Peugeot 307 CC Road Test Report

Performance

The Peugeot is a heavy car, weighing in at around a tonne and a half, which hits the performance – dramatically. 0 to 62 mph is a very pedestrian 10.3 seconds. The 2 litre engine struggling to get your pulse racing or your granddads; as you are passed by pretty much everything else on the road. Don’t expect fuel consumption figures to help ease the pain of the lack of oomph on the road, as again the weight of the car makes the fuel consumption very high; during my test drive I was lucky to attain figures above 25 mpg – Peugeot claim 34 mpg.

Ride & Handling

This is perhaps the best feature of the car; the ride is extremely smooth, with no discernable difference having the roof up or down. Bumps and potholes are easily soaked up through the quality suspension and generally the car feels pretty responsive through cornering.

Build Quality & Reliability

You cannot comment on the 307cc without a word on the roof which is an excellent piece of engineering, taking only 25 seconds to rise or retract. The car also gives the appearance of being well made with nice touches of chrome in the interior and on the exterior. Reliability is in keeping with other Peugeot models.

Safety & Security

Another area where the car excels is the safety features built in as standard; Anti-lock braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist, and traction control and Electronic stability Programme will prevent over and under steer and keep you on the road. Driver, passenger and side airbags are there in the event of a smash, and the car comes with reinforced ‘A’ pillars in the event of the car rolling.

Space & Practicality

This is where the car shows its Jekyll & Hyde personality; the car is advertised as a 4-seater and over short journeys the rear just about accommodates two adults albeit uncomfortably, for longer journeys all but the smallest adults will need to visit a chiropractor afterwards. In contrast the driver and front passenger seats have bags of room. Split personality also rears its ugly head in the boot; with the roof up it has room aplenty, however it is a very different story with the roof down, it takes up most of the useable space; a common problem for all two-piece hard top Coupe-Cabriolet sadly.

Ownership & Value

With prices starting at over £18,500 it is a premium price for the novelty of having the excellent roof; especially when looking at an equivalent Peugeot 308. While the uniqueness of a Coupe-Cabriolet has long since worn off there is still a large market that wants the option and this keeps resale values buoyant.