What they said when the Peugeot 307 was new… (Sep 5 2001)
Peugeot is combining safety with style to hit success with its new 307 series.
Always a company which turned heads with its good looking cars, the new broad-shouldered 307 series is now also one of the safest cars in its class.
Six airbags come as standard and operate with ‘active’ head restraints to reduce whiplash as passive safety measures, while active safety features include highly advanced brakes which would normally only be found on a much larger executive car.
There is a huge range of petrol and diesel models in the series and I chose the mid-range 2.0 petrol version with standard manual transmission.
The newcomer is a natural successor to the acclaimed 306, but whereas the former was agile, the replacement felt less nimble.
That might be due to the car’s weight or engine tuning, but whatever reason it did not have the get-up-and-go feel of the former.
A hefty 2.0 litre engine holds the promise of lively performance, but in the 307 it was more restrained and matched to the easy shifting five-speed manual gearbox and was obviously biased towards economy rather than acceleration.
Underfoot, the brakes were progressive and powerful and never showed signs of fade or temperament and worked alongside a very effective handbrake.
Behind the wheel, the steering felt a little dead and lifeless although the turning circle, lack of vibration and good ratio meant it was easy to manoeuvre and live with even it lacked high speed feedback.
Secondary controls were all easily accessible and the instruments simple and clear, backed up by straightforward controls for the air conditioning system which was very effective.
The amount of oddments space was good and the boot generous in size, easy to load and quickly increased in capacity with the seats folded. But in the three door version it was not an easy task to drop the rearmost seats.
Access was a squeeze into the back, much easier in the front, but once inside all seats were well shaped and comfortable.
Ride quality was very good, slightly firm but not at all uncomfortable.
The handling was not particularly sharp and it seemed to roll around more than I remember with the 306, but the roadholding was safe
I would have preferred better rearward visibility but the thick C-pillars and high tail limit what could be glimpsed over the shoulder and the wipers were very noisy in operation.
Road noise was ever present, wind noise was low,however, and the engine only sounded strained at higher speed through the intermediate gears.
What the 307 lacks in dynamic appeal it tries to compensate for with its good looks, sensible equipment and now increased safety.
Words: Robin Roberts
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