BRZ vs Renault Megane 265 Trophy

[NESW20]

Originally Posted by Guff

HOLY SHIT.

DID HE JUST SAY THAT THE CAR HAS NO BALANCE AND DOESN'T STEP THE REAR OUT?


What the hell is going on at EVO?

he did. that's probably the reason why it got vehicle dynamics of the year, because it has no balance.

[Guff]

Originally Posted by NESW20

he did. that's probably the reason why it got vehicle dynamics of the year, because it has no balance.

I seriously don't understand how they are getting such a poor impression. The Auto trans CANNOT make so much of a difference that is disrupts the balance of the car.


I am under the impression that they do not understand how to turn the Traction Control and Stability Control off...

[Capt Canuck]

Originally Posted by NESW20

if you watch right at the 2 minute mark in the video, he "preloads" the wheel, repositions his hands and then jerks the wheel hard left.

i will agree that he didn't get along with the car, and i'm also amazed/annoyed that they were given an automatic to test. this whole comparison still seems incredibly pointless to me, i think we can all agree on that! the comparison against the mustang is much better and more informative, in my opinion.

Ya that has to be pif-paf. But ya it is a tenuous comparison regardless. The problem was they had two new cars (1 brand new, 1 a new iteration) and with the BRZ/GT86 being a rip-off in the UK, it put them at similar price points.

The BRZ/GT86's more natural FWD rival in the UK is the Renaultsport Clio 200. Apart from the price difference, their stats match up very well. I really hope they do a GT86/RS200 comparison, that would be neat to see

[Oriental Life]

Review just shows what an exceptional car Renault Megane is. It really is a great car.

[stateless]

Can't get the rear-end to play? Even CONSUMER REPORTS got the rear-end to play; apparently he wasn't trying too hard...

It's hard to take seriously a comparison of an auto which is markedly slower in tests than the manual version against a Megane manual. Especially given how the manual did in a recent comparison with a Mustang. Either way the Megane will still be the quicker car, sure, but then it would be meaningful.

If it's unbalanced, that means pretty much every reviewer except them doesn't know what they're doing, and that's hard to believe.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by stateless

... Either way the Megane will still be the quicker car, sure, but then it would be meaningful.....

Personal opinion here, but it wouldn't matter to me if the Megane did 0-60 in 0.1 seconds, and got around the track faster than the Stig in a pod-racer, that is just not an attractive car. I feel the same way about the Abarth.

[stateless]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Personal opinion here, but it wouldn't matter to me if the Megane did 0-60 in 0.1 seconds, and got around the track faster than the Stig in a pod-racer, that is just not an attractive car. I feel the same way about the Abarth.

hahaha agreed

[Turbowned]

It proves (much to my purist hater self) that a FWD can go faster for cheaper. But. I. still. don't. give. a. f**k. about. FWD. So I'll spend more $$, put a supercharger and some sticky tires on the BRZ, and go out and have fun with the tail out! Keep the torque-steer, thank you very much.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

It proves (much to my purist hater self) that a FWD can go faster for cheaper. But. I. still. don't. give. a. f**k. about. FWD. So I'll spend more $$, put a supercharger and some sticky tires on the BRZ, and go out and have fun with the tail out! Keep the torque-steer, thank you very much.

i think this is the first time anyone has admitted that this may not be the best car ever but simply the one they want. thanks

[cossey]

Given that the Megane isn't sold in NA I expect that none of you have driven one, I on the other hand have driven both the current and previous generation extensively. They are probably the best all round FWD cars ever made, the Clio RS200 and the Integra DC2 have slightly purer chassis but the extra power and torque of the turbo puts the Megane ahead over all. They are seriously fun cars that are capable of truly ridiculous amounts of sideways action if you want.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYr61f_c_w4&feature=g-all-u"]Renault Megane Drift[/ame]

All of that is lift off oversteer not using the e brake.
The fact that they are quicker round the Nordschleife than a Cayman S show that they are also insanely quick for the money.
For Europe the Megane would certainly be on the list for anyone looking for a fun sporty car around the GT86/BRZ price point.

John Barker is an ex vehichle dynamics engineer and still does consulting to the industry, he has driven the N24 in an Audi Factory R8 and near enough every sports car for the last 20 years as one of the world's most respected motoring journalists.

If you look at the EVO review as a whole then a constant pattern emerges
1. They were expecting a lot from this car and therefore it has been partially reviewed against the hype.
2. Subaru gave them an AT when they had asked for a MT (CAR magazine got a MT BRZ and have said a lot of similar things to EVO btw) and the AT has sub optimal gear ratios compare to the MT
3. They mention repeatedly that it corners very flat, the steering is good and it is very agile

What they complain about is that it is fun, it gets called aloof and Barker even mentions that aprt from chucking it into a very fast corner you would not know it was RWD.

All of this can be fixed (putting the Toyota suspension on, a bit more power possibly from a supercharger and changing the tyres) but that is not what the review was about.

I am still changing my Megane for one (all be it a GT86 over the BRZ) as I think with some tweaks it will be a great car and I fancy a change from hot hatches but don't be a bigot and dismiss bad review just because you don't like what they say. Also do pass up the opportunity to drive either the Megane or the Clio if you get the chance they both should be on the top 20 list for any serious car enthusiast to drive in their lives just to show what can be done with the hot hatch formula.

[SnapOv3st3r]

Originally Posted by cossey

They are seriously fun cars that are capable of truly ridiculous amounts of sideways action if you want.

That was rather lame video...just saying. Bunch of powersliding...to imitate what a RWD car actually does..."drift".

As for the EVO, I was a little confused why they were testing the Auto as well. It was hard to understand what they were mumbling under their breathe at the end. Didn't seem very professionally put together type review. From what I was understanding though, it seem like he was talking about the understeer. Traction Control?

This comparison by EVO gets a "D -"

[carbonBLUE]

Originally Posted by SnapOv3st3r

That was rather lame video...just saying. Bunch of powersliding...to imitate what a RWD car actually does..."drift".

As for the EVO, I was a little confused why they were testing the Auto as well. It was hard to understand what they were mumbling under their breathe at the end. Didn't seem very professionally put together type review. From what I was understanding though, it seem like he was talking about the understeer. Traction Control?

This comparison by EVO gets a "D -"

being in control of a FWD power sliding as precisely like that without an ebrake is actually very hard to do, you can only make adjustments with your steering wheel and entry speed and thats about it, what they are doing is a lot harder than rwd drifting...

[Capt Canuck]

cossey: as good as the previous gen RS Megane is, it has to have one of the sloppiest, vaguest gearboxes around for a sporty car.

By all accounts that won't be something you'll have to contend with, in the BRZ/GT86 :-)

[SnapOv3st3r]

Originally Posted by carbonBLUE

being in control of a FWD power sliding as precisely like that without an ebrake is actually very hard to do, you can only make adjustments with your steering wheel and entry speed and thats about it, what they are doing is a lot harder than rwd drifting...

Does not change my mind that its lame.