RE: Peugeot 306 Rallye: PH Carpool
Discussion
Matt UK said:
This and the 106 Rallye still look fabulous to my eyes!
They do - until you look inside and you can tell that they are a based on a 25 year old design. I had a Peugeot 106 Quicksilver as my first car - it had the same great looks, interesting wet weather handling (never as good in the wet aftered I couldn't get the original spec Pirelli tyres) & the same strike prone rear wiper (it wouldn't be a French car without it)
graememac said:
CampDavid said:
j_s14a said:
"ultimate FWD car"
As much as I love the 306, it is a few places down that pecking order. Just off the top of my head, better driving FWD cars include:
DC2 Integra R
EG Civic R
Corrado VR6
fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
205 gti
106 Rallye
Clio 182 Cup
Xantia Activa
It's all a matter of opinion but I personally prefer the 306 to all of the above, though I've not had a bash in a Corrado. The Fiat Coupe was a decent car but laughable to suggest it was better than the 306. Teggy lacks a bit of feel for me.As much as I love the 306, it is a few places down that pecking order. Just off the top of my head, better driving FWD cars include:
DC2 Integra R
EG Civic R
Corrado VR6
fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
205 gti
106 Rallye
Clio 182 Cup
Xantia Activa
P.S. 35mpg from the 306? Really?
My daily is still a 306, but a trusty diesel 2.0 HDi. Proper shed'ing.
The way the chassis pivots about the seat of your pants is what makes the 306 an enjoyable drive. Heavy controls and slow steering (so it feels) give the impression of a much bigger car. Throwing one around will bring a smile to your face.
There's no denying the Focus was better upon release, it was far more keen to turn in and much more balanced / predictable. But this is where 'better' handling doesn't necessarily equate to more fun. I sold my Focus and bought my 306 at less than half the value and I haven't looked back since. Even now, I can't justify getting rid of it. I can't think of a single car which I would get as much enjoyment from without plunging myself un-necessarily into debt. The more modern equivalent would be a Fabia VRS diesel, but these start at £3k and I'd only be gaining myself a car with a couple of extra toys, some hideous styling and probably a lot less squeaks and rattles...
If anyone is considering buying one then budget for a suspension overhaul. A refurbished rear beam is probably a good idea too, all work would run easily into 4 figures unless you undertook it yourself.
The way the chassis pivots about the seat of your pants is what makes the 306 an enjoyable drive. Heavy controls and slow steering (so it feels) give the impression of a much bigger car. Throwing one around will bring a smile to your face.
There's no denying the Focus was better upon release, it was far more keen to turn in and much more balanced / predictable. But this is where 'better' handling doesn't necessarily equate to more fun. I sold my Focus and bought my 306 at less than half the value and I haven't looked back since. Even now, I can't justify getting rid of it. I can't think of a single car which I would get as much enjoyment from without plunging myself un-necessarily into debt. The more modern equivalent would be a Fabia VRS diesel, but these start at £3k and I'd only be gaining myself a car with a couple of extra toys, some hideous styling and probably a lot less squeaks and rattles...
If anyone is considering buying one then budget for a suspension overhaul. A refurbished rear beam is probably a good idea too, all work would run easily into 4 figures unless you undertook it yourself.
C.A.R. said:
My daily is still a 306, but a trusty diesel 2.0 HDi. Proper shed'ing.
The way the chassis pivots about the seat of your pants is what makes the 306 an enjoyable drive. Heavy controls and slow steering (so it feels) give the impression of a much bigger car. Throwing one around will bring a smile to your face.
There's no denying the Focus was better upon release, it was far more keen to turn in and much more balanced / predictable. But this is where 'better' handling doesn't necessarily equate to more fun. I sold my Focus and bought my 306 at less than half the value and I haven't looked back since. Even now, I can't justify getting rid of it. I can't think of a single car which I would get as much enjoyment from without plunging myself un-necessarily into debt. The more modern equivalent would be a Fabia VRS diesel, but these start at £3k and I'd only be gaining myself a car with a couple of extra toys, some hideous styling and probably a lot less squeaks and rattles...
If anyone is considering buying one then budget for a suspension overhaul. A refurbished rear beam is probably a good idea too, all work would run easily into 4 figures unless you undertook it yourself.
I've actually had 4 306s, all GTI-6 or Rallye and I now have a Fabia. Kind of get where you're coming from by the 306 is a much better steer while the Fabia has a great torquey donkey and a fair load of grip. Usefully half the running costs tooThe way the chassis pivots about the seat of your pants is what makes the 306 an enjoyable drive. Heavy controls and slow steering (so it feels) give the impression of a much bigger car. Throwing one around will bring a smile to your face.
There's no denying the Focus was better upon release, it was far more keen to turn in and much more balanced / predictable. But this is where 'better' handling doesn't necessarily equate to more fun. I sold my Focus and bought my 306 at less than half the value and I haven't looked back since. Even now, I can't justify getting rid of it. I can't think of a single car which I would get as much enjoyment from without plunging myself un-necessarily into debt. The more modern equivalent would be a Fabia VRS diesel, but these start at £3k and I'd only be gaining myself a car with a couple of extra toys, some hideous styling and probably a lot less squeaks and rattles...
If anyone is considering buying one then budget for a suspension overhaul. A refurbished rear beam is probably a good idea too, all work would run easily into 4 figures unless you undertook it yourself.
. Health to drive!wooooody said:
Found the Rallye I sold 9 years ago parked round the corner from the GF's flat recently, still a great looking car.
Have to confess, only lost the rear end in mine twice in 20k miles; once when I'd Eagle F1s from and old P6000s rear (quickly resolved) and once when I didn't dial in throttle on the way out of a roundabout going to work when I normally would. It did go nicely sideways a lot though. Rated it as a better real world B road tool than the Elise I replaced it with due to the compliance, flexible engine & wet handling.
If I had a car FWD go sideways off throttle, or coming off throttle, I'd want to sell it! How do you not get scared when a car goes sideways? Have you driven on track a lot? Have to confess, only lost the rear end in mine twice in 20k miles; once when I'd Eagle F1s from and old P6000s rear (quickly resolved) and once when I didn't dial in throttle on the way out of a roundabout going to work when I normally would. It did go nicely sideways a lot though. Rated it as a better real world B road tool than the Elise I replaced it with due to the compliance, flexible engine & wet handling.
iloveboost said:
If I had a car FWD go sideways off throttle, or coming off throttle, I'd want to sell it! How do you not get scared when a car goes sideways? Have you driven on track a lot?
I used to have fun practicing lift off oversteer on wet roundabouts in a diesel Ibiza, it was very easy to get it sliding and to control as well! Now I own an MX-5 and I've only slided once (actual power slide, not lift off) and I must confess it was actually quite scary. Not trying that again any soon...
iloveboost said:
If I had a car FWD go sideways off throttle, or coming off throttle, I'd want to sell it! How do you not get scared when a car goes sideways? Have you driven on track a lot?
This only happens when you're pushing on. It doesn't occur when pootling about locally.Also you can feather the throttle rather than lift which gets the tail moving about but without a full on slide. It sounds scary but it's actually wonderfully intuitive, with the whole attitude of the car responding as much to throttle as steering wheel.
I am not a brilliant driver, I don't race, but I was able to enjoy this for several years without any road departures, or even major brown trouser moments.
eliotrw said:
I can only conclude that you haven't driven a healthy one or indeed one of the sport models..
Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Xantia Activa?Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Yeah, they can handle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-C33SrJi8
morgrp said:
eliotrw said:
I can only conclude that you haven't driven a healthy one or indeed one of the sport models..
Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Xantia Activa?Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Yeah, they can handle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-C33SrJi8
Scroll through to the Citroen Xantia Activa
http://teknikensvarld.se/algtest/
I greatly miss my old 306 XSi. Great fun at normal road speeds, and so much feel compared to modern cars. Also, lots of torque from an 8v motor compared to the 16v engines starting to appear at the time.
However, at ~4 years old lots of things were starting to go wrong, so I offloaded it.
I looked at several GTI-6s as a potential replacement: truly fabulous car. However, I ended up going for an MX-5 for the RWD and soft top. But now I still think back to "what if..."
I'd seriously consider getting a GTI-6 as a modern classic, although the state of my 4 year old XSi makes me worry about a 15+ year old Peugeot.
However, at ~4 years old lots of things were starting to go wrong, so I offloaded it.
I looked at several GTI-6s as a potential replacement: truly fabulous car. However, I ended up going for an MX-5 for the RWD and soft top. But now I still think back to "what if..."
I'd seriously consider getting a GTI-6 as a modern classic, although the state of my 4 year old XSi makes me worry about a 15+ year old Peugeot.
s m said:
morgrp said:
eliotrw said:
I can only conclude that you haven't driven a healthy one or indeed one of the sport models..
Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Xantia Activa?Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Yeah, they can handle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-C33SrJi8
Scroll through to the Citroen Xantia Activa
http://teknikensvarld.se/algtest/
That said, a supercharged TU lump from the 306 is capable of a little over 400BHP and would sit happily in a Xantia Activa, making it a rather deadly track car
CampDavid said:
s m said:
morgrp said:
eliotrw said:
I can only conclude that you haven't driven a healthy one or indeed one of the sport models..
Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Xantia Activa?Its better handling than both a VR6 and Fiat Coupe (and xantia (wtf)) opinion aside.
Yeah, they can handle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-C33SrJi8
Scroll through to the Citroen Xantia Activa
http://teknikensvarld.se/algtest/
That said, a supercharged TU lump from the 306 is capable of a little over 400BHP and would sit happily in a Xantia Activa, making it a rather deadly track car
I've owned plenty of French hot hatches to know the difference
Brother has had one of these since 2002. The last five years it has been parked up at the side of the house and its got quite damp so I think it might be beyond rescue now sadly. He will get round to scrapping it one day but will be sad to see another one of these great cars gone..
I had a 306 GTi-6 and 306 XSi for a number of years - loved both of them but would take the Rallye over either.
Paul
I had a 306 GTi-6 and 306 XSi for a number of years - loved both of them but would take the Rallye over either.
Paul
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