The 80's called.

"biturboism, the cult" (biturboism) 12/30/2013 at 11:34 • Filed to: Peugeot, Pug, 306, 80's, 90's, yellow, tint

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The Peugeot 306 - so much more than the French Golf.
The car was actually a true, all new 93 model and was updated during its 10 year life adequately with all the necessary tech. But this, the first phase, looked like it was from the 80's both inside and out. It was the French being quirky in a very subtle way - instead of blandly following the new trend of design, they made it look like a concept from the past with the grotesquely angled dash, steering wheel and general oddness.
And yet, with a minor facelift, the car looked better and more modern than anything else for the money for 6 more years. This is what I consider to be a successful design - both flexible and one that ages well.
Of course not everyone agrees with me, even I myself grew up hating the thing - it was French, for one, and in Bulgaria, a country which stuck blindly with Germany for two world wars, anything besides a VAG, BMW and Merc products, even very old, was a social no-no. Also, everyone was desperate for modern western cars after the fall of the Berlin wall and a neo-retro-ironic design didn't exactly fly well. But then I entered engineering school and learned the value of objectivity and how to be honest with myself. I also learned about how cars work in-depth and was finally able to decide for myself whether the Golf 3 is the second coming or not. I started to appreciate the 306's honesty, simplicity and, later, it's massive lift-off capability, courtesy of the torsion bar rear suspension. So much so, that I bought this one.

Also, first OPPO post!!

davedave1111 > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 11:39

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I don't think it looked eighties at all. Very smart and modern in the early nineties. Very good looking cars, either way - always reminds me of a man in a sharp suit.

biturboism, the cult > davedave1111 12/30/2013 at 11:46

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Maybe you're right about the exterior, but the interior used to be embeded in my childhood memories as the definition of 'old'. And it was ~94.

davedave1111 > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 11:56

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Not sure about the interior, to be honest. But I know the feeling you're describing, and it's a bit misleading, to my mind - I felt the same about various looks and styles when they were the first generation I'd seen get old, but now I'm older I've seen it happen more and recognise that not everything gets dated in quite the same way, and the details matter, and so-on, so I look a bit more carefully, and not just at the overall impression.

Not explaining it very well, but hopefully you see what I mean.

biturboism, the cult > davedave1111 12/30/2013 at 12:16

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I know that the general feel of an interior by itself is not the best benchmark, but when you have contact with tens of different cars (e.g. in a motor show) you can't really get in depth of every one you sit in. I didn't pay attention to the details until I bought one 20 years later and started driving it - now it feels very natural and everything is within easy reach. The second glovebox on top of the dashboard is so useful its almost worth the absense of an airbag.

biturboism, the cult > davedave1111 12/30/2013 at 12:16

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/kinja'd

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 12:19

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Nice name :)

I'm a big fan of Peugeot from that era. My mate's had a couple of 106 GTis and I've driven in one of those, and a little 1.1l 106. Both of which look great and drive really nicely. Proper old-school go-kart hot hatch. Manic engine in the GTi too.

My hovercraft is full of eels > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 12:23

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My previous car was one of these: a 2002 S3 sedan in dark blue (see the photo of the actual car below). The French found 10 more horses in the 1.6 8V petrol engine, so the late models - like mine - had 98 instead of the 88 of earlier examples.

It was a pretty good car, I had only minor problems with it, and I would take one over a Golf III without hesitation.

davedave1111 > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 12:44

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Who? Me or you? I didn't have an image - 'if you see what I mean' was metaphorical, not an introduction for a picture :)

davedave1111 > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 12:57

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I don't know, to me the 306 interior was very early nineties, rather than eighties - but then the two weren't so different, stylistically.

The 306 looks a bit like we imagine eighties interiors to look, but actually it's a whole world better.

Hard to find good photos of a 305 interior, but here's a couple:

And here's a 1986 205 cabriolet interior that popped-up on GIS for the same search:

There's just no comparison.

Like I said, it's easy, particularly when you're young, to see the general design language of a period and not really look any further - but when you do, you may realise that actually they were doing something new and fresh with the same old tools, and it was actually an exception to the rule.

biturboism, the cult > davedave1111 12/30/2013 at 13:04

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Hahaha no, it was me, it double posted, then I deleted the second post. Then it deleted both :D

Anyway, what I said was that I didn't pay much attention to details until recently and all I ever got was the general feel of the cars. Also, when I had my first encounter with the 306 I was little and didn't have any clue as to what are the real merits of the car - the good ergonomics of the interior, for example, despite the odd dashboard, which I've got completely accustomed to.

Now I instinctively wait to make up my mind on a subject until I am sure I have a basis to think the way I do and the 306 has played a big role in this.

duurtlang > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 13:13

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I went from disliking them (especially the sedan) to recommending them to friends needing cheap transportation. Not a fan of the dash though, although I have to admit I've never driven one. I did drive a few 206s and own a 406, but they're no comparison.

davedave1111 > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 14:29

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I don't think we're arguing here, more agreeing in different ways. I know exactly what you're talking about, though. My dad used to have a 190e, and I always looked on it as boring and boxy - which had been my first impression, when it was newish - until one day when he'd had it fifteen years or so, I actually looked properly for the first time in a decade and realised it was rather smart.

Ignorance of NASCAR is a Jalopnik Trophy > biturboism, the cult 12/30/2013 at 14:48

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We are sorely lacking for all these decent Pugs in the States - I haz a sad ...