Concerned about rising fuel prices? Want a
medium-sized vehicle with plenty of load carrying capacity? Prefer a manual
transmission? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, you’d be well advised
to have a close look at the Peugeot 307 HDi 2-litre wagon.
The 307 XSE model comes with a 6-speed manual
transmission and a turbo 16-valve diesel that develops 100kW at 4000 rpm and a
very strong 320Nm at 2000 rpm. The latter figure simply means there’s plenty of
power available at low revs, so this is an easy car to lug around in,
up-changing early and saving fuel. However, if you want to go harder, the engine
spins easily to higher revs – 4000 rpm is an accessible figure at which to
change up. Peugeot claims a 0-100 km/h figure of 11.4 seconds but such is the
availability of torque, the car often feels quicker than that. It’s certainly a
car that will never be embarrassed for a lack of power. However, the turbo
diesel feels like it runs a larger turbo than most Peugeot diesels – there is a
little turbo lag present.
The clutch and gearbox are light and the
bottom-end torque makes the engine difficult to stall. There’s no auto
transmission available (although apparently one is coming) but even if you’re a
little wary of manual transmission cars, the 307 HDi is quite easy to drive.
And unlike the 407 diesel wagon we recently
tested, the 307 isn’t full of silly interior design faults – although there’s
still a few! The LCD cannot be read when wearing polarising sunglasses (however,
in the 307 the climate control LCD remains visible, albeit positioned very low
on the dash) and the polished aluminium scuff plate across the rear door opening
is sure to get scratched in normal use. There are also the same poorly designed
instrument markings and the four(!) column stalks take quite some getting used
to. The handbrake is located on the wrong (left) side of the console and the
bonnet release is tucked away in the passenger foot-well. Finally, the front
doors shut with a dreadful clang that would suit a $13,000 car and the glovebox
comes factory-filled with a box.
However, the 307 has a large wagon load space and
all four seating positions are spacious (but we wouldn’t like to be the person
to ride in the centre of the rear seat – a baby seat in the back is also a bit
squeezy). The seats are comfortable with excellent side support. The doors front
and rear open wide, and the front door hinges are cleverly organised to tilt the
doors outwards as they open. Inside you’ll find large door pockets that
complement the roominess. The load area has a commendably low loading lip,
achieved by scalloping away the bumper. The spare wheel is located under the car
and when needed, is wound down by an in-cabin bolt. Four cargo tie-down hooks
are provided in the load area, with additional ones available when the seat back
is folded. The rear seat split-folds flat after the squabs are lifted and folded
forward.
However, the front seats height-adjust only by
pivoting around a rear hinge, preventing the front from being raised or lowered
separately. The effectiveness of the front inner armrests is also a little
dubious – they can be pushed out of the way but when in position, cannot be
height adjusted.
On the road the 307 HDi drives well. The steering
is precise and well-weighted with plenty of feedback. Despite a simple
suspension spec (a rear torsion beam rear axle and front MacPherson struts) the
handling on the 205/55 Goodyear Eagle NCT tyres is composed and stable, helped
by the standard stability control system. Weight transfer in S-bends is
particularly well controlled and there’s excellent attitude change via the
throttle – even with the stability control switched on. Unlike many Peugeots
we’ve driven over the last few years, the ride is also well sorted – firmish but
never harsh.
The judgement on the fuel economy – an
all-important figure for most buying a car like this – depends very much on the
vehicle you’re stepping out of. We achieved an average of 6.4 litres/100km over
a week that included a lot of gentle freeway cruising - we doubt that you’d get
much better in any normal use. In fact, the second fuel consumption trip display
had never been reset and when we picked the car up, showed an average of 7.5
litres/100km over 3000 kilometres, poorer than most would expect from a
medium-sized diesel. So while the fuel consumption is good, it’s not
outstanding. (FYI, Peugeot claim 7.3 litres/100 in the city and 4.7 on the
highway.)
Noise and vibration from the diesel are well
suppressed – it’s worse than would be achieved from a petrol engine but is still
completely acceptable. In fact, with the responsiveness of the diesel and its
quietness, this is one car where many people would find it hard to pick the type
of engine under the bonnet. That’s from inside – from outside the diesel note
remains obvious.
The equipment level is high. In addition to dual
climate control you also get an auto-dimming rear mirror, six airbags, trip
computer, auto wipers and headlights, in-cabin headlight height adjustment and
the aforementioned stability control. However, the single CD doesn’t feature MP3
compatibility. But throw in the diesel engine and 6-speed transmission and at
AUD$33,990, it’s excellent value for money.
The 307 HDi wagon is a great medium-sized family
all-rounder. The design errors in the cabin are annoying but the strength of the
positives - cabin space, the effective diesel engine and very good ride and
handling - easily make for a persuasive case. Throw in the high retained value
of Peugeot diesels and the 3 year/100,000km warranty and you have a car that’s
very attractive.
|
The
Peugeot 307 HDi was provided for this test by Peugeot Australia.
|
Did you enjoy this article?
Please consider supporting AutoSpeed with a small contribution. More Info...
|
More of our most popular articles.
|
|
|
Email a friend
Print article
|