First look: Midlife facelift for Pug 307

PEUGEOT’S popular 307 may not be in crisis, but it has reached middle age and to mark the occasion the French maker has given its small car a nose job.

As evidenced by pictures revealed this week, the revised 307 range will soon feature a 407-style face, complete with gaping air-intake and lengthened, more elliptic xenon headlights.

Due on sale in Australia in October, following its debut at the Sydney motor show, the updated 307 range will comprise fresh versions of both the three- and five-door hatch, the five-door Touring wagon and four-seater coupe-cabriolet.

A four-door 307 sedan will also be updated for the Chinese market.

Apart from the new nose, each derivative will bring new equipment, improved comfort and safety features, more options and fresh interior materials and colours.

Australian pricing and specification is yet to be finalised, however Peugeot Automobiles Australia PR manager Mathew McAuley said that, if anything, standard equipment levels would increase.

While official information is scarce, it is believed the 130kW 2.0-litre engine from Peugeot’s 206 GTi 180 hot hatch and 307 CC Sport will also find its way into a new flagship version of the 307 hatch, to be known as the 307 Feline.

And although the engine line-up will remain unchanged, it will include the new 1.6 and 2.0-litre HDi turbo-diesel engines made available in the 307 range last month.

Producing 240Nm of torque from just 1750 rpm, the 80kW 1.6 HDi will continue to be available in 307 XSR hatch and Touring.

Meantime, the new 100kW/320Nm 2.0-litre HDi engine will remain available only in 307 XSR Touring.

Other 307 variants will continue to offer Peugeot’s 100kW 2.0-litre petrol four, while the entry-level 307 five-door will continue to be powered by a 80kW 1.6.

Worldwide, Peugeot has sold 2.2 million examples of its 307 range in the four years since its release.

In Australia in 2005, the French brand has sold almost 1000 units year-to-date, which is well ahead of rivals from Renault and Citroen but behind volume-selling European-bred small cars like the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Holden Astra.