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Agree, saw the 307cc at the motor show and thought it looked the bee's knees, now? on the road? dont like it.
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Agree, too.
If Bangle's Beemers are the Ugly Stick, the 307CC has certainly been beaten with it. From directly behind the slabiness is horrendous. Lada's current product range looks more svelte.
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Lada's PREVIOUS product range looked better...
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I agree. It's a shame the way things have gone when you condider the past Peugeot glories - 306 being a well proportioned car that mutated into the 307 with bulky semi-mpv styling along the obsession of high scuttle and deep windscreens, and with added horror of base models using the 1.4 engine to drag it along. The future was evident in the 206, a miniature version of the 307 and not a patch on the classic 205 - although I admit the 205 today looks small compared to current class standards, it did however look so right. Moving on to the 406, not a bad effort but how could they better the classic 405? with it's clean modest lines by Pininfarina similar to the Alfa 164. I remember the eighties TV campaign with burning fields and it did 'take my breath away'. Eventually in 1998 I managed to find a 1988 1.9 GTX in black which was near perfect, handled like a dream with understated style. (Shame the head gasket went and it had to retire). Returning to the main issue, I supppose the stylists have to go down a certain road however each successive model gains bulk and lacks finesse. One reason is probably crash safety demanding bulk.
PS - I spotted a 305 estate the other day - those were comfy, smooth and very practical, beat an Escort on all counts.
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acanthus, we clearly share the same taste. I have said more than once on here that Pug lost the plot after the 306, and not just in styling. The 206 has always looked odd to me (though I have got used to seeing lots about) and although it drives OK, the pedal-box was a big mistake (and still is).
All my 205s have now passed on and I am sticking to my 306. Wife has had to switch to a Clio!
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Not seen one in the flesh yet but the 407 does not photgraph well either from some quarters.
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I like the styling of the new 5 series,but i saw a new 6 series on the motorway and was not immediatly impressed,looked unwieldy from the rear.Might be a grower though.
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Interesting comment, Acanthus, as only the other day, whilst waiting in the queue for a pizza, I was admiring the crisp, well propertioned lines of SWMBO's well looked after ten year old 306 Sedan, gleaming in the sunshine outside.
Not many hatches metamorphose into a saloon well (just look at the Belmont, Nova, and Polo saloons, urgh!), but whether three door, five door, cabrio, or indeed saloon, all 306s are handsome from any angle IMO.
The lithe, accurate, handling, grip beyond what 165x14 tyres have any right to give, and yet wonderfully supple ride, also leave current Pugs for dead, even if the same cannot be said for the cheap and chunky interior!
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...whether three door, five door, cabrio, or indeed saloon...
I forgot the estate, which was also a neat and tidy design.
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I'm struggling to think of any cars designed in the past couple of years that look good (excepting exotic sports cars), they all look so disproportioned and flabby now.
I agree about the 205 being a well proportioned little car, but I'm a little biased owning one. The visibility in one is so much better than any current car too. The 1.9 GTi alloys suit it totally as well.
The 406 coupe looked pretty good I reckon, particularly from the side view.
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...whether three door, five door, cabrio, or indeed saloon... I forgot the estate, which was also a neat and tidy design.
I really like older Peugeots, and I was quite persuaded by your comments on the 306, until I read this bit.
Sorry, but the 306 esate was not a properly designed estate. It's just a saloon with the missing bit filled in -- like the old Renault Laguna.
Peugeot usually takes a lot of care with the design of its estates, but the 306 estate was a rare botch-job. Gorgeous hatch, nice saloon, mismash wagon.
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The 307 looks even worse with the folding tin roof stuck midway!
I've read that both the 206 and 307 CC models don't have a good track record with the folding tin top.
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