2004 Peugeot 307 SW from Norway - Comments

The CD-changer refused to eject a CD once. It was a CD/RW and the manual for the car specifically stated that CD/RWs should not be used. So I was warned... Nothing else has gone wrong with the car.

Very powerful and torquey engine. Can't believe it's a 1,6. Engine is better than my previous 2,0 liter 110 bhp HDi, which made my Xantia front heavy and prone to understeer. Also uses less fuel.

Comfort could be better. Ride is hard coming from a Citroën, and the Pirelli tires are very noisy! Drivers seat also lack lumbar support.

Glass roof is great!

Climate control is great. The engine gets warm very quick in winter. Webasto is not needed, which it was in the Xantia.

There has been 14 cases of 307's catching fire in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This was in the media yesterday. They found the cause, which was an electrical contact on the pump for the power steering. When salt and dirt came inside the contact, a short circuit would occur. Normally this would cause the power steering to stop working, but in some cases there was a fire.

I went to Peugeot today to check my car even though it was a little too new to be vulnerable. I was relieved when they told me that the contact in my car is OK. However, I was disappointed when they told me that the pump is leaking oil. It had to be changed. The car is only a year old, so this is obviously too early. So my 307 isn't error free after all. I'm just very lucky that they discovered this before the oil and power to the steering ran out. Anyway, they are changing the pump just a few hours after they discovered the leak, so service in Norway is still excellent compared to what I understand it is in UK and Denmark.

Now I've owned the car for almost a year, and it has passed 35.000 kilometres. This winter, a couple of electrical niggles started to appear. The heated seats broke down, the headlight-washer stopped working and rear-lights can't decide which side they will illuminate if any. Also, the armrest fell of the seat. This was repaired under warranty. Now, two weeks after those errors were looked after, the rear window-washer doesn't work. When I try to wash the rear window, the front washers start, only without the wipers. The usual "french solution", reboot the car, doesn't solve the problem.

Guess I won't keep the car when warranty expires in 18 months.

Owner reports again: Selling the car today. It's been a pleasant car to own and drive. Yes, I had a couple of weeks with som occassional troubles as mentioned above, but since then it's been impeccable. It has travelled 50.000 km now, and I'm trading it in for the new and very appealing Citroën C4 Picasso. Same engine by the way.