Re: Road test: Peugeot 307
From: fred smith (peugfan@juno.com)
Date: Fri 22 Mar 2002 - 14:26:12 EST
I'd be the last person in this or any other universe to say anything good
about ANY suv at all, but....
The fact that the CD skips is very likely due to the fact that it's a
cheap CD player, not a cheap suspension. Better (or newer) CD players
have more memory to store the music as it is read from the CD. The longer
it can spool up, the less likely you'll notice a skip in the music.
You're actually listening to the music a few seconds after the data was
read, so when you hit a minor bump, the electronics has time to re-read
the info that got bumped. You don't hear it as the player is reading it.
I just replaced my two-year old $199 Optimus (HEY! knock off the
snickering!) with a JVC KD-S680 that I bought online for $115. While the
Optimus could be expected to skip at least once every few minutes on any
Interstate, the cheaper but newer JVC practically needs me to run over a
curb before it'll skip.
fs
But I still think all suv's should be melted down into giant statue of
William Clay Ford.
On Fri, 22 Mar 2002 21:43:03 +1100 "con" <cengelc@bigpond.com> writes:
>Hugo et al,
>
>I don't understand this obsession with rubbishing French cars (or
>anything that's not made in Japan): Is this not a case of "Hell has
>no fury like a market scorned"? (apologies to Billy Shakespeare)
>
>Well, let me tell that my wife's choice for a new car was a Toyota
>RAV4 (purchased new in 2001). The SUV is full of body rattles which
>the dealer claims is either normal or that they (rattles) don't exist.
>It seems that this RAV is not exceptionally noisy (other Australian
>journalists have also commented on the abnormally high level of noise
>from the rattles). What really annoys me is that the RAV 4's CD
>player constantly skips tracks when we are driving over uneven road
>surfaces; the same roads which my 505 glides over and the 6 year CD
>player takes in it's stride! You learn to live with them.
>
>Also, my wife (bless her soul) at every opportunity praises the (18
>year old) 505's impeccable road manners, to our friends at every
>chance she gets.
>
>My own assesment of the RAV is that it is inherently an unsafe car and
>I certainly do not enjoy driving it.
>
>
>Of course, I'm being totally impartial.
>
>con.... 1984 505 STI (Sydney, Australia)
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: hugo_steincamp
> To: peugeot-L@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 3:33 PM
> Subject: [Peugeot-L] Road test: Peugeot 307
>
>
> 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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