Which French automaker do YOU want to have in the US?

[12,000 RPM]

With the spiritual death of the Clio RS (might as well call it the Clio LX) there's nothing from France I want in the automotive realm. All of their companies are shells of their former selves and don't really deserve to exist.

[cawimmer430]

With the spiritual death of the Clio RS (might as well call it the Clio LX) there's nothing from France I want in the automotive realm. All of their companies are shells of their former selves and don't really deserve to exist.

Come on. There are lots of great French cars out there including one of the best FWD-performance cars in the world.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUL9eQO5Q0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTMj-RwszSU

[2o6]

With the spiritual death of the Clio RS (might as well call it the Clio LX) there's nothing from France I want in the automotive realm. All of their companies are shells of their former selves and don't really deserve to exist.

Aside from no manual, I keep reading the new Clio is better than ever....


And the Megane RS is a beast.

[Colin]

The press have just about managed to conceal their evident disappointment with the new Clio RS200T. For sure the dim-witted slush box would seem to be the most significant issue, but they have all said that it is now "far more grown up" - which is press-speak for "it's not as much fun as it was, but if we are too rude, Renault will stop showering us with free loan cars, trips, jollies etc".

Sales of the non RS version are strong, and it is generally acknowledged to be nearly as good as a Fiesta (except by the French who are still unsure whether this or the Peugeot 208 are the best small car ever, both of which they know are better than the Fiesta as they are French!). It is - like most of its rivals - a BIG car now though..... not that you would know from inside as it seems to have no more space than Clio 1 or the old SuperCinq. All the ones i have sat in have had lots of nasty sharp edges in some of the plastic mouldings as well, and this is one of those cars with a faux ipad half stuck on the dash which looks silly.

[cawimmer430]

I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Renault Megane RS. And a lot of RWD-diehard BMW drivers that I know have driven it and have had nothing but praise for it. I also love the styling. 

[2o6]

Will you STFU about drive wheels?

[12,000 RPM]

I dont give a shit what anyone says. Megane RS is in the realm of performance where FWD stops making sense. I'm sure it's OK but pretty much any car with similar specs and RWD is a much better drive.

[2o6]

You haven't driven it.

[MrH]

I dont give a shit what anyone says. Megane RS is in the realm of performance where FWD stops making sense. I'm sure it's OK but pretty much any car with similar specs and RWD is a much better drive.

+1 that's pretty much my view on it too.

But really, what's to stop that from being applied to any performance range (within reason of course, barring awd on supercars).

If you're going to make a balls out, exciting car to drive, step one in my book is to start lightweight and rwd...all the benefits of fwd are unrelated to driving enjoyment.

[2o6]

+1 that's pretty much my view on it too.

But really, what's to stop that from being applied to any performance range (within reason of course, barring awd on supercars).

If you're going to make a balls out, exciting car to drive, step one in my book is to start lightweight and rwd...all the benefits of fwd are unrelated to driving enjoyment.

- It started life as a FWD hatchback

- If you don't like the Megane RS, take off the Mazdaspeed 3, Focus ST, and any other hot hatch

- I feel like Renault/Nissan doesn't have the resources to make a small RWD car

- I feel like this car would still be cheaper to develop than a RWD sports thingy (it's on the Nissan/Renault C-platform shared with umpteen other vehicles)

- slippery slope, if it's going to be RWD, then why not go all out? Why is the BRZ so slow?

- I would drive the fuck out of this car.

[Raza]

I dont give a shit what anyone says. Megane RS is in the realm of performance where FWD stops making sense. I'm sure it's OK but pretty much any car with similar specs and RWD is a much better drive.

Coming from someone who hasn't driven it and living in a world where there aren't many RWD alternatives at the size and price range, I find this to be a very odd statement.


"Dobie is less keen to forgive the Subaru for its lack of lower-speed thrills. 'To me it just doesn't feel special in the way something like the Trophy does unless you're absolutely on it,' he says" 

"It's relatively tall, it's front-wheel-drive and it even has rear seats fit for human beings. However, the Megane 265 Trophy is also fundamentally brilliant. It's raw and exciting, fast and demanding, and about as good a hot hatch as there's ever been. It might not hold the promise of rear-drive heroics but it's impossible to ignore Renaultsport if you're looking for unbridled affordable driving fun....Underestimate this car at your peril."

"Meanwhile the bloke in the Megane Trophy on the same road is up to his neck in the action, grinning like a fool and wondering how you can have more fun than he is right now. The simple answer is, at this price, you can't. And when you slow down and relax the Megane is simply a nicer place to be and feels more special despite its humble roots. Yep, oversteer-obsessed evo gives the nod to the front-drive Megane."


Stop getting so caught up on drive wheels.  I've driven lots of fun FWD cars, many more fun than most RWD cars.  Stop putting everything in little, meaningless boxes.  A fun car is a fun car, regardless of anything else.  Period.  Full stop.  End of story.  Drive wheels don't matter.

[12,000 RPM]

I'm not knocking FWD completely. A lot of my favorite cars are FWD. But they are cars like the Fiat Panda or Acura Integra. Once you get to power levels where you basically have to choose between steering and going, or need complex power management systems to maintain control, it's gone too far. FR-S/BRZ sound like they underutilized the chassis power-wise, but that can be fixed.

[2o6]

....this is basically a French ITR.

[12,000 RPM]

....this is basically a French ITR.

ITR was ~400lb lighter and had a more logical power/weight ratio & HP for FWD.

The Clio RS, at least until its current iteration, was the French ITR.

[2o6]

ITR was ~400lb lighter and had a more logical power/weight ratio & HP for FWD.

The Clio RS, at least until its current iteration, was the French ITR.

....

Megane RS is in the C-segment, the Clio RS is too small to be considered a French ITR.

The Megane RS has like 265HP, a more modern chassis, and loads of other stuff to rein it in

The ITR has like 220HP (?)


They're pretty comparable. I don't understand the aversion away from this car for being FWD, when this isn't the worst example in the slightest for a hyperpowered FWD car (....Focus RS).