WTF, seriouisly, how are they still in business?

WTF, seriouisly, how are they still in business?

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2gins

Original Poster:

2,839 posts

161 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
Who am I on about, Peugeot of course.

Last week it was in the news that PSA doubled their profits last year. I can't get my head around that, I mean, who is buying this dross?

I had a 5008 for a week long business rental a few years back, one of the most hateful driving experiences I've ever had since being landed with a Nissan Note. Now this week I have the prospect of 200 miles in a 2008. I don't hire cars very often, surprised to see how little has changed.



I've driven it 15 miles home from the office and already I hate the bd.

The driving position is terrible. If I set the seat so my legs are right with the clutch fully down, the gear stick is so far away I end up leaning forward to push it into 1/3/5. Part of that problem is the throw on the shift is about 8-10", which makes gear changes a long, drawn out affair. On the other hand if I set the seat so I can reach the gear lever, I have to raise the steering wheel up to avoid it hitting my knees - so it blocks line of sight to the speedo. FWIW I'm 5'11" and have quite long arms so god knows what it would be like for a normally proportioned person.

It has a stupid touch-screen infotainment system that is impossible to navigate, so far I've managed to select a radio station and adjust the volume, that's it. I can't turn it on or off, just put the volume down to zero or make the screen go dark, so I can't see the clock. The options menus only cover useful ste like wifi (WTF), phone connections and, inexcplicably, photos (WTAF?!!!). Can't find the audio controls, e.g. to reduce the bass level (Avis delivery guy must be into his grime or the like), or to set TP/TA. I can make the screen go dark, but if I want to see the trip info e.g. to check range or even just the time, the trip button turns it on again... but not to something sensible like the home page (a feature it doesn't seem to have), so I havev to enter the menu system to find the make-it-go-away button again.

The thing's so bloody big and the driving position gives no clues about where the corners are, so positioning it where I want it is almost impossible. I guess I'll adapt to this soon enough but it doesn't have parking sensors either so parking it in 2.4x4.8 spaces this week will be fun. Massive blind spot from the A pillar that makes observing traffic on a roundabout or oncomers on a medium radius right-hander interesting.

The handbrake is a stupid shape and awkward to use, hill start assist by default and its too slow to release the brake when you actually do want to go. Gear knob is too big and only feels right if you hold it like a hammer, steering wheel is too small, its like a child's toy and has no feel at all, might as well be connected to the rack with a piece of string. And that's coming from a bloke who drove a Mk1 TT for 6 years.

No idea what engine is in it, I guess it must be the 1.6 HDi (75PS) diesel, gutless as fk, couldn't pull the skin of my mother-in-law's custard.

The interior, a sea of cheap plastics but blessedly not too much metallised plastic shiny stuff (perhaps that's because mine is poverty spec, doesn't even have single zone CC).

Is there anything good about it, well, the soundproofing is excellent. The only clue that the engine is running is the dieselly shuddering coming through the seat, that is until you move off and then all hell breaks loose in a very much 1980s DAF manner. Above 5000 rpm there is a little whine from the engine that lets you pretend its supercharged, if the total lack of performance didn't give the game away.

I can't remember the last good Peugeot, 306/406 maybe?

So who is buying this st?

Cannot wait to get the TVR back on the road...



'orrible bd!

Challo

10,041 posts

154 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Because they alongside most mainstream car manufacturers make cars for the everyday man who just want white goods to get them from A to B.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
stting Peugeot. biggrin

2gins

Original Poster:

2,839 posts

161 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
Oh I get that, but do they not also want some halfway decent ergonomics and to be able to see the time?

I suppose it explains why you see so many Peugeots being driven so badly, they've made it pretty hard to do anything else.

Burgerbob

485 posts

76 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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I'm rather smitten by my 308 GTi.

If you can adapt to the driving position the current 208, 308 + 3008 are good cars.

But I did have a 2008 as a courtesy car a while back and couldn't wait to give it back. It's a big car for the money and I'm sure it's great for its target market, but not for me.

Cold

15,207 posts

89 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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2gins

Original Poster:

2,839 posts

161 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
g3org3y said:
stting Peugeot. biggrin
+1000

Indeed Peugeot!

6pi

119 posts

147 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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I just think you are prejudiced and your review is a bit biased to say the least.

A 2008 is not the type of car that will set the world on fire but it's very far from being as bad as you describe it. Just compare it to other similar cars in the same price bracket : do you really think a Renault Captur is a much better car ? or a Ford Ecosport ?

Peugeot is making profit because their current lineup is actually quite good compared to their direct competition. You just need to see it through a normal customer point of view, not as a TVR owner...

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Been to Europe lately?

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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All the white goods from Germany and France are quite mundane.

davamer23

1,126 posts

153 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
Don’t buy one then and request a different make if/when you hire a car.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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I thought about this today as I saw someone getting out of a Peejew whatever it was (van with windows ? Partner?)

There is no redeemable features of a modern Peugeot.

They're not good looking, not particularly reliable, not class leading in any way, not particularly well built, not the most economical, don't handle particlarly well or go well either.

It's like how I felt in Currys the other day. Looking at televisions, I was perplexed. I looked at a JVC - is this how people who don't know about cars buy a Peugeot? Are people buying Sony Bravias sneering at me as they pop their new TVs in their 308 diesels?

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Doesn't really sound like you've driven any other modern lately. Peugeot are doing well in comparison to similarly-priced cars on the market, hence the doubling of profits.

powerstroke

10,283 posts

159 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Amazing , considering how good they were once the go kart like 205 gti and even the 405 was a well sorted car, ride and handling were great ..

2gins

Original Poster:

2,839 posts

161 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
6pi said:
I just think you are prejudiced and your review is a bit biased to say the least.

A 2008 is not the type of car that will set the world on fire but it's very far from being as bad as you describe it. Just compare it to other similar cars in the same price bracket : do you really think a Renault Captur is a much better car ? or a Ford Ecosport ?

Peugeot is making profit because their current lineup is actually quite good compared to their direct competition. You just need to see it through a normal customer point of view, not as a TVR owner...
I get where you're coming from but wouldn't say I'm biased (I would say that wouldn't I?!)

Obviously I don't expect it to emulate a performance marque or a 90s car in any way. At the end of the day it has to get me the length of the M3 and some rural and then home again, it's a tool for a job and that is the end of it. But why does it have to be such a stty tool? Do they not think about little things like the driving position and functionality of the big computer in the middle of the dash in the design office? Do they have a design office? Gutless engines and bland interiors are fine for the purpose, mundane would be good, if it at least worked properly.

Imagine going in to HSS And hiring a cement mixer that had the loading hatch 1.5m up in the air on the top of the drum. You'd say "well, that's a fking stupid way to do it, what's wrong with these people?!" wouldn't you? Or a Vax that weighed 50 kg and had no wheels or a handle too small for a human hand. Would you be biased to criticise a crap design just because you have something at home that does it better?

I can't comment about the competition as I haven't driven it, bar a Focus which had a horrible shiny interior but at least the ergonomics were good. I suppose if all people want is 4 wheels and a wifi connection for the smallest £ pcm then that's job done, but if this car is the best in class I despair to think what the rest of it must be like.

No Face

252 posts

188 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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I hire a lot of cars for work, and the 2008 I had last year was definitely one of the worst I’ve had for a while. It was hard to pin down why, it was just a collection of little annoying things. Overall I felt that I was driving something that wasn’t quite finished. Hated it.

Having driven a 308 gti though, I think they do make some decent cars too - and if the volume cars are st but they enable them to make interesting cars too, and make a profit at the same time, then I’m ok with that.

ZX10R NIN

27,490 posts

124 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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208/308 GTI are good cars, you haven't driven a 2 series active tourer.

Alex_225

6,233 posts

200 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Because sadly we are the minority of car drivers I suspect. Most people who are fairly informed wouldn't give a Peugeot a look in except maybe a GTi or a classic of some kind.

Thing is I know a few people with a Peugeot of some kind. One chap genuinely excited about the dashboard in his 3008 or whatever it was. Also the other half's sister has a 207 which is crap in most ways but it works for her as an A-B car and she got it new on finance so it's probably a lack of imagination too.

Andy-SP2

271 posts

75 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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Love my 206 smile

Had it for years with no problems at all.. Nippy, good on petrol and goes great around corners..

2172cc

1,082 posts

96 months

Monday 19th February 2018
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ZX10R NIN said:
208/308 GTI are good cars
Have to agree with you there...I've had a few Peugeot's over the years and my current 208GTi is a cracking car. Certainly way better than my last VW.