"Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French" (Tentacle) 08/08/2019 at 13:16 • Filed to: None

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As an old Oppo hand I feel obliged to report, even though I’ve been inactive here for a long time, that I’ve bought a new (to me anyway) car today!

6 speed. Manual. Diesel. Wagon.

Get your sh*t sorted America, because this is just  bliss! You’re missing out on something wonderful.

Specs: 2014-2017 model Peugeot 308 SW (meaning Station Wagon I guess) with the BlueHDI 150 2 liter turbodiesel unit pushing out a healthy 150 hp and 370 Nm (273 ft.lb) of twist. Did I mention it is a row-your-own with 6 forward ratios? I think I did.

Coming from a Citroën C4 econobox with just 92 horses and 230 Nm, this is quite some poke that the new car has...

MrSnrub > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 13:43

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The current gen of Peugeots seem to be pretty solid from what I’ve read. How do you like the gauges? I’m skeptical the steering wheel wouldn’t just block them all the time.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > MrSnrub 08/08/2019 at 13:47

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The steering wheel is adjustable in both height and depth, or distance I guess. Blocking the gauges isn’t a problem for me.

Having said that, what will be a bit of a challenge is to learn the cruise control stalk buttons by  feel because THAT bit of kit is fully obscured when I’ve got my 6'6" properly seated. How that works with active CC remains to be seen.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 13:54

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Oooo , very nice! I quite like the cars that Peugeot and Citroen both have out at the moment. Always loved their styling as well!

CompactLuxuryFan > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 14:12

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Congrats! We need more pics!

duurtlang > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 14:17

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I test drove one of those when they were brand new at the dealer. 2013? Anyway, I needed to get used to the small steering wheel with the dials above the wheel for a minute or 5, after which it felt natural . You just need to adjust your seat and steering wheel properly. Drove quite nicely, for a new car.

Long time no see. Are you up for a long weekend of ‘winter’ (20 degrees?) mountain driving on deserted Mallorca? I’ve booked my tickets already.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > CompactLuxuryFan 08/08/2019 at 15:50

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It’s not in my posession yet, so I’ve not been able to take it out together with my dSLR for some proper pics...

In case you’re wondering: t he green licence plate is a special type of exchangeable plate which belongs to the car dealership and makes it possible to have the car have insurance while being test driven.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 08/08/2019 at 15:57

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It’s funny, really, because I’ve been a Citroën-fan just about all my life. Except for at really early age where my parents went through two Honda Accords, I’ve been growing up with Citroën BX’es (3 of them), 2 Xantias, and a Xsara.

My own first car was a Renault Clio, of which no further word shall be written, and after that short-lasting mis-step came a Xsara, bought at 89k km and driven past 240k km, and then a C4, bought at 79k km and now it’s showing past a quarter million km on the ODO.

But, since within the Citroën line-up there is nothing quite suitable, size-wise, I started looking at the sister-brand. Enter this very nice example!

Nauraushaun > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 16:00

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Very nice. It's no 508 wagon, but only because that thing is amazing

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > duurtlang 08/08/2019 at 16:04

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HA! As for the last bit: Married, with children, so I can’t just fly to Mallorca for a car trip! I’ve cashed in the away-from-family credits for a (work-related) trip to the International Paris Air show 2019. Which was nice in its own way!

Anyway, given that, as I understand it, the C4 and the 308 share their platform, so I hardly had adjust at all! Sure, small diameter steering wheel, but that takes very little time to get used to, as you said. The shift pattern is a little tighter too.

I felt at home immediately!

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > Nauraushaun 08/08/2019 at 16:17

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True!

But, if I were in the market for a Behemoth Class wagon, I would have gone for its sister, the C5 Tourer.

I didn’t go for either because those big girls don’t fit in my indoor garage space unless I shoe-horn the damn thing every time, and with their weight the road tax is quite a bit more as well.

Which, in a way, is a shame, because I would have loved me some Citroën C5 Tourer Exclusive with the (now gone) hydropneumatic suspension and the fixed-center steering wheel!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 18:46

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I quite like the original C4 coupe, ever since I first saw it in WRC guise! :)

Future Heap Owner > Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French 08/08/2019 at 23:46

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Dang, that diesel twistiness sure is nice. Looks like a fun little thing!

Signed,

An American Jealous of All Your Small Wagons

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > Future Heap Owner 08/09/2019 at 04:15

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Go figure, I can have the ECU chipped/remapped by a third party to put out 200 hp and 450 Nm...

But I’m not going to. Even in its ECO mode it feels so much brisker than my current C4 (which, as said, makes do with 92 hp and 230 Nm) so I’ll hold off on the unofficial non-factory upgrade.