I think I'm with James May on the Nürburgring thing.
Renault Mégane 265 Trophy 2.0 turbo
Reg Hardware Car Week Lap times around the fearsome 13 mile Nürburgring have become a touchstone for performance road cars in recent years. Renault’s new Mégane 265 Trophy has been hustled around in 8m 08s, which is the current lap record for a front-wheel drive car. Renault Megane 265 Trophy Not a subtle car To put …
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Thursday 8th March 2012 15:58 GMT MJI
Re: Interesting review but
FWD - sorry the only real advantage it has is packaging, RWD is better for steering quality, getting the power down, towing, playing, handling, and weight distribution.
I used to own a RWD hot hatch and that killed most front drivers on the twisties.
If FWD is so good why are most racing cars RWD? Most lorries RWD? All motorcycles RWD?
The BWM tricycle advert had it right.
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Friday 9th March 2012 12:42 GMT NogginTheNog
Re: Interesting review but
Because racing cars and lorries are built to do ONE job the best they can?
For the majority of tasks an average car is going to be asked to do FWD does the job as well as, or better, than RWD. For one thing, in the recent snowfall we had in the UK who else enjoyed watching the Mercs and BMWs struggling around car parks? :-)
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Sunday 11th March 2012 22:24 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Interesting review but
FWD's chief advantage is efficiency as you're not sending the power down the back. Otherwise RWD beats it. I have a FWD turbo diesel and it gets on my tits the fact that it is near impossible to pull away at any pace without the bastard spinning the front wheels whereas the equivalent 3-series will out accelerate its petrol twin due to the RWD.
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Thursday 8th March 2012 13:18 GMT pPPPP
Why do so many fast versions of cars look so daft? It's an interesting looking car otherwise, something which the French are doing well again. Maybe in black, without the silly red bits on the wheels, and some normal seats and it could be a decent car.
Shame that in a couple of years, the electrics will probably be shot, and the fog light will flash with the indicators. Or have they fixed that sort of thing yet?
Bet it's a lot of fun though.
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Thursday 8th March 2012 21:28 GMT DangerousQ
FWD - pffff
fastest hot hatch? hmmm, so the Focus RS 500 and Audi RS3 are slower, for the average driver I think not, if its a bit wet i think not! the Ford and the Audi would slaughter the renault.
RS3 is awesome I want one now but £40k is too much, you do get 340 BHP, 4WD, 450Nm of torques, 0-60 in 4.5 secs and a top speed of 179 mph. And it wont fall apart if you sneeze.
http://www.4ringblog.com/audi-rs3-goes-laptime-hunting-at-nurburgring.html
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Thursday 8th March 2012 23:57 GMT dr evil
Re: FWD - pffff
Agree with that. the standard Audi s3 chugs out 265bhp and with 4wd will always put the power down whilst the renault owner is learning all about understeer and lift-off oversteer (the former annoys, the latter is a killer). As for the RWD monkeys - one word - snow. I pootled past lots of BMW and Mercs - all absolutely buggered with 2mm of snow. Finally - i do believe with a shiver under 500 notes Audi motorsport will take an S3 upto 310 and an RS3 upto 400 horseywhatsits.
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Friday 9th March 2012 04:39 GMT Shades
Re: FWD - pffff
"the latter is a killer"
Only if you're not expecting it, or know what to do with it... but then the same could be said for a powerful RWD in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, usually preceded with "watch this!".
Personally I love a bit of lift-off oversteer, especially when you've got people in the back who don't believe you can, with careful throttle application, get the arse end out, and keep it out, on a FWD car. Damn, I miss my little Punto, it was soooo much more fun to drive than my Audi :(
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Friday 9th March 2012 09:19 GMT MJI
Re: FWD - pffff - RWD = power oversteer
My old RWD hatch was mad, not that powerful (under 120bhp) but light and well balanced.
I rmember going to work and they had loose chippinged the road, thought nothing of it but then realised the speedo was doing silly values, I was looking where I was going out of the side window, and the steering was pointing right on a left hand bend.
And the car was completely under control.
OK the suspension of it had forest written against the parts, and the biggest engine version was a very successful rally car, and my engined version was a successful club rally car.
I just cannot see how a front drive car could be more fun or in more control.
Pity it rotted away.
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Friday 9th March 2012 09:25 GMT MJI
Re: Snow
Actually that is mainly because the RWD cars you see getting stuck are running very wide tyres, or have drivers not used to RWD.
Last bad winter I got stuck once and the only car which could manage that bit of road was an off roader. All the FWDs were more stuck than me (my neighbour is getting a 4WD now). Rest of the time I had no problems. Despite running auto box, just a large car not fitted with the widest tyres.
And as far as I recall my old hot hatch never got stuck as it was so light, and a full tank of petrol and a heavy live axle gave it enough rear weight.
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Thursday 8th March 2012 21:56 GMT Anonymous Coward
Everything is a compromise
For a price/performance and everyday practicality a hot hatch is hard to beat. FWD is cheaper to make, doesn't impact cabin or cargo volume. So you put a big-ass engine in it, tweak suspension and brakes - you got a cheap and fast car.
But of course, everything is a compromise.
For performance it has got to have brick-like suspension. So you can fit passengers in it, but they may not like the ride.
You can carry a lot cargo in that cavernous ass, but with a FWD this powerful, more weight in the back will affect road holding.
It probably handles like a champ for a FWD car (I drove the previous Megane Cup, and it was very good, for driving I'd take it over any FWD Audi), but not as fun as a good RWD.
For this price I'll take a second-hand mx-5 for driving fun, and a regular megane to carry people and groceries. Or preferably, an Alfa Giuletta - it simply looks too good.
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Friday 9th March 2012 11:07 GMT darklord
shame
Itll fall to pieces as soon as you put your foot down and wind in the hedge at the first hint of damp weather just like its predecessor the renault 17 turbo.
we were forever pulling them out of hedges when father was on recovery. it rained itll be a renault in the hedge
Torque steer and 150 is the limit in reality no such issues with RWD.