The Curious Case of the Peugeot 207: Ride of the 308

Walking into the Peugeot showroom, I eagerly look around searching for the Peugeot 207.

"Oh, the 207, we don't sell them anymore. The smallest car we have now is the 308. " The sales rep explained.

The bane of the darn sky high COE in Singapore has made it so hard for showrooms to sell small and cheaper cars. Many companies such as Mitsubishi and Subaru stopped bringing in small and cheaper cars. All that's left are the more luxurious models where the potential buyers have deeper pockets to stomach the SGD$71,000  wretched piece of paper (Certificate of Entitlement, COE)  that entitles citizens to own a car. Comparatively, Marchie's certificate cost SGD$14,700 in 2005, now it cost 5 times more.

I browse around the Peugeot 308, checking the seats, the tactile switches and the space in the cabin. Very luxurious, I love it. Especially that glass roof. All very nice, but sadly a new car is already out of budget, let alone a new luxurious 308.

"Would you like a test drive?" The sales rep asked.

"Yes, please." I answered. Since, there is no 207 to test drive. The 308 is probably the closest I can get to it.

The shiny 308 was parked on the driveway ready to be tested. I walk up to it, opened the clunky door and got in. The waft of new car smell hit my nose. How I miss that smell. Its been 7 long years since Marchie smell like that.

The driving position was rather strange and the visibility was rather restricted by the B and C pillars. But I guess it is a matter of getting use to be. The glass roof made the cabin fresh and bright and it was a beautiful cabin no doubt.

The electronic gadgetry was all there for you to play around with. I love all that in a car. The first thing to get used to was the brakes. A soft tap of the brakes led the 308 to a sudden halt. I was embarrassed but the sales rep said its quite usual for people who usually drive smaller cars.

Hmm, maybe its the brakes that are over servoed, I thought. The ride was wonderfully cushioned and rather soft, so drivers looking for a sporty ride will have to look elsewhere. It was smooth handling and the steering was accurate. Overall it would have been a good ride. But...

The engine.

The BMW/Peugeot sourced engine at 1.6l with more power and torque than a usual 1.6, doesn't seem to deliver. Even a slight acceleration requires the automatic gearbox to step down to help speed up the car. Even so, the acceleration wasn't spectacular. Marchie would have sped away in the same scenario while the 308 putters along.

Looking at the specifications, I attribute the sluggishness to the weight of the 308. While Marchie weighs slightly above a tonne at 1005kg, the 308 was a portly 1287kg.

While rolling to a stop, there was also a curious whining noise. Maybe it is the norm for European cars, but I definitely don't have that in Japanese cars I driven.

I came away from the drive rather disappointed. With such a straining engine, fuel consumption would have been an issue in long term ownership. It is a beautiful car and I love its design and cabin. But the engine and its drive was a real let down.

Well, hopefully the 207 doesn't feel as sluggish.

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