Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

We now have the car four years, and driven 132.000 kilometers with it. We bought it new, after terrible experiences with a second hand Ford Mondeo which had to be hauled back from France by the motor club twice. We have been driving it across Europe ever since, and it can stand slippery mountain roads, it can drive us back from Southern France with 20 boxes (x 6 bottles) of wine in the back, two racing bikes on top, and camping gear stashed everywhere - and it will still do 140 km on the autoroute. It has never left us standing anywhere, and is cheap in both gas and taxes. The cost of maintenance is still limited to the regular service each 20.000 KM, but we haven't spent as much in four years as we have spent on the bloody mondeo in two years. Renault service is not special, but OK.

Faults:

There quite some rust near my rear wheels (common problem for these cars).

General Comments:

This car is very nice in traffic light sprints, and extremely nice in turns. Its grip is phenomenal and when it breaks loose (in turns) it's easy to control your 'drift'. I really had to learn to drive again with this car because you can reach very high curve speeds (especially compared to the Laguna, my previous car). Suspension is stiff, and with the 16" wheels it's not comfortable on the road without asphalt. What's very nice are the meters for oil pressure, oil temperature and engine temperature, very useful when you are a sporty driver (Now you know when you can step on it). A bad thing about this car is its oil usage: 1 liter for 3000 kilometers is no exception... Chip-tuning is a good option for this car to make it even faster.

You shouldn't get this car if you want a comfy smooth ride because it's rather noisy and the seats are not very good either. You should buy this car if you want a fast racy car, which won't cost you the world.

Faults:

One fuel injector gave up after just 12.000 km.

General Comments:

Pithy little car. The engine, although only 1.2 liters, is quite capable! It outperforms my old Renault 18 GTL with a 1647 cc engine by far!

The car has good acceleration, and handles lovely in both city traffic and on the highway. On top of that, it only consumes 1 liter fuel per 17km.

Also the comfort and space are OK, although in the back-seats, room is scarce. With the backseats down however, you have a small truck at your disposal, and can transport an enormous amount of stuff!

Faults:

Nothing really, except for a loose rubber next to a front wheel.

Still under investigation by the dealer: a ringing sound at the back (exhaust?) at full throttle and high revs (>6500 rpm).

General Comments:

This car is really cool. 0-100-0 km/h in 11 seconds... 0-100 in 7 and 100-0 in 4!

Strong points, in order of importance:

1. Faaaaaaaaaast.

2. Gripppppppppp.

3. Brake.brake.brake.great.brakes.

4. Scree-ee-eeaming engine at high revs.

5. Nice, sporty and comfy on the inside.

6. Luxury equipment.

Weak points, IMHO:

1. The springs are a little too soft for the (cornering) speeds the car reaches.

2. Needs a little more feedback through the steering wheel.

3. Light and nervous at high (>170 km/h) speeds.

4. Noisy at speeds over 140 km/h.

5. Ugly, big steering wheel and upright seat position.

6. Needs RON 98 according to the manual... Expensive!

Overall downside: My last 306 XSI had better road handling.

BUT...

EVERY time I have to take the car somewhere (or does the car take ME somewhere?) I look forward to it... every ride is a feast... I even look forward every evening, to the 20 km trip to work the next morning! At many nights, the car just takes me out for 40 minutes or so, to never-never-land.

E.g.:

For my company, I am the first contact for the burglary and fire alarms. For the first time, I love it when they call me outta my bed at 3.37 am to go out and have a look at the building! Call me nuts! I love it!