Astra VXR VS Renaultsport 225

[P_D]

On Monday 15th I havea test drive booked in a Megane 225. I am particularly interested in this car. I have tried for the last year to get hold of one all to no avail. Maybe it is like the Astra, you could not find one at first and slowly but surely they start to trickle in from the manafacturer's.
I don't expect for one minute the Renault will impress me like the Astra did. I am not a huge fan of french vehicles, I thought the Clio 182 was a little tame considering its power to weight ratio. I expect the 2.0 turbo unit will deliver its power in much the same way as the Golf GTI, smoothly and lazily. However, sporting 225 BHP, it puts it in front of both the Golf and the ST. The ST sounds faster than it is giving the illusion of acceleration, whereas the Astra just propels you forward, letting you hear the awesome air induction which is sucked in from the front and channelled down the car before being forced out its central pipe at the rear.
I will post an entry on this topic on Monday evening to let you all know what I think to the 225. Has anyone else driven one of these cars yet?

[Catherine]

Haven't driven one and based on our expereince recently of a french car I won't be driving one anytime in this millenium.
A total pile of rubbish that makes the Vectra and Astra more like an Audi or BMW in terms of quality.

[Sparky]

Look forward to the report. Perhaps a bit of stuff on the difference on the way the Astra deals with compared to the French thingy bob! ,

[CraigVXR]

I swapped a 225 for my VXR about 6 weeks ago.
My review on the 225:
Looks; good to start off with, although in the hot hatch market now it already looks a bit dated. VXR looks far better and will last the test of time better as well I think.
Noise; rubbish standard. VXR better.
Engine; is a good un when it is working (see reliability below). Probably smoother than the VXR but nowhere near as much fun!!!!!!! Didn't feel nearly as punchy as the VXR does.
Tuning; not much doing. There is a guy that does a chip, but offers no warranty on the work.
You can have an intercooler and a cat back exhaust system (which I had and made for a nice noise, but no noticeable power increase).
There are people talking about 300bhp being a possibility, but I doubt a 225 will handle that without going pop and considering the chip is not warranted it's not worth the risk IMO.
VXR far more tuneable with a number of companies with great history working on modifications.
Handling; poor steering feel makes for an uninspiring drive (not helped by an absolutely terrible seating position) in the 225.
Cup pack lowers the car and stiffens it up. Torque steer/getting the power down similar to VXR okay once you get used to it.
VXR is much more fun to drive and feels far faster. 225 is good to cruise along a motorway on (until it breaks).
Reliability/Renault Service/Build Quality; terrible. I had the car into Renault 5 times for the same fault (a lumpy idle and a toxic fume light that kept coming on), each time they told me that it was fixed and it wasn't. Rattles from day one.
Due to this I got rid of my 225 after 1 year of ownership.
You can get good deals on the 225 (pre-registered brand new for £14k), but that is also shown when you come to sell them. I lost £4k in one year (only covered 8k miles) on mine.
The one thing I think the Renault is better than the VXR for is standard kit. Full leather is standard (in the new models), as is keyless entry, cruise control, electric folding mirrors, starter button.
Those things are probably the only things I miss.
To be honest it will probably seem like a nice car when you test it. It isn't nearly as well built as the VXR is though. The Renault service people know next to funk all about any of the Renaultsport models (I have had 2 and both had problems that no-one knew how to fix).
If Renault could sort out their build quality, reliability and train the people they employ properly they might have a reasonable car on their hands.
Out of the VXR and the Meg 225, it is VXR all the way for me.
You get what you pay for and the VXR is in the next level up from the Meg 225 with regards to all areas other than standard kit.

[worledge10]

welcome craig vxr or shall i call you craigy225
my friend is on the megane web site i here you have caused a right slagging match against the 225 boys i here they are after your blood

[leef225]

well hello mr worlege10 fancy seeing you in here
do you agree with craig 225/vxr having driven both cars on a regular basis
cheers

[worledge10]

leef

both cars are good but i love my vxr not that much in them realy apart from the driver in the vxr is one hell of hunk
shame about the oger in the 225

[leef225]

perhaps the people on this forum should hear the other side of the story i have owned my 225 over a year now im chuffed to bits with it no problems or faults to date i like both cars their aint nothing init performace wise having driven both cars . the only difference is in the looks which is down to personal opinion ,i love my meganes fat ****
cheers
mr nugget

[boom1]

I have driven both.
You can't have speed without substance, unfortunetely I feel the megs lacks a little emotion. The exhaust note is non existant.
I do love the looks of the Meganesport though

[P_D]

Well in a couple of hours I will be able to resolve this argument! Patience People, Patience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:P :P :P

[P_D]

THE VERDICT: And although I have a favourite, I stand neutral in terms of both vehicles as I write.
The Megane's styling is a little too subtle for my liking. I do not like Renaults styling at all, never have. Ok the 225 has an interesting front grill and alloys and twin exhausts, but I look at it and think one thing. Ncap Safety Test.
The interior is, average. The Leather Recaro seats on mine felt comfortable but their design looked really old, lots of lines of leather with lollypop head restraints. It is also a very light grey, the sort of grey you get in old Jaguars or Mercedes. The dash is plasticy and drab. At least with the Astra you get chrome effect finish, nice lines on the fans and a decent display. The 225 looks outdated. So thats the styling, and there is no suprises there, we all knew it was the case.
Now the drive. And this is interesting. At first, I did not really get a chance to put my foot down. The car felt smooth and comfortable and very easy to drive. I did notice the front end felt heavy, the steering also felt quite stiff. On my first oppurtunity to overtake we were travelling around 38 / 40 mph. The overtake was on so I slammed it into second, moved out, and let rip to about 75mph. This was my first go at giving it some. I noticed the pickup, it is powerful and it is there, but it is not as savage as the Astra. What disturbed me the most was how twitchy the front end is. Even coming off the accelerator and moving back in, I could feel the camber of the road (practically none other than level and good) yanking the steering wheel and in my opinion the car overreacted to it. I really had to hold on tight. The sound of the engine is similar to that of a 16V or V6 petrol engine, it's OK when being hammered but not much compared to the ST's or VXR's of this world.
Only when we got to some decent country roads around Guildford did I see the capabilities. This car is similar to the VXR in every way when you drive it at the top of its rev band. Long straights and sharp bends are perfect for the 225, it attacks them with ease and eagerness. An interesting thing about the traction is that it allows you to wheel spin around corners in 2nd, and also to wheelspin away in 1st gear. It is there and working but it gives you that little bit more control. Its acceleration out of bends and on long straights is not as potent as the VXR it has to be said. But is is not far off it, and the car will probably just pip the ST in terms of performance.
In general the car does not have a personality. Its just a machine bolted together in a factory. It feels very continental and its biggest let down was the interior. Even the dashboard instruments looked like they had come from Halfords "Budget Range". That said it was quite fun to drive, but I feel I would bore of it in a short space of time.

[leef225]

sounds like you have made your mind up mate, i dont agree with a few of your points but at the end of the day it comes down to personal opinion and you have to drive the thing good luck to ya you WILL need it

[P_D]

Its still a very good car leaf, don't get me wrong, but your probably right... I had made my mind up a bit before I drove it, purely because I don't rate the Renault cars in terms of "the complete package". Thanks for wishing me luck.. Don't know why I need it though?

[leef225]

dont get me wrong i like the astra had it been avalible when i bought my 225 i would really consider buying one but IMHO the astra does not feel that fast to me its jerky gear change gives that illusion the 225 is far smoother its not till you look at the speedo till you realise how fast it is , also with the sport button off the trac control cuts in far too early and will not keep up with a 225 round the bends and with the sport button on their is a good chace you will end up in a ditch (the average driver that is)

[P_D]

Yeah I see what your saying. The Renault DID corner better than the VXR, but only under performance circumstances. Entering a corner at the right speed, the 225 accelerated out of it briskly and in a more controlled manner. I still think the VXR is and feels alot better in a straight line though. Who knows!!!