Peugeot’s big boss Maxime Picart says that there is quite a demand for the 301 in Eastern Europe. I was surprised by this statement because judging from the interior design, one might think that the 301 is a throwback from the eighties, designed by a Peugeot engineer who had too much rest in Spain while listening to the songs of Rick Astley. It is that boring.
Before scratching this French saloon froma your list, read on and decide later. With a sticker price of P990,000 for the entry level 1600cc M/T to the high end P1600cc ECS A/T, Peugeot’s 301 saloon has plenty of appeal. Styling cues were derived from the SR1 concept and for that price, you get that solid European car feel.
To be factual about this car, the 301 saloon is based on a stretched and widened 208 platform, although it is 4.4 meters longer than the 308. It also offers spacious head and legroom with a 640 liter trunk big enough to fit two dead bodies if you’re a Mafia hitman. This could further be expanded to 1,352 liters with its clever split fold rear seats down configuration. Engineers say that it was designed to be a global car that can withstand any weather and take the punishment of awful roads which is the norm here in our Banana Republic. The interior is Spartan, no fancy piano finishes or aircraft like controls and there is none of the squishy dashboard plastics found in other brands. It has controls that the driver really needs within easy reach, although the window button can take you back a bit.
Being a Peugeot, the 301’s mechanicals are as solid and reliable as the French Foreign Legion. This writer drove the 1600cc ECS variant throughout the Yuletide vacation and found it to be comfortable, sprightly, although not scintillatingly quick like its diesel siblings but nicely refined. Think of the 301 as Eva Green, frighteningly sexy.
The ride has hints of the old school Peugeot, so expect the car to be firm, yet comfortable even on bad roads. I took for a long drive up North and once we hit the construction sites going to Nueva Ecija, my passengers were still in dreamland despite the searing noontime heat and the ongoing road repairs which reminded me of Dakar.
If you’ll ask me if I would recommend the 301for your purchase, the answer to that might be decided on a personal test drive. Yes its ugly, but the car is a performer, which is essential to any investment. Look beyond the dated exterior design and absorb the nameplate’s record for fuel efficiency and reliability. Test drive the car and decide for yourself to see what I mean.