Hmmmm....... Currently have a Clio Renaultsport 200 CUP ( White ) and test drove the Vrs the other day.

Problem I have is that the Clio, on the right road, at the right time, with the right conditions is a fantastic time, but the rest of the time its a badly made rattly french POS who's paint doesn't like sticking to its bumper or wheels !!!

Do I trade for a Vrs which does more right more of the time or stick with the Clio for the Ulitmate driving thrill ? All the car mags recommend the Clio but I dare say they don't live / commute in one?

Help me decide ! Fancy a red Vrs with dark chrome wheels and climate .......

I think you may get a bit of a biased response on here!

Have both

Then you get the thrill ride, & the sensible thrill ride ( you decide which is which )

Put the Clio on a very limited milage insurance

Sorted !

Clio probably nudges the vRS for being a top drivers/track type car.

vRS boots Clio into touch for build quality, price etc.

If you dont use the Clio to drive hard and get the best out of it all the time then you might as well change to the vRS. If you are going to want just that little bit extra on the handling then stick with the Clio.

Problem I have is that the Clio, on the right road, at the right time, with the right conditions is a fantastic time, but the rest of the time its a badly made rattly french POS who's paint doesn't like sticking to its bumper or wheels !!!

Get the VRS. Put paint stripper on the bumper and the wheels, and a box of spanners in the boot. Best of both worlds!

its a badly made rattly french POS who's paint doesn't like sticking to its bumper or wheels !!!

Help me decide ! Fancy a red Vrs with dark chrome wheels and climate .......

Sounds like you've already made up your mind to be honest!

I reckon you should go for it and swap to the vRS. Better to regret things that you have done rather than those that you haven't....! :yes:

It really all depends on what you want from a car. I am having the exact same dilemma as yourself at the moment albeit I'm thinking of going for a 197. Clio will be the better drivers car but is heavy on fuel. Fabia will be better on fuel but not so much fun to drive. To be honest I'm swaying towards the vRS myself but there is a part of me that is yearning to own a 197.

Get the VRS. Put paint stripper on the bumper and the wheels, and a box of spanners in the boot. Best of both worlds!

Think I have made my mind up.....

Going for another test drive Monday, we will see.

Would love to keep both but the small matter of thousands of pounds prevents me.

Yes the Clio is a great drive 'on occassions' but is tiring when just going to the shops on you aren't on one...

Yes the Clio is a great drive 'on occassions' but is tiring when just going to the shops on you aren't on one...

You've answered your own question

The vRS is a car that you can live with every day and still have some fun As you say, the mags love the Clio for being a thrilling drive, but they don't have to live with it.

Edited 14 January, 201115 yr by Mike Wrightson

Roads are in awful conditions in some places today so I agree with you, I wouldn't like to commute in it. People say the vRS isn't very "engaging" and takes driver involvement away, if anything, coming from a Clio Cup I'd say that would be your biggest worry or downside.

Well it's a nice situation to be in I suppose.

Always liked Skoda's, I suppose it's the underdog thing that the British are so good at !

I'll let you all know on Monday !

you could get the fabia vrs and do a few mods to it to make it a little faster and drive better

Had a similar thing when I had my type r. Gorgeous looking car but poorly built and Honda paint is absolute rubbish. I tend to drive my dad around a lot nowadays and he's not as young as he used to be, he called the civic the skateboard. Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that I don't miss my civic at all. I have a lot more comfort now in the VRS the rides smooth the DSG is something else don't miss my manual at all infect it's everything a hot hatch should be you can still have loads of fun on the right roads but it's great for doing the everyday things like the weekly shop and the tax is a lot cheaper too but not sure what the difference is in tax with the Clio.

Had a similar thing when I had my type r. Gorgeous looking car but poorly built and Honda paint is absolute rubbish. I tend to drive my dad around a lot nowadays and he's not as young as he used to be, he called the civic the skateboard. Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that I don't miss my civic at all. I have a lot more comfort now in the VRS the rides smooth the DSG is something else don't miss my manual at all infect it's everything a hot hatch should be you can still have loads of fun on the right roads but it's great for doing the everyday things like the weekly shop and the tax is a lot cheaper too but not sure what the difference is in tax with the Clio.

Funny that, I had a 09 Civic Type-R before the Clio and got rid of it as it was even worse build than my old Panda 100hp.

Bit the bullet today, got a red Fab VRS, climate and dark chrome alloys. Build week 14 for delivery week 17.......

The Clio is the benchmark, theres no doubting that. With the supercharger/turbo comb the power/torque is much more readily available.

I considered the renault sport clio, however its do hardcore for everyday use. I reckon the vRS with the skoda approved eibach lowering springs (JKM are selling them now) and a good adjustable rear anti roll bar wouldnt be to far behind in the handling apartment.

thats my plan, as im big into my track days. ive driven the clio and just like with the civic type R it needs to be really revved to get anywhere. (at which point the already pants fuel consumption drops off a cliff)

i came from a very heavily modded 270hp+ octavia vRS to this, and in all honesty the power of the little 1.4TSI was a little underwhelming and the car rolled a bit compared to what i was used to but thats comparing stock to modified, anyway I plan to change that though.

handling, then brakes and then power. Car arrvesd in april just in time for the track day season

Edited 15 January, 201115 yr by janner_Sy

Bit the bullet today, got a red Fab VRS, climate and dark chrome alloys. Build week 14 for delivery week 17.......

i'd be very interested to see how you compare the two, especially once you have had the vRS for a while. How much did you think the vRS differed in the handling.

i found you could get on the power very early in the Clio without her pushing wide. and the brakes were awesome. Braking and roll were definitely compromised on the vRS IMO. i think a more aggressive geometry setup/ARBs on the vRS might help it alot in that sense. The good news is there are alot of cheap brake upgrades available on the market already as the brake calipers and discs from the mk4 platform golfs/A3/octavias/ibiza and fabia all fit the new fabia/ibiza.

Are you interested in trackdays or likely to modify it so it meets your previous dynamics?

Does the Clio being White make it any better?

I had a Clio 200 as a stop gap between my Focus ST and RS and to tell the truth dont know what all the fuss is about. You have to rag the tits off it to get abt of speed and its made out of tin foil. French poop!

Go for thr vRS (In White!)

Edited 18 May, 201214 yr by Tim31

Funny that, I had a 09 Civic Type-R before the Clio and got rid of it as it was even worse build than my old Panda 100hp.

Bit the bullet today, got a red Fab VRS, climate and dark chrome alloys. Build week 14 for delivery week 17.......

Red is the way to go with red seats. Went from a 130 bhp diesel furby to the 1.4 mkII and believe me for everyday fun you can live with its amazing. Getting mid 30's mpg and iit 's driving better as the miles go up.

Really recommend it. You wont be disappointed.

Does the Clio being White make it any better?

I had a Clio 200 as a stop gap between my Focus ST and RS and to tell the truth dont know what all the fuss is about. You have to rag the tits off it to get abt of speed and its made out of tin foil. French poop!

Go for thr vRS (In White!)

I can confirm that the Clio being white makes it 20% better !!

Thanks for all your feedback.

Vrs isn't 100% the dynamic drive as the Clio, but we all know that, but I maybe only get the best out of it 10% of the time. The rest of the time its a nice looking badly made car !!