’t as comfortable doing that. I’ll get an earlier clio 182 down the track as a fun car though. But as an everyday car for? No. For someone with different requirements, I can see the appeal. Don’t much care for the styling either, but once again, that is only my opinion.

The GTI/Golf R and Audi S3 were all tied for third for absolute driver involvement. The GTI felt a bit more nimble due to the lack of weight, but also a bit slower. I’m coming from a K04 turbo’d car so I’m more familiar with that form of power delivery. The S3 and the R were pretty similar, with the R just having the edge and feeling a bit more lively, and the haldex system seemed a bit more advanced. I also do dirt road driving and go the blue mountains and central west in winter so I prefer AWD. The Golf R was much better value than the S3, so it got the nod.

R32 had that sound, but it also felt pudgy and the R gave a better all round experience.

XR5 was interesting. Amazing engine note, but I could not get comfortable behind the wheel. I was always sitting up much too high. Like I was sitting on it rather than in it. Bit of torque steer but not to bad. Too much wheel spin, but that was accentuated by the cheap tyres on the example I drove.

The 3MPS was fast. But that was it. Didn’t do anything for me. Sorry.

The Astra VXR was a dog. Fast-ish in a straight line but very brutal delivery with torque steer everywhere. Hard to drive smooth and fast. Really not recommended in the slightest.

So, have you had a chance to drive all of them yet? Care to comment? Also drove the Alfa GT 3.2, Nissan 350Z and 370Z, Z4 3.0 and BMW 325i coupe. Oh yeah, and an 03 Porsche Boxster S. Any experience with any of them? Any comments?

[Capercat]

No. We aren’t talking performance or sports cars. We are talking hot hatchbacks – shopping cars that have been substantially approved by the factory so that they have a bit of performance and are a bit sporty. All of the genre are a bit compromised in one way or another. It is the nature of them. The Golf, whether it is R or GTI is slightly more biased towards all round ability at the expense of driver involvement and handling. The RS to outright handling at the expense of all round ability.

Oh, and yes I have driven both the GTI and the RS, and the R, obviously. And the Focus XR5, the afore mentioned Astra VXR, the Mazda 3 MPS, the BMW 130i, a MK5 R32 and an 8P Audi S3. Have you?

In terms of overall driver feel and involvement, the 130i is at the absolute top of the game, so long as the run flats have been removed. It may not be the fastest, but it is far and away the best drivers car. But, the interior is abysmal for the price, the standard BMW offset pedals apply, I’m not a fan of the styling and I’d have to get one secondhand.

After that came the RS. Great car to drive in my short drive, but a bit frantic for what I am after – I don’t drive much around the city, but I do a lot of country driving and highway driving and it simply isn’t as comfortable doing that. I’ll get an earlier clio 182 down the track as a fun car though. But as an everyday car for? No. For someone with different requirements, I can see the appeal. Don’t much care for the styling either, but once again, that is only my opinion.

The GTI/Golf R and Audi S3 were all tied for third for absolute driver involvement. The GTI felt a bit more nimble due to the lack of weight, but also a bit slower. I’m coming from a K04 turbo’d car so I’m more familiar with that form of power delivery. The S3 and the R were pretty similar, with the R just having the edge and feeling a bit more lively, and the haldex system seemed a bit more advanced. I also do dirt road driving and go the blue mountains and central west in winter so I prefer AWD. The Golf R was much better value than the S3, so it got the nod.

R32 had that sound, but it also felt pudgy and the R gave a better all round experience.

XR5 was interesting. Amazing engine note, but I could not get comfortable behind the wheel. I was always sitting up much too high. Like I was sitting on it rather than in it. Bit of torque steer but not to bad. Too much wheel spin, but that was accentuated by the cheap tyres on the example I drove.

The 3MPS was fast. But that was it. Didn’t do anything for me. Sorry.

The Astra VXR was a dog. Fast-ish in a straight line but very brutal delivery with torque steer everywhere. Hard to drive smooth and fast. Really not recommended in the slightest.

So, have you had a chance to drive all of them yet? Care to comment? Also drove the Alfa GT 3.2, Nissan 350Z and 370Z, Z4 3.0 and BMW 325i coupe. Oh yeah, and an 03 Porsche Boxster S. Any experience with any of them? Any comments?

-- yawn --

[Ideo]

Real grown up mate. Real grown up. You asked for my feedback. There it is.

Now, go away and play in the sandpit. The grown-ups are talking now.

[MurphyTheElf]

Well, I appreciate the input, Ideo. You state your preferences without prejudice or bias - exactly how all forum members should behave.

[Capercat]

Real grown up mate. Real grown up. You asked for my feedback. There it is.

Now, go away and play in the sandpit. The grown-ups are talking now.

Congratulations, you decided to go with the laggy, boring uninspiring AWD R. You must feel like a grown up buying the lesser S3 eh?

Oh, just another forum opinion

[WhiteJames]

Caradvice.com.au review appears odd to me. No pics of the Megane RS250 and Golf GTI together in the one shot. Statements indicating that the Megane was not driven on the public roadway. I'd say that the writer has driven both GTI and RS250 separate occassions ... then strung together a comparison between the two vehicles. It'd be a better review if the internet journo drove the two vehicles back to back on the same roadways on the same day for a direct comparison. Apart from the manual only / 3-door only / limited dealer presence / no-DCC suspension - The RS250 Megane is starting to grow on me. I found the interior and exterior quality very close to the Golf Mk6 in terms of quality.

After that came the RS. Great car to drive in my short drive, but a bit frantic for what I am after – I don’t drive much around the city, but I do a lot of country driving and highway driving and it simply isn’t as comfortable doing that.

Same deal with me. 80% long distance travel has me prefering the Golf GTI with DCC suspension for added refinement with little loss in handling prowess.

Cheers.
WJ

[OilBurna]

i suspect you are right WJ another re-hash from CarAdvice

[Capercat]

The MK6 interior is a step backwards from the MK5 IMO. The RS250 leather Recaro's are better than the "Sports" seats in my 2010 Porsche. Renault have come a long way in this department, but I'm still not liking the big ass.