Peugeot 308 SW

I don’t think Peugeot’s private UK sales have picked up because I was presented with another Peugeot this week! The numbers on the tailgate reveal it to be a 308 but without looking I’d be hard pressed to tell it apart from a 207. For those unsure it is a bit bigger than 207 and the rear lights are a different shape. Otherwise, they’re pretty similar.

Rear lights denote a 308

Inside is equally similar to a 207 but the materials felt to be of a higher quality. I particularly liked the tri-air vents. Unlike previous Peugeots I’ve had this one was equipped with an automatic gearbox. Hoping to find a similarly relaxing, if uninspiring, drive to the Galaxy I set off with high hopes.

As with most modern cars the actual practice of driving the car is very nondescript. Everything works as it should and nothing is particularly exciting, challenging or interesting to operate. The principal problem I have is remembering how different manufacturers have set up their windscreen wipers and steering wheel controls. For a while I thought I hadn’t figured out the 308’s wiper controls correctly as I couldn’t get the screen wash to work. Having pull, pushed, twisted and prodded the stalk in every conceivable way I came to the conclusion that the screen wash must be empty. Not what you want on a day when the roads are all wet and dirty. Anyway, I stopped and bought some screen wash and found my way into the small bonnet – I for one wouldn’t want to do much work on these cars. Having found the screen wash filler I saw it was already full to the brim. I assume the fault therefore lay within the washer system. I didn’t investigate further and made do with having to stop several times to manually clean the windscreen - something which went out of fashion over 50 years ago!

Result of non-functioning screen wash

My route home was directly through Snowdonia. I haven’t been here before but I’ve heard many a good thing about the driving on offer in Wales’ premier national park. I’ve also said previously that Peugeots do handle well despite the numb steering. So in theory, I was in for a good time. Furthermore, the automatic gearbox provided me with two pretty F1 style paddles behind the leather rimmed wheel. This should be interesting! Unfortunately, the idea that the paddles give you complete control of the gearbox is misleading. They will only do what you ask them to if the ECU agrees. If I wanted the ECU to decide what gear to use I would leave it in auto! Getting increasingly fed up with being over-ridden I slipped it back in to auto and activated the Sport mode. This is by far the best setting for this gearbox. Gears are held for longer to maximise the power on offer and to maximise engine braking where required.

An engine in hiding

Despite being an eco model the HDi engine that the 308 is equipped with pulls well and gains speed at an unnerving rate. It is no slouch! Unfortunately, to boost its eco credentials further, Peugeot have fitted some eco tyres. Perhaps they do have a lower rolling resistance and therefore a positive effect on fuel consumption, I don’t know; but I do know that they are awful offering close to no grip in all situations. They were by far the worst tyres I’ve experienced in recent times. It could be argued that the combination of a potent engine and rubbish tyres is exciting but it’s not the sort of driving thrills I desire.

However, with the box in sport and due consideration given to the non-existent road handling of the tyres I reached by destination buoyed by my experiences. The looks are ungainly. The parcel shelf is rubbish. The interior looks old. But it was quick and easy to drive and according to the Peugeot website it is also a 7 seater. As a family car its really not a bad combination. But please, anyone that does buy one, fit some proper tyres! 

Vauxhall Astra SRi

My last experience of Vauxhall’s venerable Astra was driving my father’s MK V diesel estate. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Needless to say, I have since discounted any Astra of being any good to own or drive. I’ve noticed the MK VI has been a good seller, but then so was the MK V so I wasn’t going to assume that high sales made it a good car. I have been happy with this blind assumption, but when I was given the keys to an Astra MK VI I figured it was time to put them to the test.

The letters on the door said SRi. In days gone by SXi, SRi, et al. meant the car was a sporting model but nowadays Vauxhall seem to stick them on any old model. Aside from a chrome exhaust tip and fancy alloys it looked anything but sporty, particularly in the dark grey colour which seems so common on MK VI’s. Inside, there were some marginally sporty seats and, erm... This was not a sporty car by any stretch of the imagination. Things didn’t improve when I turned the key. Despite the dials indicating the engine had started, any sign of engine noise was notably missing.

Eye pleasing but not sporty

I familiarised myself with the stereo and comprehensive steering wheel controls for which Vauxhall are one of the best. In an effort to portray a modern machine, Vauxhall has littered the centre console with a wide array of buttons. Unfortunately, it looks cheap and nasty to me, but I do like the emotive red lighting around the gearstick. It would be pretty slick if it changed colour to reflect your driving style, but even without, it’s a nice touch. The inclusion of a button on the dash and wheel indicating Bluetooth connectivity despite not being fitted to this car was a poor show in the name of standardisation.

Nothing much to report from behind the wheel. It starts, stops and goes pretty much how you would anticipate any other car to. Comfortable, but dull. Satisfied that my assumptions had been right all along I resigned myself to an unremarkable journey home. But in the name of fair journalism I thought it only right to press the right pedal a little firmer.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the car began to make very good progress. The revs started to shoot round and the engine became audible for all the right reasons. This can’t be right! Retrospective research reveals that the car was equipped with a 1.6 turbo engine available in either 120 or 160bhp states of tune. I don’t know which it had but I do know that it was able to make good progress with minimal effort. This was more like it. Cruise control enabled, the motorway miles melted away effortlessly with an impressive lack of wind noise.

Well equipped, but some buttons are empty promises

As I pulled off the motorway I was looking forward to really tuning in the SRi’s sporting soul and exploiting that willing engine. Unfortunately, the whole car never quite synced. The first problem was the driving position, as mentioned with the Peugeot 207, the A-pillars are set too far forward and give a restrictive view of the road ahead in relation to your position on the tarmac. A combination of numb steering and too soft suspension created an uninspiring car through the twisty bits and whilst the engine performed well, it didn’t possess enough to encourage holding each gear between corners.

Not for the first time, I reassessed what I was expecting from the Astra. Turning it down a notch revealed a car that was capable of covering ground briskly; sacrificing some speed and urgency in the name of a fluid driving experience.

The Astra SRi then; slow to start, before incessantly flirty but with no promise of a kiss. 

Ford Galaxy

I don’t have children and I suspect it will be some years before I do. I have however noticed that people with children appear to buy an MPV the moment sprogs arrive. As a petrol head it is something I’ve never understood. I can’t understand why you would forego performance, style and handling in the name of practicality, space and economy. As such, a Ford Galaxy being delivered to my door failed to set the heart racing. It was an automatic too.

  

Heated screen - ideal for morning frost.

On account of its size I came to calling it “The Bus”. It really is massive but thankfully equipped with front and rear parking sensors – a genuine necessity. Considering the car is supposed to be the pinnacle of practicality the interior is unfortunately somewhat lacking. The cup holders in the centre console are too shallow to stop bottles falling over and get in the way whenever you want to change gear (more of a problem on a manual). The door pockets aren’t particularly big either and the central arm rest can’t be moved back or forward as required. Overall interior plastics felt quite plastic. However, the heated front windscreen dealt with the layer of frost very efficiently.

I don’t own a diesel car but I have driven enough to know that it’s important to match the gears to the power band. Regrettably someone forgot to tell Ford’s gearbox engineers this. This result is an overactive and unintelligent gearbox. Put your foot down and you’ll drop down a cog no matter what. Keep your foot down and the gearbox will rev all the way to the red line – well beyond the power band. As a result your gearing is often totally out of sync with the engine. This “Powershift” did allow for manual changing but the delay between input and output meant you had to be thinking ahead to be successful.

The above complaint assumes you want to push on but I can assure you, you won’t. I thought the reason that all MPVs are driven slowly was in order to protect little Harry in the back. It’s not. It’s because they can’t be driven quickly! Sure enough, once you’ve got past the gearbox, you can gather speed. But then you hit a corner and you’re suddenly all too aware of the bulk of the car, the lofty seating position and ridiculously soft suspension. This is the only car I’ve ever made myself feel sick in – and I wasn’t even going that quickly. Aside from the wayward handling, the lack of accumulated speed is useful for you won’t want to rely on the brakes. A very soft pedal results in plenty of nose dive. On more than one occasion I found myself having to stamp on the pedal whilst approaching traffic lights because it simply wasn’t slowing down under normal pedal pressure. I don’t know whether that has to do with the 50,000 miles on the 2 year old odometer or not though.

Plenty of miles on this odometer.

Having said all that I did find it a very relaxing car to drive. There was no point to hustle it, so instead I took a more relaxed pace and took in the scenery. I saw a Ford Focus over one hedge that had been abandoned following a crash – you don’t get that in a Lotus Elise!

As I was travelling solo with not a great deal of luggage I didn’t get the opportunity to try out the rear seats ... though there seemed to be many. I was disappointed as I think the seating capacity must be the main reason for buying a car like this. I can’t think of any other outstanding feature that would make you want to part with hard earned cash to buy a Ford over any other MPV but I did come to understand why you would buy one and perhaps more importantly; why they’re never driven quickly!

Snow drifts hire than a Galaxy

Unlike say, a Peugeot, I would not be disheartened to receive a Galaxy in future. A better specced one with leather seats, manual gearbox, bigger engine and firmer suspension would be great... oh hang on, thats called a Ford S-Max. 

Peugeot 207 SW

It goes without saying that Peugeot have a long history of making solid and reliable cars. Pretty much every car in Africa is a Peugeot of some description which goes some way to explain how highly regarded they are. I too, have been known to be a Peugeot fan. The timeless 205 GTI, crisp 405, elegant 406 and cheeky 106 are just a few of my favourites. Unfortunately around the beginning of the new millennium something went seriously wrong at Chateau Peugeot.

The 7’s, 8’s and 9’s have got progressively worse in the looks and inspiration department. I think it says something that they are such a common hire car – this was the third I’ve had in recent times. What kind of private buyer would be mad enough to buy one?? In this instant the car in question was a 207 SW. I don’t need to describe the oddball and ungainly looks. I struggled to find a good angle on this slab-sided, fish faced monstrosity... eventually deciding on the rear quarter. Even then, it’s hardly eye-pleasing.

Inside is equally poor. The dash is quite plain with lots of black plastics, only the dials hinting at any level of quality. Another irritating feature was the location of the cigarette lighter – actually inside the ash tray which meant you had to have the lid open to plug in the sat-nav. This looks untidy. The steering wheel controls and Bluetooth were quite nice extras. In the boot, accessed by the big square and low lipped opening, the parcel shelf was particularly naff and awkward to use. Boot space wasn’t anything to write home about either. Nor were the seats very supportive. But by far my biggest gripe is that the A-pillars are so far forward that it gives the impression that you’re sitting in the middle of the car. This makes plotting a safe course challenging. This task isn’t helped by the steering which is too light and numb. This, it transpires, is a shame because it actually handles quite well. The particular journey saw me travelling through North Wales and the Peugeot coped remarkably well with the twist and turns thrown at it. Peugeot do know how to make cars go round corners.

The HDI engine was lacklustre. Not slow, not fast. Gear changes were a pain due to the narrow power band and there was absolutely no point revving beyond 3,500rpm. Changing your mind set to change up early however and progress was swift. Generally I found leaving it in fourth resulted in the most fluid progress. This appealed to my lazy nature.  

The problem with the Peugeot 207 is that writing this review is challenging. It’s not so rubbish that it infuriates you, yet neither is so special that it inspires you. It’s just a bland, characterless car. As someone that spends countless hours each day enthusing about cars of all shapes and sizes I reckon that’s a crying shame. Whenever I see a Peugeot on the road I think that the people behind the wheel have only bought the car because Peugeot was their nearest dealer. I honestly can’t think of another reason why you would choose one over its rivals. 

Introduction

An Introduction

I would describe myself as a petrol head. I love cars. I love looking at them, I  love talking about them and I love driving them. I am lucky in that twice a month I get a hire car to carry out a work journey. I love getting the chance to experience new cars and rather than continue to bore my long suffering other half with my reviews I decided to put pen to paper and share them with others. 

I should clarify, my reviews are not particularly objective. I don't have a family. I don't care particularly for MPG. But I am interested in how they drive, how they look and how they feel. Accordingly I would ask that no one takes any offence for any comments I may make. I appreciate whole-heartedly that people choose their own cars according to their own needs and requirements. 

I enjoy putting together theses posts and I hope you enjoy reading them too.