First drive: Peugeot tops itself with 307CC

IF you’re on to a good thing, exploit it more. That seems to be Peugeot’s motivation behind the 307CC, a hard-top coupe-cabriolet big brother for the popular 206CC.

In its three years of life, the 206CC has sold more than 200,000 examples worldwide, including over 1400 since 2002 in Australia. It has been more of a success story than even Peugeot expected.

That foldaway metal roof is the obvious key. One minute you’ve got a coupe with a real roof rather than a cloth top and its security and noise damping inadequacies, the next a good looking convertible offering wind-in-the-hair motoring.

And it all comes for a real world price, rather than restricted to those with a Mercedes-Benz or Lexus budget. It’s such a good idea that Renault, Daihatsu, Hyundai and Opel/Vauxhall (which means probably Holden too) have or will launch accessibly priced hard drop-tops as well.

Peugeot obviously expects 307CC, which goes on sale here in January, to deliver more of the same positive responses as 206CC, although obviously a bit further up the price scale from that car’s $35,990 starting point.

Although pricing for the 307CC has not been announced in Australia, you can expect the baseline to be just under $50,000 for the 100kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder version when mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Add about $2500 for the same engine combined with a Porsche-sourced four-speed Tiptronic gearbox, and then look beyond $55,000 for the top-line model tentatively dubbed 307CC Sport, which is only available with the 130kW VVT 2.0-litre engine and five-speed manual gearbox also to be seen in the 206 GTi 180.

Compare that to the $44,990 starting price of the much-loved outgoing cloth-topped 306 cabriolet and you can see that Peugeot Automobiles Australia has upped the ante a bit.

But there is plenty of equipment to compensate. Standard across both cars are cruise control, climate control air-conditioning, foglights, trip computer, power windows, heated mirrors, active windscreen wipers and auto headlights.

The Sport adds parking assist, an alarm and retractable door mirrors. It also upgrades from the base model’s single in-dash CD to a five-stacker and from 16-inch alloy wheels to 17-inch items.

In terms of safety equipment, both cars get four airbags, ESP and ABS and an active roll-over system which propels the roll hoops up to protect the occupants if things should go rubber side-up with the roof down. Peugeot claims the car delivers a four-star Euro NCAP rating.

PAA is looking to sell 500 307CCs in the car’s first full year on sale here and hopes for as many as 700. It certainly expects to pick up that loyal band of 306 cabrio buyers – 60-65 per cent women – as well as a substantial new audience attracted by the combination of coupe and convertible.

PAA forecasts the biggest seller, with up to 70 per cent of the volume, will be the 100kW automatic, reflecting the fact this is an urban vehicle with a natural base in the more chic suburbs of our major cities.

What those buyers get is a car based very much on the 307 three-door hatchback platform. It’s the same back to the A-pillar, with the same heavily chiselled body panels and MacPherson strut front suspension. It also gets the same wheelbase and torsion beam rear suspension.

But the A-pillars are raked a further 2.5 degreess than the hatch to give the car a very slinky look top-down and the rear overhang has been extended 140mm to accommodate the roof mechanism.

That eats into seating space, with a maximum four passengers accommodated, as well as luggage capacity, which is restricted to 350 litres roof up and 204 litres with it stored.

Speaking of which, the roof takes 25 seconds to raise or lower, a task performed completely automatically via a button mounted between the seats. In place, the roof height is 90mm lower than the hatch, and the driver's seat is 40mm lower.

The roof mechanism for the 307CC was developed with CTS, the same German firm which does Benz’s SLK. That’s a change from 206CC’s top, which was engineered by French firm Heuliez, but struck some early quality issues such as leaking water.

There have been extensive attempts to reinforce the 307CC’s body to retain torsional rigidity and safety. These measures include reinforcing beams in the A-pillars, a larger box-section cross member under the front seats and a beefed-up rear bulkhead. All good stuff, but the result is that the car is 200kg heavier than the donor vehicle at around 1480kg.

In response, the 307cc gets a re-tuned springs and dampers at the rear and there are bigger brake discs all-round. Other technical aspects like the electro-hydraulic steering are straight from the mainstream 307 range.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

WHEN PAA first started discussing 307CC 12 months ago – when a concept was revealed at the Paris motor show - it saw the car pulling double duty, the 100kW replacing the 306 cabrio and the 130kW doing the job of the late lamented 306 GTI6 as the range’s hotty.

On the surface at least, that perception was reinforced when Peugeot revealed that the 307CC would form the basis for the company’s next World Rally Championship contender to replace the 206 – albeit with the roof firmly nailed shut! But a quick look at the claimed performance figures will tell you that hot hatch fans won’t be heading for the 307cc, not with a 10 second 0-100km/h figure and a 17.4 seconds 400 metres dash.

It’s the extra weight that is the culprit here and the high-revving nature of the engine, which produces peak power at 7000rpm and peak torque of 202Nm at 4750rpm.

The response off the bottom is not neck-snapping at all, although it does become more impressive as it gathers steam and revs. On the bright side, the engine never loses its composure, not even when you head beyond 7000rpm.

Funnily enough, the 100kW engine is far from disgraced by comparison. With its peak power chiming in at 6000rpm and more importantly its peak torque of 190Nm at 4100rpm, it manages to feel as lively off the bottom, only slipping back as the revs rise and the Sport gathers its skirts.

Once you are up and running the good news is this is a compliant, comfortable and confident chassis. It’s not scalpel sports sharp, but has that long-legged surety that Peugeots are renowned for. Only big, serious holes upset it, and you hear the roads imperfections through the suspension rather than actually feel them.

The 307CC won’t get to the first turn quickly, but it will cross country efficiently, comfortably and quickly enough for most people.

Our 400km of driving in the south of France across everything from freeways to rough single-lane tarmac established the 307CC’s surety. It has good grip levels – marginally higher in 17-inch wheel form when combined with the 205/50 Pirelli rubber – and does not roll excessively or deteriorate into plough understeer when pushed hard.

There is some steering wheel kickback on rougher corners – a front-wheel drive trait of course – but generally there’s not a lot of wheelspin and unruly behaviour. And we can vouch for the brakes as well, which are strong and sure.

Top-up this is a smooth, quiet coupe with excellent side and rear visibility, thanks to the lack of B-pillars and narrow C-pillars. Only the thick A-pillars are a concern, sitting right in the way when cornering and, because of their steep rake, requiring a bit of manoeuvring to get around when exiting or entering the car when the top is down.

In that state there is no significant loss in chassis rigidity, the flex level rises but not to anywhere near, for instance, Volvo C70 levels and with the windows up the cockpit is a relatively calm and quiet place.

It’s also well thought out, with big, comfy and height-adjustable armchairs up front, a height and reach-adjustable steering wheel, bright chromed instrumentation, plenty of faux aluminium splashed about and a display screen which pops out of the dash to give you trip information – or if you option it - satellite navigation.

Also optional is a rather luxuriant swathe of leather, which encompasses the dash as well as the normal items like seats and steering wheel. Very decadent! The rear seating is little more than a joke – of course. Amputees and children need only apply and then only for short hauls. With the roof in place there is a severe lack of headroom as well. But access seems well thought out, with plenty of fore-aft travel on the front seats. The interior could also do with a bit more storage.

Not that storage is going to be that high on many potential buyers’ lists when it comes to this car. Good looking as a coupe and gorgeous as a convertible – especially looking at it side-on or from the front – the 307CC could not be better locked on to its trendy audience if it was a guided missile.

That it is no missile to drive won’t hurt its sales prospects at all, we fancy.