Hi,
I have had my Peugeot 307XSE (auto) for approximately two weeks. The previous car I had was a 1999 Audi TT (FWD 132KW). I have also been looking after a friend’s car which is a 2002 Saab 9-3 Aero (Five door 151 KW). I do realise that these cars are in different price points; however it was an interesting comparison.
Build Quality: Wow, the 307 has better build quality than the 9-3 by far. The switches are more tactile east to use etc. The qualitie of the materials used were better as well. The Saab dashboard has to be one the worst I have seen in any car. The Audi however had the best feel to the interior but not by much. There were no noticeable squeaks rattles etc from the 307 in the two weeks I have had the car.
Ergonomics: The TT and 307 are on par in terms of ergonomics. The 9-3 is far behind the TT & 307. I preferred the audio controls on the stalk on the 307 to the steering wheel mounted controls on the 9-3. In the 9-3 the thumbs had to be stretched far as possible to use the wheel mounted audio controls. The TT did not have wheel mounted audio controls.
The audio and trip computer features on the TT (mounted between rev counter & speedo) and 307 (on top of dash in middle just below the windscreen) could be viewed without taking the eye off the road for a long period of time. The trip computers on the TT & 307 were controlled by a stalk behind the steering wheel.
On the Saab the trip computer/audio information was to the right and was not intuitive. The trip computer controls were not steering wheel mounted and was difficult to use while driving.
The Audio system in the 307 lacks bass. I’m currently looking into replacing the speakers. The 9-3 and TT’s audio systems were better and the TT’s was the best – it was a BOSE sound system. I’m not a big fan of BOSE – but the custom unit in the TT was excellent.
Seating Position & Space: 1st 307, 2nd 9-3 3rd TT. The seats on all cars were on par. The 307 I have is with factory leather. The 307 has the rather strange driving position i.e. almost upright like in a MPV, but you get used to it. This position makes use of the vast expanse of glass around you. The 9-3 and TT feel quite claustrophobic compared to the 307.
The rear seats in the 307 seemed to have more room than the 9-3. The rear seat on the TT was a joke.
The headlight (Halogen) on the Peugeot was fantastic – far better than the headlights on the 9-3 and TT. The auto head light feature on the 307 is useful but the auto windscreen wiper feature a is gimmick and very erratic.
Handling: 1st TT, 2nd 307, 3rd 9-3. The TT and the 307 could be mistaken for being RWD cars. There was very little torque steer on both cars. The handling on the 9-3 was appalling – every time I floored the accelerator the 9-3 changed lanes. The 9-3 ran wide on most corners. This is in a 9-3 with 17” wheels and P7000 rubber.
Performance: The TT seemed quicker than the 9-3 due to a better gearbox. The gearbox on the 9-3 (manual) seemed lazy. The TT’s gearbox was very precise.
The 307 seemed very sluggish for the first week. However when I filled the tank with Shell Optimax there was a noticeable difference in performance. The manual gear shift in the tiptronic gearbox is a gimmick. The sport option is useful during city driving as it holds the gear for longer before shifting up.
Overall – I was sad to see the TT go (had to give it up for a fiancé who doesn’t drive manual & a lack of space), but I am very happy with the 307. I have recently fitted a Nokia 6000 series car kit in the 307 and photos to follow…..
Cheers,
Guhan.
I have had my Peugeot 307XSE (auto) for approximately two weeks. The previous car I had was a 1999 Audi TT (FWD 132KW). I have also been looking after a friend’s car which is a 2002 Saab 9-3 Aero (Five door 151 KW). I do realise that these cars are in different price points; however it was an interesting comparison.
Build Quality: Wow, the 307 has better build quality than the 9-3 by far. The switches are more tactile east to use etc. The qualitie of the materials used were better as well. The Saab dashboard has to be one the worst I have seen in any car. The Audi however had the best feel to the interior but not by much. There were no noticeable squeaks rattles etc from the 307 in the two weeks I have had the car.
Ergonomics: The TT and 307 are on par in terms of ergonomics. The 9-3 is far behind the TT & 307. I preferred the audio controls on the stalk on the 307 to the steering wheel mounted controls on the 9-3. In the 9-3 the thumbs had to be stretched far as possible to use the wheel mounted audio controls. The TT did not have wheel mounted audio controls.
The audio and trip computer features on the TT (mounted between rev counter & speedo) and 307 (on top of dash in middle just below the windscreen) could be viewed without taking the eye off the road for a long period of time. The trip computers on the TT & 307 were controlled by a stalk behind the steering wheel.
On the Saab the trip computer/audio information was to the right and was not intuitive. The trip computer controls were not steering wheel mounted and was difficult to use while driving.
The Audio system in the 307 lacks bass. I’m currently looking into replacing the speakers. The 9-3 and TT’s audio systems were better and the TT’s was the best – it was a BOSE sound system. I’m not a big fan of BOSE – but the custom unit in the TT was excellent.
Seating Position & Space: 1st 307, 2nd 9-3 3rd TT. The seats on all cars were on par. The 307 I have is with factory leather. The 307 has the rather strange driving position i.e. almost upright like in a MPV, but you get used to it. This position makes use of the vast expanse of glass around you. The 9-3 and TT feel quite claustrophobic compared to the 307.
The rear seats in the 307 seemed to have more room than the 9-3. The rear seat on the TT was a joke.
The headlight (Halogen) on the Peugeot was fantastic – far better than the headlights on the 9-3 and TT. The auto head light feature on the 307 is useful but the auto windscreen wiper feature a is gimmick and very erratic.
Handling: 1st TT, 2nd 307, 3rd 9-3. The TT and the 307 could be mistaken for being RWD cars. There was very little torque steer on both cars. The handling on the 9-3 was appalling – every time I floored the accelerator the 9-3 changed lanes. The 9-3 ran wide on most corners. This is in a 9-3 with 17” wheels and P7000 rubber.
Performance: The TT seemed quicker than the 9-3 due to a better gearbox. The gearbox on the 9-3 (manual) seemed lazy. The TT’s gearbox was very precise.
The 307 seemed very sluggish for the first week. However when I filled the tank with Shell Optimax there was a noticeable difference in performance. The manual gear shift in the tiptronic gearbox is a gimmick. The sport option is useful during city driving as it holds the gear for longer before shifting up.
Overall – I was sad to see the TT go (had to give it up for a fiancé who doesn’t drive manual & a lack of space), but I am very happy with the 307. I have recently fitted a Nokia 6000 series car kit in the 307 and photos to follow…..
Cheers,
Guhan.
