I have driven an S3, not as good as i was expecting so now out of the equation.
Now the choice is between an ST or R26 your views would be appreciated
thanks

 

Dunno but got this in email today, might be of interest to you

Focus RS v Megane R26.R at Silverstone

 

yep, cheers mate

 

out of the two get the R26 230 its got the slip diff as standard and has the recaro's a very nice car and have come down in the past 6 months i was looking at them a year ago,i drive a clio 182 at the moment so im a fan of french hatch's! will out handle an ST aswell no probs,

i heard the ST is dull to drive but the 2.5 T lump is a very good one but if your looking for fun handling and still a 2.0T then its got to be the R26 230!

 

I haven't drive either but I have had experience of the Renault dealer system

 

Renault dealer can be w**kers to deal with but i supose you get that everywhere! and im sure not all are the same iv had a few good dealings with my local but others not so good i work for a renault car sales specialist not min dealer so id not be using them for service or warranty anyway!

 

has the build quality of the Renaults improved??

 

R26 any day. A friend has just bought a liquid yellow one and its awesome. I wouldn't be bothered about taking it to Renault, goto a specialist instead if its nearly out of warranty. The ST is just to front heavy if you ask me, the Mountune version is quick but it still handles the same. The ST is also everywhere (lol says a person with a EP3 CTR).

The R26, in the dry, is one of the quickest point to point cars around, Autocar tested one quicker through the Millbrook road test than a new STi, and only a second slower than an EvoX FQ300, and it is the normal R26 I am talking about not the extreme R26.R version which is quicker again. Obviously you need to know how to drive it quick though. You could always remap the normal R26 and stick some R888's on it too, and then frighten some Focus RS's too.

You can get seond hand low mileage 20k miles R26's now for as little as £10k, some cheaper again with a bit more on. At that price, they are alot of car for the money.

 

thanks mate, yes had been looking and they do seem alot of car for the money

 

the st is also horrendous on fuel,well below 30mpg if driven anything but steady.Evo magazine rated the r26 their favorite,until the rs focus arrived,but a r26r is faster round a track than a rs focus by a considerable margin,and its not that much different to a standard r26,so it goes to show the chassis is excellent.Only thing is that great big fat *** on it!

 

is the build quality any good on the Renault??

 

and are there any reliability issues with the french car???

 

What's not to like!

http://64.251.10.3/nimg/2008/07/thum...3638-img_0.jpg

TX.

 

nothing mate but that is the R26.R - where am I going to put the kids, looking at the regular R26

 

have a look at the meganesport forum,lots of info on r26s.Seems no major build or reliability problems yet..

 

The colour of the wheels for a start

 

that's the 'R' though, not the normal R26

 

if you need kids space remember the r26 is 3 door only unlike the st which is available in 5 door,Although the megane 225 is available in 5 door i think,but has no LSD..

 

went to see a couple of R26's today, one in black and one blue, both around £12995, low miles etc.
As you said Andrew not much room in the back for any kids/passengers. What i did notice was the plastics inside, absolutely shocking quality they both had marks/scratches on them the cars are only 2 years old!!!!! Also they looked very basic inside as well.
Didnt get to drive them as they were well backed up with other cars, maybe I should and that will convince me???
Will have a look on the Meganesports forum as you suggest

 

Thats Renault for you

 

When I owned the Spec C I pulled up next to a bright yellow R26. It shot off like a scalded cat ... quite surprised me! Looked great too.

TX.

 

If you like butt ugly cars go for the R26.

I suggest you try a modded ST (and a modded R26) before making any decisions. I was speaking to one of the ST guru tuners at Chatsworth yesterday and he had an RS in last week for some test drives etc and he said a modded ST is still quicker than the RS, but the RS puts the power down differently.

Depends what you are after in the end, Megane looks awful to me and is a Renault so I would never own one, but if you like the looks then give it a test.

 

Same record I see DW

 

I'd be interested to know how the modded ST is faster than the RS?

How much modding are we talking - 300bhp, 350bhp?

I'm not trolling, genuinely interested.

Steve

 

Going for a test drive in an R26, But the interior is dire. The focus is a much better screwed together car, and the interior is head and shoulders better than the R26.
Will let you know how it goes

 

Look at how the ST owners defend how bloody excellent the ST is on Scoobynet and that should say something to you about how good they are to live with and own.

It was a balanced post though and it was asking for opinions on ST vs R26, I did advise to go and test both a modded ST and a modded R26 - I am that confident in how good the ST is that I am quite happy to advise people to test them all.

Most modded ST's are around 300bhp, as any more needs a bigger turbo so the stock turbo is good to that power point and is good VFM and this is against a std RS.

He was saying that the modded 300bhp ST's are more brutal than the new RS so the power delivery is more agressive on the ST, and more progressive and further up the range on the RS - you have to rev the RS more than you do the ST so the RS is harder to drive. He also stated that the RS suspension is harder than the ST, even when lowered like mine.

He said the RS *should* out handle the ST as it gets the power down better so I take from that he just means the acceleration is quicker which from the vids I have seen of the RS I can see what he means.

Interestingly, he also said that the RS is very tail happy so expect to see a lot of them in hedges.

 

I've owed my R26 for a year now, a great car and handles superbly for a FWD, LSD makes all the difference. I've not had any issues with the car and build quality, although obviously not Germanic, is OK. Remember Renaultsports are built at a different factory in Dieppe to the rest of the Renault range. I don't find the interior that bad, the Recaros are superb and interior space is good, my two kids (4 and 9) are often in the back and there is plenty of room.

I am a fan of the ST, a great all rounder, but for driving pleasure and handling, I personally think the R26 is in a different league (decent Brembo brakes as well). I am an old git and have had plenty of different cars over the years (including 6 different scoobs) and am genuinely really enjoying the R26, also sounds pretty good and the turbo whistle is great

Find a well cared for example and you will not go wrong IMHO, there are some bargains out there at the moment.

 

thanks guys I appreciate everyones opinion especially those guys that actually own and live with cars on a daily basis

 

I do like that white fat assed Renault

Steve

 

by the way that R26 looks awsome in white