1.6 THP Exclusive, Manual

Great car, somewhat let down by build quality.

Having covered over 26,000 miles in this car I feel reasonably able to consider its pros and cons. Having changed from an ageing BMW 3 series I knew that I would be driving a less powerful car, probably not built as well but with much more usable space and still able to fit easily on my drive (it's quite short!).

The cons: Build quality - not bad compared with my understanding of Peugeot's of old, but a very annoying rattle within the dashboard on certain road surfaces (and getting worse) seems impossible to resolve. It also sounds as though 'something' is loose underneath the car when driving over lumpier road surfaces.

The biggest disappointment has been the two times the car has gone into a sort of get-me-home mode - the first time the engine refused to produce any power and as a result the dealer (who are otherwise excellent) decided to change something to do with the camshaft or chain, which had to be ordered in and took about a week. In the interim the car returned to 'normal', but the part was changed (under warranty) anyway. Then, about a year later and on a long drive to the south of France, the problem recurred. This time, the main Peugeot dealer we limped along to diagnosed a disconnected turbocharger inlet pipe, and sorted it out (again under warranty). Our trip was somewhat marred by this incident and we were rather wary of the car for the rest of the holiday.

Finally, on the cons, the engine sounds awful when started from cold (especially when very cold), which for a while until it warms up. I'm told this is a 'characteristic' of this engine (a BMW unit), but it seems to be getting worse!

On the more positive side I find it pleasurable (although not exciting) to drive, even though it has a fairly powerful engine. Its handling is pretty good for a relatively tall car, but I agree that when lightly loaded it does bump and crash a bit. However, when fully loaded it is almost limousine like. We often go camping and the space is brilliant, especially the drop down tailgate. Rear passengers have plenty of room, and the floor is flat from side to side.

Gadgets are minimal - no bluetooth or sat nav for example - but the great addition is the 'head up display'. I rarely look at the actual speedo since the HUD is easier to see and keeps eyes on the road. The panoramic sunroof is of limited benefit - lets the light in of course, but in the summer is too hot and in the winter too cold - a normal sunroof would be much more useful.

Economy isn't brilliant, but not bad - about 35mpg over the 26,000 miles so far. Servicing costs are reasonable too, and new tyres (Michelin Primacy) just fitted were exorbitant but arguably good value considering their mileage.

So, in conclusion, if the build issues I've had are resolved in future models I would definitely recommend this car to families and campers and those needing the very flexible space provided.

Report as offensive