Vehicle: Peugeot 306 GTI-6
Length of ownership: 1 year
Book spec we have 167bhp and 145LB/ft with it inching the 0-62 time in a midge over 7 seconds. I was expecting a lot from this car with it being voted by EVO as one of the best drivers cars in 1999, Winner of the Hot hatch super test by autocar in 1999 and Hot Hatch of the year by What Car in 2000. I was never dissapointed with it. The 6-speed box kept you in the power range from 3rd all the way to 6th. The throw is quite long, but after a few months I had Skip Brown's do a short shift conversion which helped with gear change timing a lot. It's worth noting that this car isn't a 1/4 mile affair, it's a B-road twisty track relationship. The howl from the K&N was immense and you can hear it on the rollers . I later changed it back to standard with a Green filter, which improved things greatly too. I missed the sound like crazy though!
The steering was an awakening for me, as I'd never experienced lift off oversteer in such a controllable manner before. And at higher speeds it was very voilent! But once you're used to the passive steer in the rear you just fall in love. The brakes are the best I've ever had the luxury of using. The only problem I ever saw was the fact that it should of been about 150kg's lighter and the turning circle shouldn't have been the size of the moon, but then the steering was so spot on when driving the thing, I forgave it. Until I arrived in a car park... I still wish to this day though that I put good tyres on and removed the ditch finders on the front! In the wet with my tyres I nearly killed myself a few times. Still, I learned eventually before it was too late. The fact that the steering and suspension were setup brilliantly and everything was standard also blew me away. A drop on some eibach springs and some slightly stiffer dampers never hurt anyone, but with my driving style and the general road comfort I enjoyed when driving steady, I never saw any need.
The interior was extremely comfy with a great driving position. Sadly I had the mustang yellow seat trim, so it wasn't the nicest, but once you're sat in it you only see the black leather thankfully! Lumber support was a god send at times, though even on long journeys it was never the comfiest (coming from a Fiesta with Si seats nothing is) however the rest of the interior was nice and black to my liking, the sound was of excellent quality, and the road and engine noise was nice and quiet unless you decided to go over a 1/3rd throttle. Air con was a god send when it worked too, and it came with the usual electric heated wing mirrors, electric windows, front and rear interior lights, instrument panel light adjuster, steering wheel and seat height adjustment etc.
Running the GTi-6 was a cheap affair. In the year I had it I'd bought 2 wishbones for the MOT and a backbox. We had an issue with it cutting out randomly, but this was due to a faulty lamba sensor. insurance was stupidly cheap. about £80 more than a Fiesta that was half the insurance group this was and I'm happy to say that it never broke down, as even when it cut out when braking for the odd roundabout due to the lamba, it came straight back to life with the turn of a key whilst rolling. Running the GTi-6 would see me on average get about 28/32mpg. Cambelt changes are a must though if it's anywhere nearing it's renewal!
Good PointsAmazing short ratio gearbox
Brilliant brakes
The handling is perfect from new.
cheap parts and quite easy to repair/modify
The sound with a K&N is the best N/A car I've ever heard with one on.
Cheap to buy now, and also to insure for saying it's Group 15.
Voilent lift-off oversteer at high speeds
Bad PointsTurning circle is quite large when parking
A tad heavy for it to be a 1/4 runner (1215kg's)
Normal modifications don't do beans as it's already highly tuned. Cams/TB's/superchargers or it's not worth it.
Voilent lift-off oversteer at high speeds
SummaryI honestly had a strange love/hate relationship with the car ever since I bought it, but looking back I was being insanely picky. I'm seriously considering buying another when I'm back in full time work. A great car that doesn't cause unwanted attention unless you want it too. You can't find a better all round performance car which is spacious and comfy for well under 2k in my opinion. The most rewarding driving experience I've ever had.
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