Clio 200 Ski Spec

[MadUsa1]

Awesome day of snowboarding today with the 200.

I can highly recommend the factory roof rails and Thule Extender Ski Rack.

Got back down to the carpark after a day on the slopes and what do we see but another Clio 200! It was GW with cup pack and looked very cool - wasn't too keen on the wheels though.

 

[Jason_E]

Colour looks so good in picture 1!

 

[Sargara]

So thats a GW and a Pearl White side by side.... they look no different how can you tell? lol

 

[Riad]

Thats cool!

 

[seb]

makes me want a 200 LOL

 

[Marv-C]

makes me want a 200 LOL

Go on, get one..........you know you want to.

 

[seb]

i'd want a jamaican spec 200.

 

[MadUsa1]

So thats a GW and a Pearl White side by side.... they look no different how can you tell? lol

You can tell the difference in real life; it's like the difference between Liquid Yellow and ordinary flat yellow. LY makes the car look super special even though you can't tell at first what it is that makes it stand out so much.

If you get close up you can see the small fragments of metal / pearl particles that help play with the light and provide that deep, metalic effect.

From far away it looks a bit like the difference between a freshly waxed and polished car and a dirty one.

To be fair the GW also looks awesome, just not quite as special as the pearl.

 

[Davis]

both look very nice. i prefer your wheels though

 

[Seriosha]

Hmmm i was thinking about this thing too, but till now i always could fit the board and the skis of a freind inside.... just flip one part of the backseats.

Spares me the money for the Rack How is the fitting system!? Pictures of that!?

 

[KMB]

Just also come back from a day's snowboarding Courcheval for me! Great weather and fun today

 

[Chili Red]

They look good together - prefer the pearl white, definitely.

Jealous that you've been skiing

 

[daydotz]

I can't see much diffrence lovely car though

 

[MadUsa1]

Hmmm i was thinking about this thing too, but till now i always could fit the board and the skis of a freind inside.... just flip one part of the backseats.

Spares me the money for the Rack How is the fitting system!? Pictures of that!?

The ski rack is brilliant; there's a base carrier onto which you can mount a roof box, bike rack, ski rack etc. The ski rack itself is a Thule Extender, which can fit 6 pairs of skis / 5 snowboards. Plus you can pull the racks out from the side of the car to make loading and unloading easier.

Clever stuff.

 

[Seriosha]

So you dont have a "Reling" like on those wagons all the time but just the rack for the time you need it!?

 

[MadUsa1]

there are two small flaps in the rails on the side of the roof and two screw holes in the top of the door shut (behind the rubber seal). These are the mounting points for the roof rails - no need for permanent rails!

 

[Seriosha]

Hmmm i saw the flappy plastic things but never took a look underneath because of no need.... well, whatsoever.

How is your ride doing? Driven in and thrashed already a bit? what you think!?

 

[jamier27]

nicest 200 i have seen by far and no doubt pics wont do the pearl colouring any justice....

 

[MadUsa1]

Done 1600km in mine now and still absolutely love it.

It's parked below my window and I often have to run up to the window just to stare at it.

I've done a few passes in it already as well and I'm astonished at how well it handles and how bloody fast it is! I've driven the same roads in the 182 FF and the Trophy for years and I can say with 100% certainty that neither of them could live with the 200.

What I also really enjoy is leaving it in a gear higher than I normally would and just using the torque from 2500rpm to pull you along to the tune of that wonderful gruff exhaust note. This is something you could never do in the 182 and by the sounds of things not in the 197 either.

 

[Munson]

So the 200 has more in-gear pull than the 182? That's surprising to read. I guess the revised ratios have made a massive difference over the 197 then.

 

[MadUsa1]

Definitely, it feels MUCH more torquey from low revs than the 182.

There's 20% more torque at low revs than the 197 don't forget, PLUS the shorter ratios.

 

[Munson]

Sounds awesome. The only thing that was lacking in the 197 was a sense of urgency. If the 200 has completely fixed that, then it must be a truly awesome drive. Just a shame they've also ruined the styling at the same time, but that's just my opinion.

 

[MadUsa1]

Yeah for example in town ^you can drive around in 3rd at less than 30mph and enjoy a solid, sustained wave of torque when you put your foot down.

your could never do that in a 182.

As already mentioned, the stlying is spot on in my opinion - it looked awkward at first but now I realise they got it spot on and really moved the look forward from the previous cars.

 

[N0ddie]

The black roof is beginning to grow on me. Might think about getting theroof vinyled when we get our AG 200.

Also agree on what you say about the better torque the 200 has over the previous gen RS Clios. I test drove 1 on Friday and must say, from low down the revs in, say, 3rd then flooring it. It pulls almost as well as my old Corsa VXr did. I was well impressed.

 

[Anonymous]

I hate the front end on the 200's, as much as i'd like to have one i'd go for a 197 anyday

 

[Seriosha]

give me a call for the next pass run, im not used to them and need some introduction and practice... Ive only driven fast on tracks till now but road fast driving is completly different, especially on the passes.

 

[MadUsa1]

I hate the front end on the 200's, as much as i'd like to have one i'd go for a 197 anyday

Such comments were pretty common when it first came out, but I think now people are starting to realise that the whole aero blade / black nose thing fits the renaultsport cars brilliantly.

The acid test is that when you see a 197 in the flesh now it looks soft and slightly dated, whereas the 200 looks striking, modern and aggressive.

Think back to the first Bangle-era BMW's, people thought they had lost the plot at first, but within a few short years we have adjusted to the new look and realise that the old car now looks ordinary by comparison.

 

[MadUsa1]

give me a call for the next pass run, im not used to them and need some introduction and practice... Ive only driven fast on tracks till now but road fast driving is completly different, especially on the passes.

It's too dangerous at the moment with the temperatures hovering around the zero degree mark, we should meet up in the spring though.

That said, driving fast on the road can be pretty dangerous and risky - not sure I should be promoting it!

 

[Seriosha]

Just dug this out again... Well youre right, with the Spring thing and so.

About the fast road driving: dont be bothered. Im not one of those public road racers Even on Roads usually unused here im slowing down before corners which you cant look through and so on. On Track thrashing is no problem, but not at publics. My Introduction thing was more about the Pass experience all in all, not about raciong down there like Mad

 

[MadUsa1]

Nah it's not about dangerous road racing, it's about driving in an enjoyable, spirited way, while staying well within the limits of the car, the road and your own talent!

I've got the track for Mad driving after all.

 

[Seriosha]

So were totally understanding each other Which should make things just well