New Peugeot better equipped than ever before

By ALASTAIR SLOANE Motoring editor

The Peugeot 307, the replacement for the 306, will go on sale in New Zealand early next year, says the carmaker.

No official word has come through yet on the three and five-door model lineup, but the importers will have a choice of three engines - 1.6 and 2-litre petrol and a 2-litre direct-injection diesel.

The choice of manual and automatic gearboxes will include a Tiptronic option developed by German carmaker Porsche.

The 307 is expected to be better equipped than any mid-range Peugeot model before it, with a host of electronic safety devices to stop the wayward driver from going backwards through a hedge.

A telematics communication system - including voice recognition in some models - will alert emergency services if the driver has gone past the point of no return and the car, for example, is sitting upside down in a tree.

The 307 is bigger overall than the 306. It is 4200mm long (the 306 is 4030mm), 1730mm wide (1680mm) and 1510mm high (1368mm). It has a wheelbase of 2610mm (2580mm) and sits on a new platform built, says Peugeot, for a "hatchback-style saloon."

The French carmaker says the heavily raked windscreen in the 307 leads into a high roof and offers better vision for driver and passengers.

"The whole interior of the 307 confirms the dynamic qualities suggested by the exterior styling," it says.

The suspension in the 307 has being set up to maintain Peugeot's reputation as a ride/handling leader, with MacPherson struts at the front and a similar setup using coil springs at the rear. The speed-sensitive steering uses an electric pump.

The petrol 1.6-litre engine develops 80kW at 5750 rpm and 147Nm at 3900 rpm. The 2-litre petrol produces 100kW at 6000 rpm and 190Nm at 4100 rpm. The 2-litre diesel's output is 66kW at 4000 rpm and 205Nm at 1750 rpm.

Peugeot has also developed a lifestyle pick-up version of the 307. It is based on the 307 hatchback but is 200mm longer, and the wheelbase has been stretched by 100mm.

But Peugeot says the pick-up is more of a styling exercise than a pre-production vehicle.