Something completely different

The day seemed rather ordinary, but the car obviously wasn't, writes motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE.

It was the usual launch: a couple of hours on a variety of roads at a mix of speeds and a brief poke around the car.

Sometimes going through the same corner twice, sometimes going fast and slow over the same stretch of bumpy road.

What's the ride like? The brakes? The gearbox? Is the steering as accurate as the previous model?

What about the chassis? Where does push give way to shove? Will the car turn in sharply if you lift off going too hard into a corner? Or will it pretty much hold its line and wait for input from the driver?

The answers weren't hard to find in the new Peugeot 307, the replacement for the 306, the French carmaker's bestseller. The 307 XS and XSi is on sale now, powered by either petrol or diesel engines and priced between $31,990 and $40,490.

The ride/handling has all the traditional Peugeot strengths, the 307 sitting as it does on the 306-based independent suspension: MacPherson struts in the front and a torsion beam setup in the rear.

The anti-lock brakes are first-class. No complaints about the five-speed manual and four-speed manual-automatic gearbox either. The manual mode obviously keeps the revs where the enthusiastic driver wants them.

The power steering is crisp and communicative and weighs up nicely as speed builds. But it lacks the absolutely accuracy of the top-line 306, especially through the twisty bits.

The chassis is stiff (the stiffest Peugeot has built, it says) and gives the car a secure feel and a neutral stance with little body roll through corners. The entry-level XS rides on 195/65R tyres, the XS premium on 205/55 and the XSi on 205/50.

Yes, the rear of the 307 will want to step out if the driver backs off a hard throttle as the corner tightens, but the lift-off oversteer doesn't bite as quickly as it did in the 306 or the 309 GTi of the 1980s.

Peugeot has maintained its traditional ride/handling mix in a car that is radically different from anything it has done before.

The mid-sized 306, launched in 1993, was a sedan and hatchback, in six-speed GTi form the best around. The 307 is a hybrid hatchback/people-mover, a roomy, high, wide and handsome cab-forward design aimed at the family market. Peugeot believes the design is the template for modern family transport.

It sits on a new platform and is longer, wider, taller and heavier than the car it replaces and bigger overall than its rivals, which will include the Volkswagen Golf, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The 307 also has the biggest windscreen in the segment. The bonnet is made of aluminium to keep weight down. The car itself comes with a 12-year anti-rust warranty.

Peugeot says the twin-cam 4-cylinder petrol engines for the 307 are cleaner burning. The 1.6-litre produces 80kW at 5750 rpm and 147Nm of torque at 3900 rpm, and the 2-litre 100kW at 6000 rpm and 190Nm at 4100 rpm. Most of the torque in both engines is available from 1800-2000 rpm.

The 1.6-litre uses 7.2 litres of fuel for every 100km, says Peugeot, and the 2-litre 7.9 litres. The 2-litre engine was first seen in the facelifted 406 Peugeot in 1999.

The 2-litre turbo-diesel engine will provide the 307 with long-legged cruising - up to 1000km on a 60-litre tank.

The 4-cylinder common-rail unit produces 66kW at 4000 rpm and 205Nm of torque at 1750 rpm. More than 70 per cent of its pulling power is available between 1200 to 3400 rpm, allowing the use of longer gear ratios for improved economy.

The interior has a better-quality feel about it than previous Peugeots and the design reflects the carmaker's future direction. Nice touches include chrome door handles, one-touch windows, aluminium air vents and air-conditioned glovebox for keeping drinks cool.

The 307 comes with up-to-the-minute safety equipment (seven of the nine cars have six airbags), and all the bell and whistles, including a CD player.

Peugeot also introduced the ST Sport version of the 406 sedan, priced at $47,990. The car comes with an engine New Zealand hasn't seen before, a 2.2-litre 4-cylinder petrol unit producing 116kW at 5650 rpm and 217Nm of torque at 3900 rpm - 17 per cent more power and 14 per cent more torque than the 2-litre engine fitted to the 406. About 200Nm is available from 2600 rpm.

The 307 and the 406 ST Sport go on to the market within weeks of Peugeot New Zealand becoming part of the international Sime Darby distributorship. The Singapore-based company has invested $30 million in the motor industry in New Zealand.

"It is a serious, long-term player," says general manager Steve Kenchington. "It is poised to lift the profitability and market share of Peugeot through a committed dealer network and strong marketing presence.

"We expect to retail between 900 and 950 cars this year and are targeting 1300 sales in 2002 - an increase of more than 35 per cent.

"This is ambitious growth, but sales of European cars in New Zealand during the past four years have shown solid gains and the future for Peugeot is extremely bright."