Not sure if there is a physical switch or not but on my car (and the demonstrator I tried) you can depress the throttle all the way down and then press it a little further and you can feel (and sometimes hear) a definite 'click' which activates kickdown. I have heard others referring to it as the 'kick-down switch'.

When the stick is over to the left, locking it in tiptronic, I find it quite easy to press the throttle fully down but still avoid triggering the switch which then makes for smoother progress. Dunno if there are slight differences between cars in this regard or if I just have over-sensitive feet

I'll do some more investigation, see if I can get it to avoid kickdown

ok, mine doesn't work like this, I have just tried, in tiptronic, thrid gear, not even the pedal to the floor and it kicked down :(

mine kicks down but not as savagely as it does if i floor it all the way down to the kick down switch on the bottom. YOu can hear it click wwhen you do that.

Still think the top gear review isnt to far from the truth. Took it out today, and it doesnt let you power out on a tight bend early enough, you can feel it holding back

Also has anyone noticed the squirming when you hit the brakes hard from medium speeds, :think: definitely some mods required

mine kicks down but not as savagely as it does if i floor it all the way down to the kick down switch on the bottom. YOu can hear it click wwhen you do that.

Still think the top gear review isnt to far from the truth. Took it out today, and it doesnt let you power out on a tight bend early enough, you can feel it holding back

Also has anyone noticed the squirming when you hit the brakes hard from medium speeds, :think: definitely some mods required

yes, i have noticed that with the brakes... the fiat never did that, but it doesn't really bother me to be honest, because it still stops well. the "squirming" can often be an after effect of "brake force distribution" systems that kick in under hard braking.... My old C2 GT did it too... if thats whats causing it, putting a big set of discs and calipers on wont make a difference to the 'squirm'....

as for the kickdown, the only way i can see out of it, is select the lowest possible gear into a corner the system will allow!

edit: and do post up withthe remaps results/review ect

yes, i have noticed that with the brakes... the fiat never did that, but it doesn't really bother me to be honest, because it still stops well. the "squirming" can often be an after effect of "brake force distribution" systems that kick in under hard braking.... My old C2 GT did it too... if thats whats causing it, putting a big set of discs and calipers on wont make a difference to the 'squirm'....

as for the kickdown, the only way i can see out of it, is select the lowest possible gear into a corner the system will allow!

edit: and do post up withthe remaps results/review ect

Im still waiting on confirmation of it happening, no point in me travelling up if they cant get past the ECU encryptions. Since ill be upgrading the front brakes, it'll put more front bias on the brakes so i think ill look into seeing if there are uprated rear alternatives.

mine kicks down but not as savagely as it does if i floor it all the way down to the kick down switch on the bottom. YOu can hear it click wwhen you do that.

Still think the top gear review isnt to far from the truth. Took it out today, and it doesnt let you power out on a tight bend early enough, you can feel it holding back

Also has anyone noticed the squirming when you hit the brakes hard from medium speeds, :think: definitely some mods required

Hi Si,

You've probably done so already but have you tried turning the ESP off, when you do so the TCS gets disabled and the ESP doesnt nanny so much, may give you more go out of the bends or at least the ability to modulate the power better.

This thread seems to have been all over the place and back again, but here's my couple of random thoughts.

Coming from a Renault (and having owned a couple years back like an E reg 21 TXE) I've never had anything fall off my French cars. Panel gaps and such like can be a bit dodgy, but in my experience everything is put together pretty well these days.

Another poster hit on head perfectly - the Clio is the focussed machine. My Meg was pretty similar and its inablility to be driven slowly lead me to have to get rid... and here I am looking at getting a vRS.

Costs of the the two cars are different enough to require factoring in too. Insurance-wise I was quoted just over £400 for the Fabia or over £600 for the Clio. The fuel consumption, tax banding etc are also in a different league. And like another poster also said, with some exceptions (Wests!), the Renault dealer network is a nightmare.

It'll be a vRS estate I'll be getting anyway - now there's a car that just trumps every alternative.