Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car so far. I haven't had it long; only a month.

General Comments:

This is a great all round car.

It has great looks, and in metallic black with the GTi-6 wheels, it turns plenty of heads.

The engine is great too. It can cruise at 90mph doing only 3000 RPM, and it is a really, really fast car, as long as you keep the blower going. A Saxo VTR won't touch it.

I have averaged around 45 MPG with a mixed driving style, which is another good bonus.

Comfort is not the best, but you can't expect good comfort with a car that handles as well as this; it's like a go kart.

Wonderful car.

Faults:

Front brake pads needed replacing at 50000 miles (this was the first replacement.)

Drivers seat has started to squeak.

Car has begun to cut out when idling.

General Comments:

This is the second Peugeot 306 I have owned, and I would definitely buy another - its not only one of the best cars I have driven, but it is reliable, cheap to fix and drives really well.

The seats are comfortable.

Room in the back is good, handy for long journeys.

MPG isn't bad - I get about 40mpg round town, slightly more traveling long distances.

Large boot space for a reasonably small car.

Visually pleasing shape.

Easy to read dash - attractive silver and black, set out well.

Fairly decent stereo system and speakers, so never bothered to replace.

Good acceleration, although fairly slow to get between 40 - 70 mph.

Car handles well.

Great accessories in the car including air conditioning, front and rear electric windows, front fog lights, CD player, height adjustable seat, driver and passenger airbags, steering wheel remote for stereo.

Faults:

Have had the wheel alignment carried out twice. Tendency to wear the outside of the front tyres.

General Comments:

Gutsy performance and 45mpg.

Superb overtaking torque from HDi engine.

Excellent cruising ability - pulls 2500rpm at 70mph.

Above 100mph starts to run out of puff.

Handling is magnificent.

A brilliant car on twisty roads, you really can have lots of fun in it. Brakes very good, meridian gets disc brakes front and rear.

Excellent feel and feedback from steering.

Interior well finished, 1/2 leather seats, aluminium effect on dash.

Seats are well supported and have lumbar support adjustment.

However dash rattles a bit at low engine speeds.

Looks wise not bad beggining to look a bit dated, still looks pretty smart with side skirts and alloys.

Faults:

Car eats idle control valve stepper motors. Replaced twice and third is now playing up. Symptoms are erratic idle speed, stalling, unprompted "revving" when in traffic. Must be a design fault.

Small oil leak fixed under warranty.

Terminal sounding clatter from tappets which suddenly started in a motorway queue, cured itself a few minutes later, and hasn't returned since.

General Comments:

I took a career change a few years ago, swapping a fully expensed BMW 320i for a fairly modest car allowance. I never liked the ostentatious BMW much anyway, and decided to look for something based purely on driving fun rather than badge or "image". I always liked the 306's styling, and although the budget wouldn't stretch to the GTI-6, was offered a good deal on a pre-registered, 11 mile old XSi.

If you purely want fun and involving handling, forget the Focus, forget the Astra, and (especially) forget the heavy, soggy Golf. The 306 makes the lot of them look dull-witted and clumsy. The balletic poise of the 306 when you sling it into a corner wouldn't disgrace a piece of exotica. It resolutely refuses to understeer, and you feel the tail easing gently against the grip of the rear tyres to help turn the car into the corner. Feather the throttle and it will gently slide to further tighten the line. Wind off the lock, squeeze the throttle and she pulls straight again. No other car in this class will do this. Even the critically acclaimed Focus. This balance is backed up by utterly superb power steering which even eclipses the 320i for weight, accuracy and feel. In fact, this car handles better full stop.

The 2.0 engine is good, but not as good as the chassis. It's a bit feeble at low revs, but does pick up quite nicely when given its head. Not a bad engine, not a good one. Just an engine. My friend has an old 8 valve version of this car which I actually prefer. It's torquier and responds better to the throttle.

I love the car, despite a few faults. BMW say they build the Ultimate Driving Machine. I beg to differ. As a pure drivers car, I'll stick with my Pug.