Peugeot 307 Road Test

Peugeot goes mainstream

The Peugeot division of importer and distributor McCarthy Motor Holdings has always been a small, but rather significant, player in the South African automotive market. Offering a range of vehicles across a wide spectrum, sales have always been curtailed by a limited dealer footprint and limited availability of some models. With lately more import/export credits at its disposal, Peugeot could at last enter the mainstream market segments with the small 206 and larger 307.Introduction

Volkswagen established the hatchback market in the late 1970s with its Golf I, a car still produced in SA in vast numbers. In the early 1980s, Volkswagen established the hot hatch niche segment in that market with the GTi, a car that to this day sets the benchmark in the class.

Due to the proven popularity of the Golf, other manufacturers had to follow suit, and today just about every manufacturer offers quite a choice. One such is Peugeot, which is making no bones about the fact that the latest 307 is aimed squarely at luring Golf buyers, and hence offers styling and dynamics to do just that. And overall, the 307 is perhaps the closest car to be compared with the benchmark Golf, Alfa's 147 perhaps rewarding its owners on a slightly different plane.

Concept and Styling

The 307 is undeniably attractive, from whichever angle you look at it. Looking at the car parked on its own, all proportions are in balance, the curves gracious and sexy, all styling elements just blending together nicely. In this respect, it scores a high mark. Look at the car alongside any other, and it is only then that you realize that the 307 has proportions different to the run-of-the-mill. It is slightly MPV-ish in both shape and size - a similar high roofline to a Renault Scenic, for instance, an equally steeply raked windscreen and similar door sizes. Still, it remains very much a car, but offering generous amounts of interior space.

Ambience and ergonomics

The layout of the dashboard is slightly bland, with a lot of dark, empty and curvy surfaces all over. The reason for this is that a number of oft-used controls are mounted on stalks on the steering column, and apart from the obvious instrumentation, all information readouts are mounted in a single display high up in the middle of the dash under the steeply raked windscreen. It works well, being neat and tidy, logical and easy to use - as are nifty convenience items such as automatic headlights-on when the light fades.

Having a dark-pattern upholstery, the interiors of our drive cars were a bit dark and sombre, and it would have been nice to brighten up the interior with some lighter colours as well. Dealers have detail on what is available.

Equipment

All 307s come comprehensively equipped, but on 1600's (the volume sellers) some items are omitted to curtail import costs. Included in the mix on all models are electric power for mirrors and windows, power steering with height adjustment, split rear seats, cupholders, refrigerated glove compartment and stalk-controlled sound system. The base 1.6 XR model excludes the climate controlled aircon (having a standard aircon instead) and the offset info display and front-loading CD, while all 1.6s exclude the onboard computer. There is also a mix between steel and alloy wheels amongst the various models.Why does Peugeot not standardise the spec level across the range, as is the trend amongst many imported cars these days?

Accommodation and Space

This is one area where the 307 shines, it MPV-like shape catering for generous amounts of comfort and convenience.Key figures in this respect are the luggage capacity (341 dm in standard format, increasing to a cavernous 1328 dm with the rear seatbacks down). The 2,8 m wheelbase allows for generous legroom, while the 1,5 m roof height ensures more than adequate headroom. Class leading, really.

Ride Integrity and Safety

Two-litre models in the 307 range have more safety equipment than the 1600s, boasting amongst others a rain sensor and the said auto-on headlight function. Equally, on the 1600s front fog lights are omitted, but all models have a full complement of airbags, side impact beams, rear head restraints and nifty under-seat storage bins. But again - really, Peugeot, why can't the high safety standard on the top models not be standardised across the range, to be regarded as a benchmark in the class?

In the stringent European new car assessment programme, the 307 shared a high four star rating with significant cars like the Merc A-Class, Audi A3, Opel Astra and VW Golf, and shared two star pedestrian safety rating only with the Golf.

The suspension setup - an inverted pseudo McPherson axle (whatever does Peugeot mean by that?) up front and a rear axle with deformable cross member, and both ends with an independently linked anti-roll bar, ensure a compliant ride and superb handling characteristics. The steering is of the rack and pinion type with an integral hydraulic pump with variable assistance, which translates into feather light steering action at parking speeds and a nice, weighty, even meaty feel at high speed, making cornering maneuvres a rewarding affair. In fact, ride and handling is right up there with the Golf and 147.

Build Integrity

All Peugeots available in SA are imported fully built up, the 307 being no exception. Hence build quality and integrity is of nothing but a superior nature, as is to be expected with modern design and assembly techniques. Yet, subjectively, it is as if the allround ambience and quality of the fabrics and materials are slightly overshadowed by that of the class-leading Golf (where the wood is real wood and the metal finishes are of a solid, substantial nature…)Warranty is 12 months, unlimited distance, and 12 years against rust. At and additional cost, McCarthy also offers an extended, additional warranty of 2 years or 200 000 km, whichever occurs first.

Performance and economy

Our test cars were examples of the petrol powered 1.6 XT and 2.0 HDI diesel derivatives.Key figures for the 1.6 (with transversely mounted 16-valve DOHC engine) include 80 kW and 147 Nm of torque figures (compared to the VW Golf 1600's 74 kW and 145 Nm), a 0 - 100 km/h sprint time of 11.5 secs (12 secs for the Golf) a top speed of 190 km/h (189 km/h for the Golf) and a combined consumption figure of 7.2 litres/100 km as claimed by Peugeot (9.5 for the Golf). On paper, then, it seems as if the 307 is dynamically the better car.

The same cannot be said for the HDI, powered by Peugeot's high-pressure common rail DW10 TD engine. While the Golf TDI is superbly powerful and a joy to drive, with an abundance of torque available right through the rev range (81 kW/235 Nm, and with a combined consumption figure of 7 litres/100 km), the 307's figures are 66 kW and 205 Nm, while Peugeot claims a consumption figure of about 5.5 litres/100 km. We did not verify this claim, and while there is no doubt that the 307 HDI is indeed very economical, it certainly falls by the wayside in terms of outright performance.

One has to stir the gearshift constantly, causing the driver to concentrate all the time, where in the Golf one can simply hook fifth gear and let all that torque do the work.

In Europe, a higher performance diesel engine is available, but we understand this engine is not compatible with SA's "dirty" diesel. With cleaner diesel steadily becoming available here, Peugeot would do well to bring this diesel here as soon as possible. While the 2.0 HDI is by no means a poor product, dynamically it is significantly overshadowed by the Golf TDI.Service intervals on petrol models are 30 000 km, while the diesel's is 15 000 km.

Conclusion

That said, the 307 is by no means a poor contender in the midrange hatch market. It comes highly recommended for its styling and dynamics virtues, and looking at sales volumes, should find a ready and steady audience. So it should - drive a 307 and the benchmark Golf back to back, and the choice may well have to be the flip of a coin, aided by the fact that the 307 HDI is the cheapest diesel powered car available in SA today…