Renault Megane RS250 vs Golf GTI review

[Treza360]

General Motors! Woo, I win.

Wasn't aware that GM made any cars anymore? Their divisions and subsidiaries do though which is what you're getting at really. Saying GM makes cars is like saying Fuji Heavy Industries makes cars. Really they have a division or own a company that makes cars.

I love being pedantic.

Cheers,
Trent

[brisgtimkv]

1. Steering wheel button controls that are not as intuitive as on the mkV to use. Buttons are now clustered in a heap instead of nicely separated.

lol what? the button presses are the same distance apart as in the mkv. seriously

2. Loss of dedicated button for petrol cap release - now bundled with door locking button - again non-intuitive esp for people who are new to the car. e.g. if you loan the car to a relative.

that's the outside of the car. amazingly relatives may have to grudgingly accept that you car even has a filler cap on the wrong side of the car to theirs!

3. Shortening of door pocket space on both passenger and driver's side doors.

pocket shape has changed. size is the same, i can fit the same amount of stuff as in the mkv but there's more room in the vi for bigger bottles

4. Climate control temp displays now integrated with RCD and RNS510 display - leaving no choice but to use either unit as ICE.

wrong. temp is displayed as illuminated numbers around the selector wheel. seriously, are you kidding me here? if that were the case how could vw sell mkvis without the touch screen?

5. Chrome accents around angular airvents and steering wheel which look fashionable now but will date quicker than the traditional Teutonic austere look of the MKV dash + steering wheel.

really? i know which one will be worth more after 5 years! hint, it's the one with touch screen head unit as a really cheap option.

6. Red lighting of MFD now a bland white. Red Looks better with the blue Speedo dials.

there were people who didn't like the red/blue scheme either.

7. No more door sill protectors with GTI emblazoned on them.

only thing i agree with.

8. Thinner and cheaper plastics on dash and surrounds compared to MkV. The only carry over from the MKV is the centre console. Compare the plastic of that to the rest of the dash and you will see the difference.

i have. the quality is as good or better than the mkiv, which was better than the mkv.

well, that was easy.

[Treza360]

Three things which show that VW have gone for a cheaper route since the MkIV Golf.
1. Reflectors in the doors as opposed to proper lights.
2. Weighted balls on strings for the parcel shelves as opposed to self recoiling housings.
3. Really nasty engine covers (I mean the MkV GTI was cheap and nasty and now the MkVI GTI is even worse).

Then there's the fact that the GTI doesn't even come standard with nice GTI scuff plates anymore.

I mean seriously, come on VW you can do better than that.

Cheers,
Trent

[brisgtimkv]

This sums it up well. Now add a middle aged woman behind the wheel

Damn yuppies, what are we thinking

it's ok if you don't like women. it's the 21st century, you just keep on being fabulous. personally i have only seen caymans (caymen?) driven by men. manly men, with manly mates. i hear that before you buy one the porsche dealer sits you on a chair with a hole in it, and gently confirms your gender to make sure you aren't a secret woman out to give cayman drivers a bad name.

[brisgtimkv]

Three things which show that VW have gone for a cheaper route since the MkIV Golf.
1. Reflectors in the doors as opposed to proper lights.
2. Weighted balls on strings for the parcel shelves as opposed to self recoiling housings.
3. Really nasty engine covers (I mean the MkV GTI was cheap and nasty and now the MkVI GTI is even worse).

Then there's the fact that the GTI doesn't even come standard with nice GTI scuff plates anymore.
I mean seriously, come on VW you can do better than that.

Cheers,
Trent

that engine cover doesn't exactly set the world on fire, does it? and if you look in your boot, you'll see string lifting up your rear parcel shelf as well. does this mean that renault have cut every corner they possibly could? hint, it's a trick question.

[Corey_R]

Three things which show that VW have gone for a cheaper route since the MkIV Golf.
1. Reflectors in the doors as opposed to proper lights.
2. Weighted balls on strings for the parcel shelves as opposed to self recoiling housings.
3. Really nasty engine covers (I mean the MkV GTI was cheap and nasty and now the MkVI GTI is even worse).

Then there's the fact that the GTI doesn't even come standard with nice GTI scuff plates anymore.

I mean seriously, come on VW you can do better than that.

Cheers,
Trent

You also forgot...
4) The fact the price is several thousand cheaper now than with the MKIV

[pologti18t]

But I still want to revisit pug ownership in a 306 GTi-6. One of those or a 172/182 cup would make a great little club car/hillclimb whilst still being road legal

I had a 306XSI and then a 306 GTi-6. The GTI-6 still ranks with me as one of the best hot hatches of all time. Think of it as a late 90s perfect merging of a RS250 and Golf GTI

Oh, i think the MKVI is much classier than the MKV GTI. Just the change to a darker cloth on the seats and dash have made a huge improvement.

[domlebo70]

I've read the GTI-6 was pretty awesome. I had a 205, and my god it handled well. It was so immediate. There was zero slack in any of it's responses. The way you could tip it into a corner and then balance the whole car on the outside rear tyre was SOOO much fun. Caught me out once or twice though. I thought a 182 would be similar, but it feels so much more vague. Still a good car

[sabloke]

that engine cover doesn't exactly set the world on fire, does it? and if you look in your boot, you'll see string lifting up your rear parcel shelf as well. does this mean that renault have cut every corner they possibly could? hint, it's a trick question.

No plastic there, all alloy baby! My bonnet is not transparent anyway, so what's exactly th problem?

Sorry, but since you brought it up, I have to say GTI's engine bay really sucks... Looks like a cacophony of ugly black plastic to me.


Megane's just as ugly!

[pologti18t]

I've read the GTI-6 was pretty awesome. I had a 205, and my god it handled well. It was so immediate. There was zero slack in any of it's responses. The way you could tip it into a corner and then balance the whole car on the outside rear tyre was SOOO much fun. Caught me out once or twice though. I thought a 182 would be similar, but it feels so much more vague. Still a good car

LOL.. I spun my 306 GTi6 twice. Trailing throttle oversteer