Once, 'connecting to the cloud' was something that happened when you found yourself stuck behind a diesel in heavy traffic. Those diesel clouds began to dissipate in the 1980s when manufacturers frightened by the first Gulf oil crisis of 1973 starting paying more attention to economy. Sanitising the diesel was the obvious answer.
Zillions of dollars later, diesel's biggest problems - disappointing performance and dirtiness - were mainly solved. Admittedly, exciting new clouds have replaced the boring old black ones, but they're invisible so that makes them OK innit. Now, we do quite literally have some light at the end of the tunnel.
One of the first cars to bring a degree of mainstream credibility to the dirty old diesel was Peugeot's 306 D Turbo. The Pininfarina bodied Phase 1 306 attracted plenty of praise when it replaced its distinctive but gawky 309 predecessor in 1993. An odd relationship between the pedals and steering wheel compromised the 306's driving position slightly, but there was very little wrong with its lusciously compliant ride or passive-rear-steer assisted handling. It would take a huge leap forward in the shape of Ford's groundbreaking 1998 Focus to top it.
Before then, however, company car user-choosers on the right pay grade could opt for a forced-induction version of the dependable XUD diesel, initially badged as the XTDT and then as the D Turbo that you now see before you in 1997-on Phase 2 form. And they would have enjoyed that choice too.
Essentially a diesel version of the sporty XS, the D Turbo was quite deliberately aimed at the enthusiast market. Its 90hp may seem like a footling amount today, but rest assured that it was a noteworthy amount for a mid-1990s small hatch. More importantly, it had 145lb ft of torque. OK, that doesn't sound like much either. Nor does a 0-60mph time in the 13s or a top speed of around 110mph, come to that.
But don't be taken in by the spangly seduction of on-paper performance. Thanks to its combination of beefy mid-range grunt and planted chassis, the D Turbo never lacked cross-country pace. It accelerated more purposefully than the 1.4-litre petrol 306 and provided more mpg to boot. The engine gave you everything you needed, from torque-surfing to the occasional dod of braking. For a confident driver, the middle pedal was largely redundant.
Our D Turbo Shed is rare in that it's not been messed about with. Not only that, it has both a usefully low mileage and an apparently rust-free body. This all makes it an interesting candidate for stealthy tuning.
None of your quick remaps here, mind. With the D Turbo's mechanical-injection XUD engine you're talking old-school fettling. The car runs around 1 bar (14.8psi) of boost pressure as standard. The accepted way forward is to crank it up to 18psi (anything above that will require extra intercooling) and augment the fuelling by playing around with the boost compensator on the fuel pump, which if you're lucky will be a Bosch unit rather than the more fiddly Joe Lucas item. According to the vendor, there's no smoke now, but that might change if you go down the tuning route and the unburnt hydrocarbons start queuing up in the exhaust system, like this.
This upgrade will take the car up to something in the order of 115-120hp; again not a big number, but nor is the DT's 1,100kg kerbweight. Don't knock it till you've tried it. Bear in mind also that you'll be getting 21st century fuel economy at the same time - 50mpg easy on a sniff of throttle.
Shed knows better than most that a bush eventually loses its appeal. The ones on the 306's back axle that give it a degree of rear-wheel steering will wear out, as will those on the relatively heavy front end. Electrics are a bit patchy in areas like the door locks and key remotes. You should change the coolant every couple of years to stave off cylinder head gasket issues, and if the clutch is unduly heavy that means the cable is on the way out.
Shed's mother-in-law used to run a diesel 306. Shed never had much time for her until he sat in that old 306 and tried to put the clutch in. Wow. To this day he has no idea how someone with her gammy legs and industrial-grade bunions ever managed it. She's got a Jazz now.
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