Peugeot 306 D Turbo

...and everything is a standard Peugeot affair, with big round switches are the auxiliary circuits, large steering wheel, (mine is a pre-air bag model.) Funnily enough for a car of this age, there is an electric lilt and slide sunroof, with a "blind," extra map reading lights, electric front windows, adjustable steering column, column controls for the stereo, alarm mute switch and lumbar support for the drivers seat. This model also has a ...
...it's a typical notchy Peugeot gearbox, and the momentum gained "on boost" can get a little wasted during the gear change, the ratio's and not particularly close, this is not to say it's a bad gearbox, this is unfair, its just not 100% matched to the engine, I believe it is a gearbox designed with a higher, and freer revving petrol engine in mind, which has been bolted onto an old diesel engine. However its an easy gearbox to use, and is ... more

I've had my 306 for a few thousand miles now, after a friend had one for some time, and I was quite impressed with the performance of this French "tractor."

I took the plunge, and have bought a 1994 XRdt (with a whopping 162,000 miles), which was one of the higher spec models for its time, and still stands up fairly well against some brand new cars.

Having previously owned a diesel Fiesta, and having enjoyed the fuel economy offered by the "black stuff," I was more than happy to buy another diesel, even though eighteen months ago, I vowed that I could never write a cheque out for an 'oil burner.'

I collected the car, and on the first start up, I noticed something I had never paid attention to in my friends 306 D-Turbo, that is, even for a diesel, these things are noisy. They do have a distinct nuance of "tractor" about them when they are idling, even my ancient Endura DE block in my old Fiesta was comparatively quiet compared to this, and now, I have realized this is not peculiar to my car. The engine can create problems on quiet streets at 2 AM, due to the "diesel" noise this thing produces.

However, not many people really care about how many decibels their engine produces at idle, but its something that is definitely notable on the XUD9 engine.

The engine itself is of the same design as most 80's and 90's PSA diesel engines, which despite tipping the odd nod back to the early 80's, these engines are lively and hard working. At the time these cars where made, the PSA group where probably the most respected motor company when it came to diesel technology, and the XUD9 engine, used in the 306 and its stalemate the Citroen ZX where arguably the first "performance" diesels. Although the car is a thirteen year old diesel, it can offer very good performance, but more on this later.

Behind the wheel, and everything is a standard Peugeot affair, with big round switches are the auxiliary circuits, large steering wheel, (mine is a pre-air bag model.) Funnily enough for a car of this age, there is an electric lilt and slide sunroof, with a "blind," extra map reading lights, electric front windows, adjustable steering column, column controls for the stereo, alarm mute switch and lumbar support for the drivers seat. This model also has a tachometer, (useful for learning when the "boost" kicks in when you first get the car.) The clutch is HEAVY, and certainly not the most deft all clutches I have used, its very binary, either in or out, and the gearbox is very notchy to match. Unlike the 306's more nimble relative the 106, the pedals do not get "lost" in the carpet, (106 drivers know about the difficult to find accelerator pedal!) and there is definitely a feeling of "control" when driving this car.

The steering assistance is balanced, not quite a refined and balanced as the Fiesta of the same age, but is more than happy to assist without being over enthusiastic.

So we're moving, first gear in this car is pretty pointless, and to avoid hitting the turbo you pretty much have to flick into second as soon as you're moving. I have found this car pretty difficult to stall, despite the very hard clutch, the toque of the engine goes quite a way to help this. The driving position is good, despite its looks for the outside, this car rides quite low, however the large windscreen and door mirrors make for great visibility, something I had missed in the Fiesta's, with appalling blind spots when doing the "shoulder check."

So, the crux of the matter, what happens when you plough your foot into that worn carpet, well not a lot.... to begin with......

Between 1500 and 2800 revs, you think your never going to get anywhere, and the car feels very heavy and sluggish, then suddenly, you hit that magic 2850 rev mark, and boom, now your talking, there is a faint hiss as you feel this noisy lump start to force feed itself with air, the torque delivered at this point is more than enough to keep up with most things on the road, infact, dare I say it, this old "tractor" will put a few larger petrol cars to shame as well, that is until you come out of the power range, all to quickly, and a gear change is needed, and you have to start the whole process all over again. By the time you've managed to reach 3500 revs, its all over, the engine starts to sound a little harassed, and all power has gone, you just wasting valuable diesel if you keep your foot to the floor.

The gearbox design in a slight downer on this car, it's a typical notchy Peugeot gearbox, and the momentum gained "on boost" can get a little wasted during the gear change, the ratio's and not particularly close, this is not to say it's a bad gearbox, this is unfair, its just not 100% matched to the engine, I believe it is a gearbox designed with a higher, and freer revving petrol engine in mind, which has been bolted onto an old diesel engine. However its an easy gearbox to use, and is very positive when changing gear, unlike some other gearboxes I've used which can leave you wondering for a split second whether the gear has engaged, or even worse, the dreaded ancient Fiesta, "its in here somewhere," gearbox!

After a little practice, you can drive the car, whilst maintaining more momentum, and keeping "boost," as you change gear, this takes a little while to master, which basically consists of using the boost to push you into the next gear, this creates a far smoother power delivery to the wheels, and a more rapid and stable acceleration.

Of course, to balance the acceleration, you need something to retard that speed, which of course if the braking system, its of typical French design, meaning to be honest, its not very good, not dangerous, they just don't inspire 100% confidence when breaking. This model has largish ventilated discs, but don't deliver when jabbing hard at the middle pedal. Something I think/hope was corrected on later models, most of which have ABS brakes anyway. With these, like many cars from France, there are many combinations of brake systems used on the car, which will require a little detective work before ordering any brake parts for the vehicle. Replacement brake shoes on 306's are notoriously difficult to identify! The brakes also have sensors on the pads to warn you when they are due changing, I would seriously worry about anyone who leaves it until the light comes on before they change their pads, the pad warning light does not come on until practically all brake lining has been eroded from the pads, to be honest they should call it the "You're wrecking your brake discs" light.

These old diesel engines need servicing every six thousand miles, which isn't as bad as it sounds, an oil change is a simple job, the oil filter is nicely located to give you good access, (I have a friend how does not even jack up the vehicle to change the oil, and they have the slightly lower "D-Turbo" model.) An oil change using good quality 15w/40 mineral oil, and a "Peugeot" filter costs under £20. Parts generally are reasonably priced, and after market parts company Motaquip are a good source of quality parts, as they are owned by the PSA group, and most of the Peugeot parts even have the "Lion," logo stamped on them. A selective buyer, using good quality pattern parts, can expect change from £35 for a full DIY service, of oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and engine flush. I personally, as with all my diesels, will change the fuel filter every other service, as with all diesels, they can develop problems with blocked fuel filters far more rapidly then petrol engines.

Mechanics don't seem to be to upset working on XUD engines, and cam belt changes if you don't DIY are relatively cheap, as are most jobs on the 306. The only slight issues are suspension parts, which can be a "sod" to work on, and the brake systems. The cam belt interval of 36,000 is not bad for an old diesel, personally I would not leave mine this long. With most Peugeots, M.O.T. failures tend to be small faults, and structural corrosion is hardly mentioned when dealing with Peugeot's, however expect failures on rotten brake lines, which are a common fault on all Peugeots from this era. Exhausts and tyres are well priced and competitive on these common cars.

The cars design is practical, the five door models offer generous space for all occupants. Three in the back? Maybe, for a fairly long journey. The boot is more than generous, and could be described as "extremely large," for the class of the car, the seats are super comfy and seem to be fairly stain resistant. The centre console is great for keeping life little necessities in, (wallet, spare change, mobile phone, cigarettes!) and the door pockets are big enough to keep all those things that we all like to keep in our door pockets, those unlucky enough not to have a passenger air bag, instead will get another small glove box, which again is useful for filling up with crap.

Peugeot managed to pack a lot into the space occupied by the 306's nimble frame, the handling of the vehicle was class leading for many years, perhaps paying homage to its cousin the 205, and corners are lapped up by the 306. Driver confidence is instilled in all but the very nastiest corners with the broad body, and well designed suspension system taking almost anything that is thrown at it. Its yielding, with coming across as soft, or to firm, not as punishing as a Fiat, or as soppy as an old Mercedes or an older generation Ford, for the time this was harmony, a perfect compromise, and the car is comfortable even down the tarmac of the M3, or though the wilderness of rural East Anglia.

Just one more point, fuel consumption. If you drive this thing to the full extent of its acceleration all the time, it will reward you with disappointing fuel consumption for a diesel, (35MPG?) at a steady motorway cruise, a far more pleasing 45MPG will be obtained, by modern small diesel standards, this is not great, but compared to most diesels at the time, this engine offered far, far greater refinement and is far more lively. If your feeling a little more miserly with derv, the naturally aspirated version does a few more miles to the gallon. The HDi engine that eventually replaced the XUD solved this issue, being able to offer a steady 50+MPG. I was experiencing very low MPG figures when I first bought the car, however a bottle of injector cleaner later, and I am getting vastly improved miles to the gallon, as well as a much freer revving engine.

So, to sum up…..

The 306 is a…. GOOD car, whist is has a few quirks, and common niggling faults, they are generally very solidly built, and handle like a dream, the old, yet very eager XUD engine delivers power well ahead of its time for a diesel, and perhaps could be the engine that set the "diesel revolution" moving.

Highly recommended, here's to this old "French Tart!"

 

...less