Road test: Peugeot 307
From: hugo_steincamp (norgo@cybertrails.com)
Date: Thu 21 Mar 2002 - 23:33:16 EST
Sounds good until you get to the last paragraph. When are Peugeot
going to get their act together on build quality? NZ$35K is about
US$17K.
Hugo
Peugeot 307: Family-Car Heaven?
18/03/2002 03:01 PM - David Linklater
Peugeot's styling team are pretty talented. You know, they could
probably make a box look beautiful. In fact, that's just what they've
done with the new 307.
The latest trend towards tall, pseudo-monoform people-mover inspired
hatchbacks doesn't exactly lend itself to elegance. Clever they may
be, but Honda's Civic, Toyota's Corolla and Fiat's forthcoming Stilo
all look a touch awkward from some angles.
Not the Peugeot 307 - it adheres to the same high-roof, long-
wheelbase philosophy as its rivals, but still manages to look
sensational no matter how much you squint. It's 133mm higher and
207mm longer than the 306 it replaces, but you'd never pick it
because of the car's beautiful sense of styling proportion.
XtraMSN's XS Premium five-door test car wears a sticker of $35,490 in
five-speed manual form and features climate air conditioning
(including the glovebox), automatic lights and wipers, single CD
player, electrically heated door mirrors, remote locking and 16-inch
alloys. It's particularly strong in safety, with anti-lock/force
distribution/automatic assist four-wheel disc brakes, dual stage
front airbags, side and curtain airbags, active front seatbacks to
help protect the spine in rear-end collisions and three-point
seatbelts for all five passengers. It's an impressive list of
equipment for the price and well ahead of rival offerings.
However, kit alone does not a European Car of the Year make. Much of
the 307's appeal rests on its ability to mix family-friendly space
and comfort with the chassis dynamics that the French marque is
famous for.
The high roof and massive glass areas certainly lend the 307's cabin
a spacious air, but some of the cabin height seems to be superfluous.
With the height-adjustable front seat at its lowest setting even
taller-than-average drivers are likely to feel intimidated by the
high dashboard and wide cabin. I'm normally hoping to drop the
driver's seat down in small cars to liberate extra legroom, but in
the 307 I cranked the ratchet height-control right up for a better
view of the road. No problems in getting comfortable - aside from the
seat controls, the steering wheel is adjustable for both height and
reach.
Rear-seat accommodation is pleasant but not as spacious as you might
imagine from the 307's one-and-bit-box profile - and certainly
nowhere near as generous in terms of legroom as the Civic. The 307's
cabin is relatively wide and will seat three adults at a pinch, but
it's more than capable of providing four with comfortable long-
distance travel.
Industry-standard Isofix anchorages are provided in the rear for
compatible forward-facing child seats, although the 307 has joined a
growing list of test cars whose rear seatbelts aren't long enough to
circumnavigate my daughter's European-designed rear-facing child
seat.
At 341 litres the boot is not especially large in volume but it's
well-shaped and easily swallows a weekend's worth of family luggage.
Fold the 60/40 split rear seats and the flat-floor load-carrying
capacity rises to 1341 litres.
It's attention to detail where European carmakers often shine and
the 307 proves the point with a standard luggage net and shopping
hooks. Ditto for interior storage spaces - the air-conditioned
glovebox is a little tight but there are a plethora of economy-sized
extra bins under the seats and in the doors. Twelve-volt power
outlets are provided on the centre console and in the boot.
The 307's bonnet is made from aluminium to keep the weight down and
the front guards are moulded from plastic. If you've seen the panel-
bashing that goes on in Paris traffic you'll understand why. But it's
also a practical idea in urban New Zealand - it protects your prize
Peugeot from door dings in angle parks and shopping trolley assaults
in supermarket carparks.
Under the hood of the XS petrol is the 2.0-litre four that's also
used in the larger 406. With 99kW and 190Nm it should provide the 307
with a considerable performance punch, but it has to battle the car's
1219kg bulk. Acceleration is lively rather than leery - Peugeot
claims 0-100km/h in 9.8 seconds and a top speed of 205km/h.
Presumably the idea is to keep the engine on the boil, since there's
no footrest for the driver's left shoe.
The 2.0-litre is eager to please and strong torque combined with
relatively short gearing and a slick shift makes it a reasonably
quick open-road machine. However, with just 33km/h per 1000rpm in
fifth the four-pot engine can also sound a little busy on the
motorway or long, straight stretches of road.
If petrol's your thing then this 2.0-litre doesn't disappoint. But
Peugeot's turbo diesels are superb and it's worth mentioning that
another $500 gets you this car with the 66kW/205Nm 2.0-litre HDi oil-
burner, which produces maximum torque at just 2000rpm compared with
the 4100rpm of its petrol sibling.
But forget about the drag racing - Peugeots are really designed to
cut it around the corners, right? The good news is that the 307 is
still a driver's delight with assertive steering and a brilliant
ride/handling balance. But it also shows how priorities have changed
at Peugeot. The 306's helm bombards you with information and the
chassis is always keen for a bit of nip-and-tuck with the throttle.
The 307, on the other hand, is all smooth progress and mid-corner
maturity. It won't get the keen driver's blood pumping, but it won't
throw threaten to throw you off into a farmer's fence like the 306
either.
The 307 is a persuasive package - pretty looks, practicality and more
mainstream driving appeal than Peugeots past. The price is relatively
high for a family hatch but this generously equipped car still offers
excellent value for money.
The 307 seems to have it all - if only it would hang together
properly. No matter how impressive the engineering, the 307's build
quality is simply not up to scratch, especially compared with its
Japanese rivals. Problems with our test car included a badly
misaligned front guard, wildly uneven panel gaps around the entire
car, interior carpet that was peeling away from the footwell and
mysterious clunking noises from the suspension at low speed. The
car's electrical system - including wipers, lights and instruments -
also shut down for two seconds during a 100km/h-plus overtaking
manoeuvre on a rain-soaked stretch of open road.
A shame. Indifferent build and annoying faults can put a damper on
what's otherwise a wonderful car.
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