A pocket rocket
New radiator added at 34000 miles.
New handbrake cable fitted.
The car is superb and great fun. It has something different about it that makes it stand out in a crowd. Its performance and handling are exceptional and the car really lives up to its name.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th June, 2002
A practical performance car and a good one at that!
This car has been an absolute "god-send", nothing mechanical has gone wrong. All in all you would find it hard pressed to complain about the reliability or build quality, which have been excellent.
Performance wise, which evidently is what you buy a "Rallye" for, it's crushing at lower speeds, few cars have low down acceleration like this, it is quite phenomenal, however it does kill the fuel, but who cares??
Handling is spot on, very direct and best of all it over-steers which is a very rare quality on front wheel drive cars.
As I have already mentioned, fuel economy is not great when the car is "driven", but if you can refrain from "lead" footing it you can return something respectable.
The interior is rather spartan, nevertheless functional and has so far been hard-wearing.
In conclusion you will not regret buying, in my opinion, a future classic.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 17th January, 2002
Frugal, fun and fabulous looking
Leaking injectors which were replaced under warranty. Other than that, no problems.
The 306 HDi D-Turbo is a great car with sporty looks and spirited performance that, particularly in the mid-range, gives more powerful petrol cars a fair run for their money.
Its also rather well equipped with all of the following as standard: analogue climate control, ABS with EBFD, power steering, rain-sensitive wipers, electric windows, remote central locking, CD player with steering column remote control, 4 airbags, great-looking 15" alloys, sports suspension, rear spoiler, front fog lamps and sports bumpers/side-skirts.
Fuel economy is excellent, even when driving with a heavy right foot the gauge seems reluctant to budge. Which is a good thing as the satisfying kick from the turbo at a little under 2000 revs encourages the use of that right foot. Pick-up in 2nd and 3rd gears in particular is excellent thanks to the high torque available immediately at the start of the turbo-band.
One of the best things about this car is the ride and handling. The steering is excellent with superb feedback and the sporty suspension means you can really throw the car into corners with it always remaining sure-footed.
The only minor niggles I have is some wind noise on motor-ways which seems to be a common issue with the 306, and parts of the dash look a little dated, but other than that the combination of petrol-like performance with diesel economy and sporty looks is a great formula.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th January, 2002
I also own a similar 306 HDi DTurbo - can't fault the equipment, in fact mine has a sunroof as well as the air-con. The economy is not bad either 46mpg, although this is poor compared to the published figures of 52+.
What I can fault is the build quality, it seems to have a wealth of creaks and hard surfaces, particularly on the door trims. My previous 306 1.9DT was one of the first generation models and generally seemed much better built.
I also find the road manners of the HDi somewhat "rude", again in comparison to the 1.9 DT. Whilst the handling is far superior, the ride is harsh, presumably to achieve the good handling. It also has a tendency to steer where it wants to go, particularly on lorry tracks in motorways.
I'm actually thinking buying an early 1.9 DT as overall they were the better cars - and what happened to sports seat squab of the earlier earlier cars, you sit on the squab of the later cars rather than in it - poor development I believe!
26th Jan 2004, 09:03
I own an N reg Dturbo, I too experience wind noise at high speed, especially from the drivers side wing mirror. Although it's a diesel at the end of the day, its the sheer torque that's impressive here, matching the GTI-6's. The high level of torque is especially useful on the motorway when overtaking, the dturbo out-accelerates many of its petrol counterparts, say from 70mph to 90mph+ in very short time. Overall, an exceptionally sporty, fun car to drive, with very few problems to report, although not as economical as advertised (maybe its my heavy right foot). Also the early diesels require a service every 6000 miles or 6 months, the costs can start build up...