Thinking about an RS225

[scruffy]

Hey guys, I have joined this forum to utilise your knowledge and hopefully get some good advice along the way.

 

I am hopefully looking to upgrade my car in the next 6 months and the Megane RS 225 has caught my eye amongst others. Being in Adelaide limits the choice of cars to drive which is a bit frustrating, but these things happen. Currently have a list of Golf GTI, Polo GTI, Audi S3, Focus XR5 and of course the Megane RS225 in some form - yes I know a bit of a varied bunch.

Basically after a fun, hot hatch around $20k that will be used for mostly city driving along with the ocasional hills blat and has the space for a kid.

 

Look forward to a bit of advice and lots of reading.

 

Cheers,

Daly.

[griffyn]

Welcome, scruffy.

 

Quite a bunch you've shortlisted there!

[Wolf]

Howdy Mr Scruffy,

Not sure the polo fits the list (as in, it will be the cheapest while lower kms).

Having said that, there are some magnificent RSM getting around the "for sale" section on here and carsales etc.

If you are taking the polo into consideration... then the Clio would fit too, yes?

Either way, RS Megane or RS Clio (especially) win in overall fun factor and bang for bucks over the others. IMO, your dilema should be between the 2 RS models.

But then, what would you expect coming onto this very enlightened website? Heheh.

Good luck, and maybe see you around the forum.

Cheers,

WOLF

[scruffy]

Yeah, I had thought about the Clio however I want something with a bit more response and urgency down low in the rev-range so you don't have to rev it as hard. My trip to and from work is all of 7 minutes each way and the car barely has time to warm up. I have driven a Polo and was quite impressed with the torque down low. The Clio has peak torque at 5500rpm whereas the Polo is at 1900rpm. For me that rules out most NA cars - plus with turbos they are easier to tune.

[cooper]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the cars you have short listed there, given your criteria - apart from the polo.

a) they are clio sized, meaning they are not as practical as the other examples

b) compared to the other cars, they are lacking in the handling department. Buy a considerable margin IMHO

[act180]

Hey mate, I have a polo gti and a Clio 197. For a 7 min daily drive the polo makes more sense. Much easier to drive it quickly without flogging the car. The Clio is a bit of a dog when the engine is cold, so a few mins of your commute will be a little frustrating.

 

But if the enjoyment of a weekend mountain run outweighs the enjoyment of the commute, the Clio wins easy from a rewarding drive perspective IMO.

 

I probably wouldn't go a 3 door with a kid though so megane or golf gti will be your best bet I reckon.

 

Have fun choosing!

[Wolf]

7 minutes ...get a bike! HeheH.

[walkie86]

Welcome! I agree with Wolf - 7 minute trip = get a bike!

 

With the cars, I'd cross the Polo off straight away - 3-door, not that quick and dull steering (in stock form)

 

I don't find VGA products (VW/Audi) very exciting and an S3 in that price range would be pretty old.

 

That leaves the Meggy and XR5 of which I don't think you can go wrong with either but you know what I (and all us Renault nuts) would choose.

 

The Megane's the kind of car that leaves you excited just thinking about it, let alone looking at or driving it

[Jeffie]

There was a guy test driving the RS250 that came out of an XR5. He said it was disintegrating after 30 odd k kms, had the clutch slave cylinder fail and Ford wouldnt fix it because it is the clutch and claimed it was wear and tear.

 

This is just one guys experience but some food for thought.

[act180]

I had same issue with a Peugeot after 25500 kms. Was told wear and tear after 25k kms. I don't think that issue is unique to ford.

[Wolf]

But it "is" common to them.

 

WOLF

ps: The service, not the issue btw.

[Jeffie]

I had same issue with a Peugeot after 25500 kms. Was told wear and tear after 25k kms. I don't think that issue is unique to ford.

 

It was one of the issues that stood out, there was more.

[BPRS225]

If you were to get a Meggie, you're definite not going to blend in like a lot of the other cars are, or thought of as the 'base' model (colour depending, of course)

[Rhys Hillman]

i see the following on the way to work every day...

 

Golf GTI: 7-8

Polo GTI: 5-6

XR5: 8-9

RS225: 0

 

be different and get yourself something that is unique, great looking, and would make all of the above look pathetic in the Adelaide Hills.

[Andy C]

Hi Daly,

 

When I was looking for a new car about a 6 months ago my requirements were very similar to yours ... and my short list was also very similar (I didn't consider the Polo due to reasons already posted above).

 

The choice was made very easy and very obvious once I drove them all ! No real need to tell you which way I went.

 

... wish I lived in/near the Adelaide Hills ... lots of great stretches of road .. perfect RS225 Cup country.

[Acooper]

Hi Scruffy,

 

I brought my first RS225 a few months ago after being a fan for sometime. Best decision I have ever made. It puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. Its also nice having something abit different from the other "Hot Hatches" mine is a 4 door a love it.

 

Regards

[DanSA]

Welcome mate.

I suggest you come along to the next SA meet. Geoff has a 225 and there will be an R26 too that u could have a look at and maybe catch a ride

 

See u around the hills.

Dan

[bac]

Currently have a list of Golf GTI, Polo GTI, Audi S3, Focus XR5 and of course the Megane RS225 in some form - yes I know a bit of a varied bunch

My short list was also eerily similar to yours, here's how I cut it down:

 

- Discounted the Golf GTi pretty much straight away as they are waaay overpriced for what you get and there's just too many of them on the road.

 

- Test drove an S3, the car felt very solid and secure with the AWD. However it was completely uninspiring and felt slow, even though the example I drove had been APR tuned and other go-faster bits. There were also some interior quality niggles that I wouldn't have expected from a premium German vehicle and parts prices that would make a BMW owner wince.

 

- The Polo I found to be not a bad device, even in stock trim. Pretty well balanced, light weight and apparently they tune up quite well with the venerable VW 1.8T donk under the bonnet. Definitely not a sports car though, and may become a handful to drive once tuned

 

- The XR5 was the last remaining competitor but I was put off by the fact they don't seem to get off the line that well. Gobs of torque but the 2.5l Volvo motor just doesn't scream the way a hot hatch engine should. Plus they look too much like the cooking model Foci for my taste.

 

Which leaves the RS Megane: quickest off the mark, handles like a sports car, decent brakes as standard, more HP if you want it with a bit of tweaking, cheap used buy thanks to massive depreciation - what more could you want? (apart from slightly less quirky looks...)

 

One last thing - In hindsight, I wish I had've spent the extra and gone for an R26 over the standard 225. The LSD really seems like a must-have for getting all that power down through the front wheels once you've had the car tuned. They can be retro-fitted to the other variants but while the diff itself is cheap enough, fitting it is a big (read expensive) job.

[Opposite_Lock]

Totally agree with the xr5, bac

 

On my test drive of one last year off the line squirts really seem to trouble it, it just dosent seem to want to hunker down and go.

 

The MPS was even worse

[rickh]

I have looked for a few months myself . My list was a little different. My list was Mini Cooper S, Clio 182, RS225 3 door and Golf GTI (no tarten seats though).

Build quality on Mini an issue and couldnt drive a GTi (too plain).

Yesterday put deposit on RS225 Ph II. 3 door in Blue.

Cant wait to pick it up and find some twisty roads and have a bit of fun.

I am a liitle biased as i sell Renaults for a living but even taking that into account it was the best of my list !