Peugeot 307 ESTATE RANGE
In Estate Form, Peugeots 307 Has All The Usual Virtues Offered By its hatchback Stablemates Plus An Added Dash Of Extra Practicality. Jonathan Crouch Checks It Out
Is there still a place for the traditional Family Hatchback-based compact estate car?
Peugeot seem to think so. While many of their rivals are abandoning the concept in favour of trendier
mini-MPVs, the French concern still sees, in the 307 Estate featured here, a place for the more traditional approach.
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Thats what the marketeers will tell you anyway. In reality,
Peugeot doesnt really have a
mini-MPV. Or at least not in the sense you would understand from the current market dominated by cars like Citroens Xsara Picasso, Renaults Scenic and Vauxhalls Zafira. To try and offer something different, the company has brought us the 307 SW basically an estate version of the 307 Family Hatch with seven seating options and almost infinite practical possibilities.
In other words, people-carrying versatility without that rather un-trendy frumpy MPV image. Its really rather clever. Since they were developing this model, it would have been rather ridiculous not to take out some of the seats and a little of the versatility, reduce the price and also try and market it as a conventional estate car. Which is, of course, what we have in the 307 Estate line-up, priced from £13,520, which is some £400 less than the equivalent 307 SW.
The Estate range runs through one petrol and two turbocharged HDi diesel engines and pretty much mirrors what youll pay for rivals like Fords Focus, Vauxhalls Astra, Citroens Xsara or Toyotas Corolla. The petrol option that people with an irrational aversion to diesel (you know who you are) will gravitate towards is a 1.6-litre 16-valve unit. Reassuringly modern and fairly feisty, it pumps out 110bhp when fully extended and can call upon 147Nm of torque at 4,000rpm.
This equates to a 0-60mph time of 11 seconds dead and a top-speed of 118mph which is decent going for a small estate car in this price range. 1.6-litre 307 buyers also have the choice of changign gear themselves or paying a £1,000 premium and having Peugeots Tiptronic automatic gearbox installed to do the legwork. Fuel economy is average at 39mph for the combined cycle falling to 29.
7mpg under stop start urban conditions.
"Like all 307s, these versions feel tightly screwed together"
But why buy an estate and pay petrol prices anyway? Since, as a potential buyer, youre probably a practical sort, you probably already know that Peugeot diesels are among the best around and here, theres a choice of two. The 2.0-litre HDi with 90bhp is, as the more observant amongst you will have spotted, less powerful than the petrol option but mid range urge and fuel economy are far better. Better still, choose the 110bhp 1.
6-litre HDi - it might have a smaller capacity but the more advanced 16-valve configuration makes it a better bet all round. With this engine you can expect to average over 57mpg and with 240Nm of torque on tap at only 1,750rpm, low speed trips around town are greatly simplified. Enough of engines what of interior practicalities? Well, youve a load space area of either 562 or 1805 litres, depending or not whether the split-folding rear seats are, well, folded. In comparison to the SW version, you lose the extra row of seats, the panoramic glass room, the rear
seat picnic trays and so on.
Still, you do get numerous stowage compartments, including storage boxes in the boot, a large boot net, black roof rails and a concertina-style luggage cover. Standard equipment on all models runs to air-conditioning, a CD stereo, colour-keyed bumpers, electric front windows, plip central locking, six airbags and ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and Emergency Brake Assist. Nice touches include the air conditioned glovebox to keep you Mars Bars from melting away with your patience in holiday traffic, front door bins that can carry a 1.5-litre bottle and sliding underseat storage trays.
Other careful features include the way the boot automatically locks when you pull away, protecting the contents from opportunistic thieves while stopped in traffic. Theres even door linings that are fitted with reinforced cowlings that shield the lock elements. Like all 307s, these versions feel tightly screwed together, and use a high grade of plastics, giving a subjective impression of quality to the interior that was so sorely lacking in the old 306 Estate. Many will feel that the interior perhaps lacks the visual drama of the exterior styling, and its a fair point.
Nevertheless, ergonomics are sound and the car will be easy on your conscience too, with over 90% of its volume by weight being recyclable or recoverable. The 307 even utilises environmentally friendly constituent parts, such as mudflaps made from what were once polypropylene bottles and soundproofing that uses recycled textiles. Odd thought. The shirt on your back could one day make somebodys Peugeot 307 that tiny bit quieter.
Slip behind the wheel and, though the cabin seems light and airy, it doesnt actually feel all that spacious, only the headroom being really exceptional. On the road, its all very smooth and easy if not quite as sharp as some enthusiasts might like. Everything feels nice to use steering, throttle, brakes, switchgear. Come out of something larger into this and, assuming youve opted for one of the plusher trim levels, you should feel quite at home.
In summary, the 307 Estate makes a reasonable case of itself, especially against some of its blander competitors. You cant help feeling though, that the price differential to the SW version would be extra money well spent. Weigh it up and try both before making up your mind.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Peugeot 307 Estate range
PRICES: £13,520-£15,320 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-8
CO2 EMISSIONS: 124-194g/km
PERFORMANCE: [HDi 90] 0-60mph 13.1s/ Max Speed 108mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [HDi 110] (urban] 39.2mpg / (extra urban) 64.2mpg / (combined) 52.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Dual, Side and Curtain Airbags / ABS and EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4419/1746/1512
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