[PTA SC] Peugeot 306 GTi

_{Gepikt van www.peugeotgti.nl}





The styling of modern Peugeots is very elegant, with smooth soft lines making the models some of the better lookers around. The 306 is no exception, with clean, elegant lines on its curvaceous body, slightly flared wheel arches, along with stylish 15-inch alloy wheels and discreet GTi-6 badging.

There's also a deep front skirt incorporating rally-look foglamps, plus a tiny wing on the roof at the rear. There is, of course, full colour-coding of bumpers, mirrors and doorhandles.

The 306 GTi-6, recently imported to SA as the king of the jungle of the existing 306 range, is the vehicle that epitomises the Peugeot's lion emblem.

The high-velocity intention conveyed by that GTi badge should be pretty obvious to any car enthusiast. The '6' refers to the fact that the power from the white-hot 2-litre 16-valve engine is transferred to the front wheels by a close-ratio 6-speed gearbox.

Under the hood is a 2-litre motor that spits out an astonishing 120kW of power at 6 500rpm, with an equally impressive 193Nm of torque available quite high up at 5 500rpm.

Do we have a new king of the beasts? Absolutely. The 306 GTi-6 is, in my view, the best pocket rocket on the market.

It is fitted with a modified MacPherson suspension system with a stabiliser bar linked to a bearing element up front and a self-adjusting rear axle with compensating shims which optimise vehicle handling.

It has absolutely neutral steering through all slow and fast corners. Should you, by chance, make the mistake of coming off the power pedal very quickly in the middle of a corner ­ which usually results in a short wheelbase car swopping ends faster than you can say 'Bob's your uncle' ­ this baby simply slides into an easily controllable four-wheel drift.

Enter a corner too fast and instead of the understeer common in front-wheel-drives, this one goes into four-wheel drift.

It corners better than a speeding bullet train, charging through corners like a lioness chasing a dodging springbok.

This is a car created by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

With every flick of the wrist as you slam the gearlever up and down the double H gate, you'll feel the corners of your mouth start to curve upward ever so slightly.

First gear is very short and you can even take off in second gear without the vehicle choking to death.

Floor the power pedal and release the clutch at above 5000rpm and the wide tyres light up briefly, before you start getting tunnel vision as the Peugeot storms ahead to achieve a zero to hundred kays an hour time of just over nine seconds.

Yes, there are quicker accelerating cars, but the kind of adrenaline rush you get from the screaming, rorty exhaust may just make up for what it lacks in outright sprint performance.

Nevertheless, the torquey engine, together with closely-spaced gear ratios, delivers class-leading overtaking acceleration, without really having to wring too many revs to get it going.

A huge surprise, what with the short wheelbase, was the rather large turning circle but the interior design of the GTi-6 was a little disappointing.

The seats, upholstered in a combination of cloth and alcantra suede leather, and the chrome-trimmed gearknob are the only real tell-tale signs the hatchback is something special.

Okay, there is an oil pressure gauge in the instrumentation, but the dull dash design with its fake aluminium-look finish may be too off-putting for you to want to look at the instruments.

The car's features hit list includes electric mirrors and windows, climate control, power-steering and central-locking.

The GTi-6 is also fitted with one of those finicky, tiny-buttoned radio/tape combinations as an option, for which you need the slim fingers of a five-year-old to operate successfully.

We were also a little disappointed with the solidity of the vehicle, or rather the lack thereof, when compared with something like Honda's Civic V-Tec Sport.

The Pug just seemed a bit tinny considering its hefty pricetag of a shade under R150 000.

Being a short hatch, we didn't expect too much in the interior space department, especially at the back. Here leg room is not too bad, but taller specimens will have to cock their heads sideways to fit.

The front seats take quite a bit of fiddling to get to a comfortable position in spite of the height-adjustable steering and seats.

Once you have the driving position just right, you'd better booby trap it to ensure nobody touches it.

The sports seats will support you in places you never knew could be supported. Side bolstering in a passenger car takes on a whole new meaning, with support on your hips, back and shoulders.

This helps to keep you stuck to your seat when you're doing those highspeed corners, which the Pug tempts you to go through again and again.

Occupant safety has been taken care of by dual airbags up front, side protection bars, front and rear pre-programmed deformation zones, a double roof cross member and an exceptionally strong body.

The GTi-6 heads up a line-up of other 306 models available locally, which include a less powerful 2-litre 5-door hatch, plus stationwagon and sedan derivatives powered by 1,6 and 1,8-litre motors.

Although similar in style to the GTi-6, they don't come close to evoking the same sort of passion as the flagship model, even though their pricing is a lot more realistic.

Power, passion and top ride and handling capabilities make this an enthusiast's dream car, though its hefty pricetag and iffy solidity remain big question marks.

Met een lekker verneukte layout, ENJOY!

[ Bericht 49% gewijzigd door Ballebek op 30-10-2004 12:40:36 ]

quote:

Op zaterdag 30 oktober 2004 12:35 schreef MutZ het volgende:

[..]

Ik niet

En ik nodig je nog wel uit

HEEY SCHELE GA JE MORGEN NOG MEE!!!

_{schreeuwen helpt soms wel}

quote:

Op zaterdag 30 oktober 2004 12:42 schreef MutZ het volgende:

[..]

Had graag gegaan, lijkt me alleen niet verstandig...

Je krijgt bij deze een seat coupon voor de volgende x