So a couple of weeks ago I clocked the 10,000 milestone after a little more than 14 months of ownership, since then I've been in two minds whether to write a review or not and tonight I thought what the hell.

 

So lets start with the good points. I love the engine and gearbox/dsg combination, after coming from 9 years with a mk1 vrs it took a few weeks to really get the feel for what's what but dame its good when you sync with it, it's is a real lady on the street and a freak in the bed so to speak, in one breath I can take wifey out for a meal and drive in 'D' mode smooth as silk and in the next whilst on my own and fired in manual mode its freakishly good. I've had the odd dsg brain fart but nothing I considered to be a fault however I do have clutch slip between gears on light throttle especially when cold that is slowly developing, however it is sharp and positive with heavy throttle so another call to the dealer this coming week is in order. I like the cabin when compared to a mk1, I spec'd nav, climate, phone, dab and leather pack with phone prep which the last turned out to be a con in reality but you live and learn. The nav unit works really well and combined with the climate gives a better aesthetic to the dash as a whole imo. The only real negative I have on the cabin is the drivers seat sits a tad too high even on its lowest setting, giving the feeling of sitting on rather than sitting in the car, the mk1 fitted my 6ft+ frame I little better and gave me the sitting in feeling which I like.

 

Now for those who may read this that are looking into the potential of buying a mk2 vrs, please don't let this put you off, they are great cars as a whole, take into account performance vs running cost and you will need to look high and low to find anything else that comes remotely close for bang for ya buck. 

 

So the not so good bits and my gripes with the vrs, I really have been disappointed with the standard chassis and brake set up, the engine performance far exceeds the chassis handling capacity, I didn't expect Renault cup pack type handling but having had a mk1 vrs I did have the expectation that the mk2 would be an improvement on that but I honestly feel a standard mk1 is a better balanced package of performance vs handling. The brakes are soft and spongy with an inconsistent vague feel, on one press of the pedal it can be firm with a reasonable feel then the next press can be long, spongy and vague which is always a frustration in spirited driving. When compared to the mk1 the cabin is a bit more noisy and rattles are more common place which is a shame.

 

General information, car is standard apart from rear weights that were removed around the 250 mile mark, oil usage is very good, approx 700ml in 10,000 miles. average fuel economy is 25mpg and tyre wear at 5/6000 miles to a pair of front continentals.

 

So this weekend the mods start, H&R springs, Bilstein B8 shocks and a Poly bush kit comprising of rear beam mounting, front bottom arm front/rear bushes and front arb. Brake upgrades are in the pipeline for mid summer and Federal RSR's are to be fitted in a couple of weeks.

 

Hoping that little lot will turn a great engine and gearbox in to a great car.  

Edited 24 April, 201511 yr by wrightcnc2009

Nice review, and that's the way to do it , start within a few choice mods to the chassis and brakes, and you can turn it into a proper hit hatch

So a couple of weeks ago I clocked the 10,000 milestone after a little more than 14 months of ownership, since then I've been in two minds whether to write a review or not and tonight I thought what the hell.

 

So lets start with the good points. I love the engine and gearbox/dsg combination, after coming from 9 years with a mk1 vrs it took a few weeks to really get the feel for what's what but dame its good when you sync with it, it's is a real lady on the street and a freak in the bed so to speak, in one breath I can take wifey out for a meal and drive in 'D' mode smooth as silk and in the next whilst on my own and fired in manual mode its freakishly good. I've had the odd dsg brain fart but nothing I considered to be a fault however I do have clutch slip between gears on light throttle especially when cold that is slowly developing, however it is sharp and positive with heavy throttle so another call to the dealer this coming week is in order. I like the cabin when compared to a mk1, I spec'd nav, climate, phone, dab and leather pack with phone prep which the last turned out to be a con in reality but you live and learn. The nav unit works really well and combined with the climate gives a better aesthetic to the dash as a whole imo. The only real negative I have on the cabin is the drivers seat sits a tad too high even on its lowest setting, giving the feeling of sitting on rather than sitting in the car, the mk1 fitted my 6ft+ frame I little better and gave me the sitting in feeling which I like.

 

Now for those who may read this that are looking into the potential of buying a mk2 vrs, please don't let this put you off, they are great cars as a whole, take into account performance vs running cost and you will need to look high and low to find anything else that comes remotely close for bang for ya buck. 

 

So the not so good bits and my gripes with the vrs, I really have been disappointed with the standard chassis and brake set up, the engine performance far exceeds the chassis handling capacity, I didn't expect Renault cup pack type handling but having had a mk1 vrs I did have the expectation that the mk2 would be an improvement on that but I honestly feel a standard mk1 is a better balanced package of performance vs handling. The brakes are soft and spongy with an inconsistent vague feel, on one press of the pedal it can be firm with a reasonable feel then the next press can be long, spongy and vague which is always a frustration in spirited driving. When compared to the mk1 the cabin is a bit more noisy and rattles are more common place which is a shame.

 

General information, car is standard apart from rear weights that were removed around the 250 mile mark, oil usage is very good, approx 700ml in 10,000 miles. average fuel economy is 25mpg and tyre wear at 5/6000 miles to a pair of front continentals.

 

So this weekend the mods start, H&R springs, Bilstein B8 shocks and a Poly bush kit comprising of rear beam mounting, front bottom arm front/rear bushes and front arb. Brake upgrades are in the pipeline for mid summer and Federal RSR's are to be fitted in a couple of weeks.

 

Hoping that little lot will turn a great engine and gearbox in to a great car.  

wrightcnc2009

Nice to read this and find that its not just me who thinks the brakes are poor,and the handling isn't as good as it could be..

In fact i`d 100% agree with your review....

Good review.

There are mods that make differences, Springs, ARB , Bushes etc.

 

But the cheapest and easiest can first be, Tyre Pressures or more importantly the correct tyre pressures. 

(later tyres changed if required. but then thats not a cheap change, but if you need tyres anyway....)

 

But one of the best mods are, get rid of the OEM Brake pads that the car comes with from the factory,

they are just not very good for braking efficiency if you are someone that uses their brakes much.

Nice review, and that's the way to do it , start within a few choice mods to the chassis and brakes, and you can turn it into a proper hit hatch

 

I don't like talking things apart twice if I can help it so springs, dampers and bushes seemed a natural hit once only job, I'm still not quite sure whether to do a rarb but figured that can be a nice separate job at a later date.

 

wrightcnc2009

Nice to read this and find that its not just me who thinks the brakes are poor,and the handling isn't as good as it could be..

In fact i`d 100% agree with your review....

I can be a bit harsh and overly critical, I grew up racing karts and some people miss understand me thinking I want an impractical race car for the road but that's far from what I'm after, for me balance and feel is what I'm after.

I don't like talking things apart twice if I can help it so springs, dampers and bushes seemed a natural hit once only job, I'm still not quite sure whether to do a rarb but figured that can be a nice separate job at a later date.

I was umming and arghing for months about getting the Rarb but after awesome gti's Black Friday I decided to get the Whiteline adjustable one which is the best money mod you can buy imho. Before the car felt wollowy in corners and under steered a lot now with the rarb you can feel the grip totally balanced across the car, I put this on after 3 and half years of ownership and it feels like a new car it should be on from factory and worth every extra penny in extra insurance.