Posted on February 28th, 2008 by Auto News
If you??™re a die-hard Francophile foaming at the mouth for some wild French concept car, the 2008 Geneva auto show might leave you a little disappointed.
The major French automakers (Citro?«n, Peugeot, and Renault) will wait to display their wildest creations on home soil during the Paris auto show this fall.
No stranger to pushing boundaries with its concept cars??”the gothic-looking 908RC sedan unveiled at the 2006 Paris show being ample proof of this??”Peugeot is staying relatively quiet as it unveils a sporty hatchback and a new family hauler here in Geneva.
The 308GT THP 175’s odd name is thanks to its engine. This is the same 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that was co-engineered with BMW and can be found in the Mini. In the 308GT, the engine makes 175 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Exterior changes include a new front bumper, lower ride height, and rear spoiler. The 308GT THP 175 goes on sale in Europe in April.
Next up is a vehicle we first saw at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. The 308SW Prologue concept car shown then is all but identical to the 308SW production model now in Geneva. The Peugeot wagon offers seating for up to seven and a huge glass roof.
Several four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines are offered. These include the same 175-hp 1.6-liter found in the 308GT and a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel that pumps out 136 horsepower and a stout 260 pound-feet of torque. Peugeot says weight-saving techniques have increased the 308SW??™s fuel efficiency by up to 10 percent over its predecessor. The 308SW goes on sale early this summer in Europe.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Peugeot
Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Auto News
Driving
The Outdoor??™s raised suspension hasn??™t seriously affected the standard SW??™s tidy handling. There is a little more body roll in tight corners, but the Outdoor is nevertheless nimble and involving. Badly rutted roads don??™t pose a problem, either, with the smooth-riding 207 doing a good job of keeping its occupants comfortable. Front three-quarter visibility is also good ??“ a useful safety aid. The 1.6-litre petrol engine is OK, but we prefer the 1.6-litre HDi turbodiesel. Out test 110 variant proved civilised and powerful, though the five-speed gearbox remains slack and sloppy.
Marketplace
Two things differentiate the Outdoor from a normal 207 SW. It rides higher, and there are chunky off-roader styling cues. The grey mouldings along the wheelarches, door bottoms and bumpers are very prominent, and the gaping grille isn??™t the prettiest either, though the rear end looks good. Don??™t be mistaken by the off-road looks though, for the Peugeot lacks four-wheel-drive. The real point of it is to provide a little more choice and fun for small estate car buyers. Skoda is clearly thinking along similar lines with its Roomster Scout variant. Peugeot offers just the single trim level comes with a choice of three engines ??“ 120bhp 1.6-litre petrol, and a 1.6-litre HDi diesel in 90bhp and 110bhp guise.
Owning
Real thought has gone into the Outdoor??™s luggage area. The tailgate glass opens separately, while loading heavy objects is simple as the sill is a low 545mm from the ground. Floor runners and a shallow lip make it easy to push boxes in, while tie hooks and a net mean your cargo won??™t slide about (and there is an extra six litres of storage underneath the false floor). Folding the 70:30 slit seat is straightforward, though you have to remove the flimsy parcel shelf and ceiling-mounted luggage retaining net first. However, occupants will feel short-changed for space. If a six-foot driver sets the seat for them, rear passengers will find themselves squashed, while the footwell is cramped with no clutch footrest. Build quality doesn??™t feel as sturdy as it should, either ??“ though the Outdoor is very well-equipped. The full-length panoramic glass roof is also impressive. Retained values look good too, and the Outdoor proved reasonably economical in our hands ??“ though the insurance ratings seem a touch high compared to rivals.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Peugeot
Posted on January 7th, 2008 by Auto News
Driving
The Peugeot packs a featherweight 998cc three-cylinder engine. It produces 68bhp, and with its characterful exhaust note and distinctive thrum, it??™s great fun to use and delivers sprightly performance. It??™s easy to drive too, with a light clutch and gearshift, while engine vibrations are well insulated. This makes it both refined around town and at motorway speeds ??“ where it proves stable, too. Handling is boosted by a wide track, and with go-kart like reactions and responsive steering, the Peugeot is sure-footed through bends. The ride quality could be improved, but it deals with rough urban roads well, and doesn??™t crash over potholes.
Marketplace
The 107, along with its Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1 cousins, is one of the best-looking small cars around. It has near-perfect dimensions, with short overhangs, great all-round visibility and a vertical tail for easy reversing. The headlights, meanwhile, echo those on the larger 407 family car. With just the one engine option, the range is straightforward; three- or five-doors, in Urban Lite, Urban and Sport XS trims. Other competitors include the Kia Picanto, Ford Ka, Hyundai i10, Smart Fortwo, Mitsubishi i and Fiat Panda.
Owning
The unique style applies to the interior, too. With unusual heater controls that glow orange at night, plus a pod-style speedometer, the design is fresh and attractive. Rear passenger space is adequate, although taller people will find legroom is tight, and stowage is compromised by the fact that the speakers take up most of the space in the door pockets. Overall, the interior is best summed up as basic but stylish. Equipment levels aren??™t that generous, but the materials are of a far better quality than you??™ll find on other budget cars. The boot is a major weak point, though: the tailgate is a piece of glass, which leaves you with a high load sill, while the capacity is just 139 litres. It extends with the seats down to 751 litres. Economy is impressive though, while the retained value is excellent, at just under 50 per cent. That??™s a superb result for a budget-priced Peugeot.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Peugeot
Posted on November 22nd, 2007 by Auto News
Perhaps inspired by the mountain vistas surrounding the Geneva show, Peugeot is going soft-roading with its first-ever sport-utility vehicle, the 4007. Based on the Mitsubishi Outlander, the 4007 retains most of the look of that trucklet from the A-pillar back, but with a Peugeot face planted between the Outlander??™s bulging, flared fenders.
A Peugeot face these days means a phallic center rib running the length of the hood and terminating at a trapezoidal chrome cage for the marque??™s lion logo. Below that is a gaping grille nearly as wide as the car, bisected by a flat-black trim piece that resembles a child??™s orthodontic headgear, but without the promise of a lovely smile down the road.
In back, the 4007 carries over the Outlander??™s rear hatch, right down to the convenient flip-down center section in the bumper that aids in cargo loading. The only difference between the Mitsu and the Peugeot is the taillights. Somehow, when viewed as a whole, the style works in a weird ???our women and our cheese are both hairy??? French kind of way.
Hiding beneath that strangely shaped hood is a Peugeot HDi DPFS, or, in layman??™s terms, a turbo-diesel engine. Displacing 2.2 liters, the inline-four is good for 154 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, which Peugeot estimates will allow the 3850-pound 4007 to amble to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds and continue to amble up to 124 mph, when the governor steps in. Power is routed through an Aisin six-speed manual transmission to a standard part-time all-wheel-drive system (base Outlanders are front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive optional). The system can be locked in front- or four-wheel drive or left to make its own decisions about distribution of power in all-wheel-drive mode.
Inside is an attractive mix of satin silver and black plastics, with room for a quartet of six-footers in the front two rows of seats. Those in the third row will curse the jump seats they??™ve been crammed into, even if the second row is at the foremost of its three inches of travel. The third row is best left folded into the floor to make space for cargo. If more room for hauling is needed, the second row also folds flat at the touch of a button at either side-door opening.
All the optional goodies from the Outlander will be available in the 4007 as well, such as a six-CD changer, a touch-screen navigation system, a DVD entertainment center with a flip-down nine-inch screen, Bluetooth connectivity, and a Rockford Fosgate audio system with a big ol??™ subwoofer eating up a bunch of cargo space.
To help drum up buzz in Geneva about its new SUV, Peugeot also showed a customized concept 4007 built by luxury goods manufacturer Holland & Holland. The H&H 4007 is a paint and leather package sprayed in pearlescent Hagenias Bronze with a two-tone interior wrapped in brown and greenish-tan leathers. A matching Holland & Holland luggage set waits in the cargo hold for those outings to the country manor. Water-resistant leather is wrapped around the luggage rack and the exterior mirror housings, making this SUV even less likely than most to ever find mud, not that a Holland & Holland 4007 will ever find a showroom floor in the first place.
If the 4007 is so successful that Peugeot continues to make it for two millennia, then you??™d be able to buy a 4007 4007. By then, maybe you??™d be able to buy a 4007 4007 in the U.S. But no plans exist for Peugeot??™s return here in the foreseeable future.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Peugeot
Posted on November 22nd, 2007 by Auto News
Peugeot says its Geneva concept car, the 207 SW Outdoor, is ???for those who love open-air sport and leisure activities, who are in search of unique and intense experiences.??? There hasn??™t been a vehicle launched in 10 years that wasn??™t aimed at that phantom demographic, and for people who barely exist, they buy a lot of cars.
To appease those high-flying folks, the 207 SW Outdoor has a panoramic full-length glass roof, perfect for tracking your base-jumping buddies, and a rugged plastic rim around the base of the vehicle to protect you from all the cacti you??™ll be running over as you chase them down. A 107-hp, 1.6-liter diesel four-cylinder ensures that the SW Outdoor does its part to preserve the environment the driver so enjoys.
Amid the light, bluish-gray leather and parachute-silk interior trim, the map pockets and the catch-all storage bins are fashioned from fluorescent-orange netting to keep all those carabiners and first-aid kits visible and ready for a quick grab. Folding rear seats allow the 207 SW Outdoor to accommodate buddies or bikes for that weekend ride through the mountains.
So far, there is no 207 station wagon, but you can bet the basic shape of the 207 SW Outdoor is just that. Strip away the plastic lower body cladding and the bright orange trim, replace that panoramic roof with a slab of steel, and this vehicle fills one of the few remaining holes in the emerging 207 family.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Peugeot
|
|