1996 Peugeot 306 XT 1.8 petrol 8v

Summary:

A responsive and manoeuvrable car for the city

Faults:

Minor oil leakage from rocker cover gasket hardening.

Some chassis twisting and crunching from the suspensions when traveling slowly over very uneven surfaces, such as kerbing at a diagonal angle.

General Comments:

My family and I are all short (under 160 cm) so, for us, the car is quite roomy. I can see that it would be a problem for tall people in the back or front.

The glove boxes are both too small (one is clearly a replacement for a passenger air bag), so there is nowhere to put a street directory and workshop manual. (In the replacement 307 I see there is a slide-out tray under the front seats to mitigate this deficiency somewhat.)

The pedal placement takes some getting used to -- you need to educate yourself to avoid hitting the brake or accelerator accidentally. I have adopted a right foot placement resting on the back of the shoe so that the ball of the foot is on the accelerator.

It has very direct highly geared steering, ideal for darting in and out of city traffic. If you are accustomed to a low geared steering, you can find yourself in the gutter or on the wrong side of the road for a few days. I formerly owned a Mini Deluxe (detuned Cooper) and enjoy the same stick-to-the-road feeling. I can eat most family sedans in a standing start around a corner (at lights, say) as they crab sideways vainly attempting to keep up. (A current Peugeot ad says "Get outdoors and hug a road".)

You only get 10 to 11.5 L/100km in city driving, but this improves to 9.5 to 10.0 L/100km on long trips at a steady 110 km/h for several hours. Unlike another reviewer, I have had no problems getting premium unleaded fuel outside the state capitals. The secret is to ensure that you plan refuelling in largish provincial cities -- not hard when there is a 60 L tank in such a small car.

The four-speed automatic transmission drives like a manual with a responsive kick-down and good engine braking down steep hills.

Our children are grown up, so this is a great retirees' car. We fold down the back seats and get all our camping equipment and bedding into it up to the level of the back shelf, which we leave in place, with no stuff piled on the shelf.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th August, 2002

18th Oct 2005, 14:13

Agree with first comment, I had three Peugeot before and all had oil leak, by looking at someones drive you can tell they own a Peugeot, other than that it is great car to drive.

5th Dec 2007, 23:48

I've owned my 1996 Peugeot XT for 11 years now, and covered nearly 120,000 km. It's been serviced regularly.

Contrary to remarks I hear about French unreliability, I cannot believe how little I've had to spend on its maintenance over the years: windscreen wiper motor, exhaust pipe, a brake disc, new gear knob... that's about it. I still love driving it - especially on winding country roads.

Sure, there may be one or two inconveniences as mentioned by previous writers (eg small glove box), but the way it handles, the ergonomics of its interior and, for me, its reliability has made up for that. I'm about to buy a new pug, but I'll be really sorry to let my old one go. No other car I've driven feels as good going round a tight corner.