Peugeot 307

History

The 307 was presented as the 307 Prométhée prototype, at the 2000 Mondial de l'Automobile. The production hatchback versions were introduced to the European markets on 26 April 2001, as a successor to the Peugeot 306. The 307 was also sold in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and (in 1.6 and 2.0 petrol versions) Mexico. In Brazil the 307 is sold with 1.6 and 2.0 flex (gas/ethanol) engines.

Design and engineering

The 307 makes use of a reworked 306 platform, that can also be found on the Citroën Xsara as well as the 1991 Citroën ZX. However, the car is larger than the 306 in every direction.

The 307 continued the company's styling first seen on the Peugeot 206 and Peugeot 607. With upswept front lights and a steeply rising bonnet leading to a highly sloped windscreen (and the upright rear doors first seen on the 206), the 307 departed from the Pininfarina designed themes employed on the previous two generations of Peugeots, as introduced with the Peugeot 205, and ending with the (evolutionary) Peugeot 406.

Its height is 1,510 mm (59.4 in), which is in the middle of the spectrum between small family cars (between 1400 and 1450 mm) and compact MPVs (between 1600 and 1650 mm). Some consider the 307 as a low compact MPV rather than a tall small family car, because of its height and profile.

One advertisement for the 307, which was first in 2001, featured the hit song from 1987, "(Something Inside) So Strong".

Top Gear 2001

In an report from Top Gear Magazine, the new Peugeot 307 1.6 16v TU5 JP4 went head to head with its competitors, the Ford Focus 1.6L I4 Zetec-SE and Honda Civic 1.6 VTEC. The Peugeot received high praise in all areas of the road test, beating both the Ford and Honda on price, space, handling, running costs and refinement. The Peugeot won the road test, followed by the Ford, then the Honda.

Facelift

In June 2005, the 307 was revised to meet the onslaught of rivals which had been launched since the introduction of the 307 four years earlier in 2001.

The front of the car was restyled featuring mildly revised lights, a new bonnet and the removal of the trademark Peugeot grille between the headlights. With the latter change, along with a new front bumper, the front of the car was now dominated by a larger air intake, as first established on the Peugeot 407, and which was now effectively the company's new grille.

Body styles

The 307 was launched as a 3- and 5-door hatchback, though in June 2002, the 307 range was expanded, with the introduction of a se estate car, the 307sw. It features an optional third row of removable seats so it is more flexible due to its MPV like configuration. The SW exists because Peugeot did not develop a compact MPV spinoff, as Citroën did with the Xsara Picasso, instead preferring to offer a more flexible version but maintaining the style and road manners of an estate.

Unlike the previous model, there was no saloon version, but one was designed for emerging markets, such as China and the Latin American market, as saloons were much preferred to hatchbacks. The 307 CC, a cabriolet with a retractable hardtop, was launched in August 2003, to compete against the new European coupé cabriolets.

In 2004, a four-door saloon version of the 307 was launched in China. The 307 is produced for the Chinese market by the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile, a joint venture with the PSA Group. This model was also built in Argentina between May 2006 and November 2010.

Petrol

For the 1.6 L setup also available (from 09/2007 onwards) is a version called 1.6 BioFlex that can as well run on ethanol E85.

Diesel

Hybrid HDi

In January 2006, Peugeot announced a prototype diesel-electric hybrid engine for the 307 that could achieve 83 miles per imperial gallon (3.4 L/100 km; 69 mpg_‑US), but was not intended for sale until at least 2010, by which time the 307 was replaced by the 308, and the Hybrid was still not launched.

The Citroën C4 Hybride HDi was announced at the same time.

Reliability

According to some sources, the 307 suffers from below average build quality and reliability, having featured at the bottom of the German Automobile Club breakdown statistics for 3–5 year old small family cars in 2009. However, June 2005 saw a facelift within the model and reliability increased, making it a more popular model. 2006 / 2007 models were referenced as a lot more reliable and trustworthy.

307 in rallying

The Peugeot 307 WRC, a World Rally Car based on the 307 CC, replaced the multiple manufacturers' and drivers' championship-winning 206 WRC in the World Rally Championship for the 2004 season.

The vehicle, nicknamed "The Flying Frog" and "The Whale", was plagued by transmission problems and only began to come into its element in competition towards the end of its factory-supported participation in the WRC. It has three WRC victories to its name, but saw its competition life cut short at the end of 2005 by PSA's decision to withdraw both Citroën and Peugeot from top-level rallying. It topped the podium in the series on the 2004 and 2005 Neste Rally Finland as well as in the 2005 Rally Japan.

All the victories were at the hands of double world drivers' champion Marcus Grönholm. A private undertaking by seasoned Peugeot preparatory firm Bozian Racing, dubbed OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team, largely assumed responsibility for the running of WRC-spec 307s for the following 2006 season. Manfred Stohl and Henning Solberg were named as the driving personnel, with Stohl placing fourth in the overall drivers' standings.

The 307 WRC will be remembered for the accident that befell WRC competitors Markko Märtin and Michael Park on September 18, 2005, which resulted in co-driver Park's death. On stage 15 of Wales Rally GB, Märtin lost control of his 307 WRC and collided with a tree, killing Park instantly. This was the first fatality in a WRC event since 1993.

The Peugeot 307 has also been raced in the World Touring Car Championship, the British Touring Car Championship, Stock Car Brasil, TC2000 and the Danish Touring Car Championship.