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Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Peugeot 308 Tourer Allure Premium
France’s car making industry has a long relationship with Australia. Renault, Citroen and Peugeot have raced and rallied here, sold some highly regarded cars and shown us a legend or two. Peugeot resonates with us because of these three letters: GTi. They’ve also stayed true to naming their cars with numbers, such as the 308 Tourer Allure Premium that that A Wheel Thing spent a week with.
Take Dr Who‘s TARDIS, slap on four wheels, paint it white, and slide a turbocharged 1.6 litre petrol fed engine under the control stack. Sure, a stretch of the visual imagination, but that’s an idea of what the Peugeot 308 Tourer (European fancyschmantz for a station wagon) is like.
Stand outside and gaze at its curves and think about how compactly designed it looks, then you open the doors, park your bum on the super comfortable seats Mistral black faux leather and Alcantara cloth and suddenly the realisation that it’s roomier than it looks hits you.
The Tourer is just under 4.6 metres in total length and looks it, yet squeezes in a 2730 mm wheelbase. It hides the spacious interior with a stubby nose, long and slightly downward curving roof (with full length glass) over a low set, bum dragging looking, rear bumper.
Inside there’s that TARDIS interior; boot/cargo space starts at 625 litres then hits 1740 litres with the 60/40 folding pews flat, plenty of rear seat passenger leg room and headroom, plus loads of shoulder room as well. One almost feels as if a bed could pop out or a fridge would appear.
Peugeot’s gone (some would say) typically French in design aspects for the interior. Sit down and look forward, you expect to see the dash dials hiding meekly under the top half of the steering wheel. Cue Family Feud’s wrong answer noise. There’s a trapezoidal binnacle housing the instrument cluster staring back at you, with the tiller set lower and…it works, as does the unusual location for a USB charging port, with enough room for a smartphone.
The speedo and tacho (which spins anti-clockwise) are closer to the driver’s forward looking eyeline, providing a better safety factor. Each dial is partnered by a small fuel and temperature gauge, with a simple yet classy monochrome information display bisecting the main dials.
Simple and classy stays with the Peugeot’s centre console, with a 9.7 inch touchscreen offering a slightly different take on things. There’s no aircon controls, they’re all on the touchscreen and accessed via an icon, as are all options, surrounding the screen. Think of each main item such as radio or navigation being accessed via one simple touch with all operations for them taken in hand from there. There’s also a 6.9 gigabyte hard drive to store music.
The downside is not a deal breaker; if you’re listening to the radio and want to check another station but the screen is showing the navigation, you need to touch the radio icon to bring that up. It’s not 100% user friendly but really only an issue if you need to continually change the temperature or station.
The gorgeous eighteen inch diameter Diamond Sapphire wheels, as fitted to the review car, clad in 225/50 Michelin tyres (natch!) fill the wheel wells, looking almost as if a decent bump would rub the tyre inside. It’s a sporty ride, but more about that later. 
The nose is sweetly curved, hiding the 1.6L turbo four (a bigger oil burner is available), which punches out a seemingly modest 110 kilowatts (6000 revs are required to see them) but a handy 240 torques at 1400 rpm. It’s enough to see a zero to one hundred time of just under nine seconds. 
At the rear is a small 53 litre tank, which, with the 110 kilowatts, doesn’t seem much BUT the car starts at just 1315 kilograms, meaning it’s just 11.95 kilos for each kilowatt. Bang it all together and it’s a reasonable 8.8L of go-juice consumed for every 100 kilometres covered in a suburban environment.
The overall look of the Tourer is a mostly a harmonious, wholistic approach; the nose is superbly integrated as a design feature, with the headlights, lower air intake and grille reflecting each other in the angles. A direct rear view gives the viewer an exercise in French pertness with slimline tailights wrapping around into the rear fenders (a look shared with the Renault Magane wagon).
In profile the rear drags the overall look down, by dragging the bum down. It looks heavy, overweight and unbalanced. in comparison to the neatly tapering windowline.
The ride is sharp, tight, more akin to piloting a dedicated two door convertible than a compact family wagon. It almost feels as if a corner will lift, ala the GTi, when brought hard into a turn. The wheelbase and weight make it a sparkling performer, with a rapid response from the turn of the tiller, and that relative lack of weight means it’ll stop and quickly. But because the suspension is wound up tighter than a watch spring, the pea in the princess’s bed is far more noticeable.
Give the accelerator a prod from Stop, there’s a hesitancy before the little engine that could springs into life. That low rev point for peak torque then spools in, giving a surge that is at odds with the claimed one hundred kilometre time. On the highway it’s the easy access to that torque that allows for safe, comfortable overaking although the front does get a bit raucous.
The Wrap.
Dr Who would be happy with the room inside the Tourer. You’d have to be a snob to not be happy with the interior features. Performance wise, well, it IS a family wagon but there’s plenty of verve and joie de vivre as well. It’s economical enough tom placate the nervous wallet and brings Peugeot back to forefront of a car company to consider
Pricing is competitive:
Peugeot 308 Touring RRP* Full Driveaway
308 Touring Allure 110kW THP automatic $34,689 $38,787
308 Touring Allure 110kW BlueHDi automatic $36,543 $40,698
308 Touring Allure Premium 110kW THP automatic $38,393 $42,602
308 Touring Allure Premium 110kW BlueHDi automatic $40,622 $44,900
For more details: Peugeot 308 Tourer
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Holden Commodore SS-V Redline
It’s a quirk of automotive manufacturing that makers leave their best ’til last. Ford recently unveiled their Sprint Falcons, in both turbo six and supercharged V8 guise. In late 2015, Holden released the series 2 update for the VF Commodore range. Not unexpected was the lack of any real change, with minor bodywork and some under the skin electrical modifications.
In the case of the SS-V Redline, the American sourced LS3 6.3L V8 was massaged slightly, with power bumped to 304 kilowatts at 6000 revs, while peak torque of 570 Newton metres arrives at 4400 rpm. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of urge below that number.
Fuel consumption finished on 14.4 litres per 100 kilometres, with a solid combination of rural, suburban and highway driving undertaken. Driven gently and with no inclination to bury the welly (to hear that glorious V8 soundtrack), it’s reasonable to presume a sub 12 litre figure could be achieved.
Inside, the SS-V remains unchanged, mostly, with the most notable change for trainspotters being slightly amended dash dials. There’s the charcoal coloured seats, complete with pointless fabric inserts down the centre, the same fabric covered slab of a dashboard, balanced by the off white colour of the pillars and sunroof fitted ceiling.
There’s the MyLink navitainment system with Pandora and Stitcher apps, a Bose sound system with pretty decent quality (some high end audio makers just don’t sound right in some cars) and a sub menu to adjust settings, including the exhaust baffles for the bi-modal exhaust, allowing Aunty Mavis to tiptoe around town or utter a feral roar when the right slipper goes down.
It’s underneath where the changes you feel but can’t see have been made. The car was fitted with 19 inch black painted alloys, with different width Bridgestone tyres front (235/40) to rear (275/35).
Yes, that’s monstrous grip, but those tyres would come to naught unless the suspension worked hand in hand with them.
The ride quality is superb. Low profile tyres on big wheels on an Aussie car normally spell three nights prone on a hospital bed with a sore back, however you’d be well and truly forgiven you were piloting a luxury German speed wagon.
Small bumps are flattened, larger ones smoothed, ripples and undulating roads are communicated to you with an air of indifference, as if the car has sniffed and said “I suppose I should tell you…”.
The steering ratio allows for fingertip precision and the power assistance allows for fingertip guidance, such is the balance and feedback.
The size of the car certainly helps in the spread of weight across track and wheelbase (1593/1590 mm front/rear and 2915 mm) with the fluidity and stableness of the chassis making it an absolute delight and simple enough to drive around town for anyone with a license. Yep, even Aunty Mavis could drive it.
It’s helped by that silky smooth torque delivery, delivered to the ground via a paddle shift equipped six speed auto.
It’s a shame that the SS-V won’t see anything like a seven or eight speed auto before local manufacturing wraps up in late 2017.
There’s more safety equipment than before, so Aunty Mavis can be told of oncoming traffic from behind, with blind spot monitoring. Should her attention (and car) wander, Lane Departure Warning will bring her back to the straight and narrow, and if it’s raining there’s Remote Engine Start to get things warmed up inside. She can reverse safely thanks to the standard camera, or leave it all up to the car due to the auto parking system on board.
Parking sensors front and rear will let her know if the wall is too close and if she’s of the mind to look straight ahead, the HUD (head up display) will tell her what speed she’s doing, how many revs and even how much G-Force she’s getting through the long sweeping turns or tight corners the SS-V will do without so much as a blink.
Traction Control and Stability Control programs are standard, just in case Aunty Mavis wants to get a bit frisky and see if she can match the sub five second time to 100 kmh that Holden quote for the 1800+ kilo machine.
If she’s nervous about her speed, the Brembo brakes (four piston callipers front and rear)will haul her and the SS-V down to manageable speeds safely, smoothly, and efficiently time and again, with the brake pedal telling her she’s got bite and plenty of it as soon as she lays the slipper on it.
For the fashion conscious, Holden have fitted working bonnet vents into the aluminum bonnet; which although lightweight, did flap around somewhat on certain road surfaces. There’s a decent sized rear wing, at just the right height to block out, in the rear vision mirror, any following cars ergo plates and indicators. The VF2 update gave the car reprofiled bumpers front and rear as well.
At just over 60K for the manual, with an extra 2K for the slushbox, people will question that ask for “just a Commodore”, yet the SS-V really is a greater car than the sum of its parts. It’s a big car, yes, (4964 mm in length, 1898 mm wide and stands 1474 mm tall) and offers rear seat passengers 1009 mm of legroom, plus a cargo volume of 495 litres. Weight is over 1800 kilograms, making the ride quality even more amazing to consider.
Bearing in mind the donor car, built and engineered to deal with a wide variety of Australian road conditions, from flat tarmac to ripped up surfaces, from gravel to turf, the end result has provided possibly the best hi-po Holden badged car Australia has seen. It’s quick, it’s comfortable, it’s poised, it has a brutal personality when pushed yet is as dainty around town as Aunty Mavis needs it to be.
It’ll sip like a baby from a cup or drink like a sailor on their first night of shore leave but it’s never anything less than a truly brilliant car to drive and a startlingly sad reminder of what Australian car manufacturers could deliver.
Factor in a nine month/15000 kilometre service cycle and capped price servicing and there’s numbers Aunty Mavis can live with.
Head to www.holden.com.au for details and download a brochure.
Subaru Australia Shows Off Updated For 2016 Liberty/Outback/Forester
Subaru has shown off updates to the Liberty, Outback and Forester to members of the automotive media during a lightning visit to South Australia’s Mt Gambier. Prior to the drive sessions covering tarmac and gravel roads, a briefing was held at the Park Royal Hotel adjacent to Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Here, the media was given information on where Subaru sits globally and in Australia in regards to sales figures before covering off a list of updates and changes to the cars.
Overall, Subaru saw a 7.6% increase in sales, to 43600 units. This puts Subaru into a 3.8% market share position for Australia. The powerhouse WRX STi contributed strongly, selling over 1000 units for the first time, with the Outback rounding out 2015 in fourth place for its segment. For the 2016 models, in the Liberty range, it’s expected the 2.5L Premium will take 50% of sales for the range, while the 2.5i and 3.6R will account for 25% each. The Forester range was the big seller, with 38841 units moved in 2015.
Liberty.
Subaru’s Eyesight package is already well known and available on every model Liberty however Subaru has added what they call a “Vision Assist” package to the Liberty 2.5i Premium and 3.6R. It includes: Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, High Beam Assist (automatically turns high beam on or off as required) and auto dimming rear vision mirror. Also available across the range is Emergency Stop Signal, which flashes the brake lights under an emergency stop situation.
MY16 Subaru Liberty 3.6R
Subaru brought in engineers to further fettle the Liberty’s suspension. The end result has been a fine tuning of the shock absorbers, reducing the sharper edge of impacts and bumps while raising the level of roll, pitch, dive and float control. Although already a fantastic and stable performer on tarmac, the changes have enhanced the handling on coarse and harsh surfaces plus floor vibrations have been reduced.
MY16 Subaru Liberty 3.6R
There’s also some “less exciting” changes, such as folding wing mirrors to the entry level 2.5i Liberty and the Subaru Map Update Guarantee. This will ensure that any buyer will get the latest available maps for the navigation system plus will also qualify for the Three Year Map Update program, whereby the system will receive the latest maps for free for three years.
MY16 Subaru Liberty 3.6R interior.
A new colour will be added, Dark Blue Pearl and all Subaru cars stay with a full sized spare wheel.
The Liberty range itself is increasing its niche market hold in Australia, with an impressive 4097 units sold in 2015, an improvement of just over 293% from the prior year. Prices for the Liberty range remain largely untouched in real terms, with the entry level 2.5i CVT starting at $29999 plus ORC. The Premium CVT increases by just $500 to $35990 plus ORC with the range topping 3.6R moving to $42490 plus ORC, again a small increase of just $500. All prices quaoted are manufacturers list price.
MY16 Subaru Liberty 3.6R interior.
Outback.
The Outback range has proven to be very popular in 2015, with 10927 vehicles sold, a massive increase of 344%. Subaru Australia managing director, Nick Senior, says: “Outback’s appeal has never been greater. But with the strategic addition of Eyesight to our diesel variants, plus Vision Assist features in premium versions across the range, we can only see more growth opportunities for Outback.”
MY16 Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium
The third generation Eyesight system is equipped with colour stereo cameras, allowing them to “read” brake lights, which works hand in hand with the Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre Collision Braking and Assist, Pre Collision Steering Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Front Vehicle Start Alert. Outback also has had the same suspension tweaks, designed to suit the offroad capabilities.
The Steering Assist combines with the VDC, Vehicle Dynamics Control, to do whatever is possible to assist the driver to avoid a crash. The 3D image processing program will work to recognise vehicles close by and at a distance of up to 100 metres. With a range of zero to 100 kilometres per hour, the Adaptive Cruise Control adds to the safety factor considerably, with the driver controlling the actual gap distance between the Outback and vehicle in front.
MY16 Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium
The colour recognition system will allow the Outback (and all other Subaru cars fitted) to see a brake light and provide the car with a smooth deceleration and will also work at intersections with the vehicle ahead performing a lane change. A new feature, the Forward Start Alert, will prevent the car from moving forward if the accelerator is accidently pressed and will sound an alarm.
Every auto (CVT) equipped Outback will now receive the Eyesight system as will all diesel variants. The 2.5i, 2.0i Premium diesel and 3.6R variants will receive Vision Assist packages as listed in Liberty.
Also, the Outback 2.5i and 2.0 diesel will receive the folding mirrors, the 2.5i Premium and 3.6R have a refreshed grille and all Outbacks will be provided with halogen DRL integrated with the front fog lights.
MY16 Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium
Outback will also be given the new Dark Blue Pearl and the Subaru Map Program applies to the 2.5i petrol Premium, 2.0 diesel Premium and 3.6R.
The seven model Outback range also receives incremental price increases, with the entry level 2.5i CVT staying at $35990 plus ORC, 2.5i CVT is $41990 plus ORC ($500 increase), with the 2.0L diesel manual moving to $36490 plus ORC, an increase of $1000. The CVT auto rises to $38490 + ORC (also $1000), with the Premium manual and CVT at $42990 and $44990, an increase of $1500. The range topper, the 3.6R CVT is $48490 plus ORC, a small increase of $500.
Forester.
The Subaru Forester has received possibly the biggest range of changes, covering exterior, interior and chassis and engineering. All but the 2.0L XT have been given a refreshed front bumper, grille, head and tail lights plus the range toppers also receive new fog light surrounds. The 2.5i-S and 2.0 XT are provided with adaptive headlights, swivelling in response to steering wheel input and all but the 2.0L L spec receive new fog light surrounds.
MY16 Subaru Forester XT 2.0 Premium (front) with Forester 2.5i-S.
Refreshed designs adorn the 17 and 18 inch alloy wheels fitted, plus a new colour, Sepia Bronze Metallic, will be made available. The headlights for the Forester 2.5i-S, XT and XT Premium are given a makeover, with C shaped LED Daytime Running Lamps and LED projector lit lamps, while the tail lights also get the C shaped LED lights. They are a red light only display.
MY16 Subaru Forester
Unseen but important are the changes to the suspension, improving NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) levels and stability levels on and off road. Also inside with the Premium versions, there’s the addition of memory seating and Apple’s Siri compatibility. The instrument panel has new cushioning at either end along with extra sealer, to reduce NVH. Leather fitted Foresters will see quilting on the door arm rests and there’s more padding in the seat cushion. Interior comfort has been raised by virtue of thicker window glass (3.5 mm to 4.0 mm front, 3.1 to 3.5 rear)and better door sealing, with an estimated 5.0% reduction in NVH.
MY16 Subaru Forester
The SI Drive system has also been tweaked, with the I and S drive programming providing a smoother driving experience whilst staying in CVT mode, with harder acceleration giving the feel of an eight speed auto. The S# system sees a more traditional stepped feel, with eight ratios programmed into the transmission under drivng consitions, with all autos providing manual control via paddle shifts.
An added safety feature comes in the form of a control logic program added to the EPS (electronic power steering) with manual control still available for a short time should power fail from the engine. Torque vectoring is on board, adding extra brake pressure to an inside wheel in the event of serious understeer, as a driver may find on rutted or gravel surfaces.
MY16 Subaru Forester XT 2.0 Premium.
As the Forester is Subaru’s best seller, ride and handling changes would have to be taken seriously, and they were. Minor yet important changes to the suspension and chassis were undertaken, with shock abosorber rates changed slightly bhut noticeably, front cross member rigidity was improved while toe in and camber angles were revised for even better straight line performance. Even the steering rack ratio was revised, to 14.0:1 from 15.5:1.
Pricing wise, the Forester range remains excellent value, with the entry level 2.0-L manual kicking off at $29990. The 2.5-L auto is $32990, 2.5-S auto stays at $39490. The 2.0L diesel range starts at $33490 for the 2.0-L manual, while the corresponding auto is $35490. The -S manual and autos also stay at an unchanged price, with the manual seeing $39490 and $41490 for the CVT. The range topping XT versions are $40990 and $47990. All prices are manufacturers list prices and are not inclusive of on road costs.
Drive Notes.
A Wheel Thing was part of the twenty plus strong media contingent flown to Mt Gambier by Subaru Australia, where the new cars were put though their paces. Each drive section for each model, being Liberty/Outback/Forester, was chosen to highlight the specific ability of each model, with the Liberty solely tarmac based while Outback and Forester were taken over limestone tracks, mud, gravel and tarmac, with a Wednesday morning session in the rain adding to the test of the cars and changes. Due to time constraints, largely imposed by the weather, only limited time was available in a version of the three.
The Outback especially impressed off road, with the diesel Premium being tested. A very late seen dip in a limestone gravel road resulted in a solid thump, yet with no discernable impedement to forward progress nor to the steering. All cars tracked straight and true, with some tight low low speed hairpins taken with no body roll or a feeling of losing grip. In the Liberty, set to I-Drive, a standing start saw the first gear change move directly to Third, not Second, and with a corresponding drop off in relative velocity.
The Forester tested, the XT 2.5 Premium, certainly drives well and as expected. However, the seats still lack a measure of side support in the bolsters, especially with the leather used to clad the seats, allowing more lateral movement than is desired.
In short, the changes mechanically to the three have made them even more approachable and user friendly while the exterior changes, although light, are enough to refresh the ranges, especially with the added aero efficiency of the Forester’s timely refresh.
For more information and driveaway pricing, please contact your Subaru dealer.
A Wheel Thing thanks Subaru Australia for the information and drive program.
Geneva Motor Show: What's New From Switzerland.
International car shows overseas can be a mixed bag, with some great design concepts and some odd ones. But they’re fantastic for the lovers and dreamers as companies like Pagani release updates or new models. With the Geneva show happening in the first week of March, there’s already been some teasers from a few makers…
Pagani have released an all new model of the tongue twistingingly named Huayra. Said to share no panels with the current model, the Huayra BC (BC coming from Pagani’s first ever customer, Benny Caiola), there’s very familiar styling to this road oriented supercar. With previous Pagani cars already garnering a reputation for performance and almost ostentatious interiors, the BC goes further in enhancing the performance record.
Let’s start with the engine. Never shy on power, the twin turbo 6.0L V12 from AMG has been further fettled, including a new exhasut to provide less back pressure. Power has been upped by 66 kW to an astounding 588 kW and torque moved to a truly amazing 1000 Newton metres. With a diet, work on the aero and active driving aids plus recalibrating the shift points of the seven speed auto, it’s expected the 1218 kilogram machine will see 100 kilometres an hour in under three seconds.
Pagai have also emphasised that the Huayra BC is more of road car without losing the predominantly track based aspect. Weight savings work has been performed on the suspension, which will add to the balance and handling of the already extremely competent chassis. It’s expected the new set up will weigh 25% less than the original Huarya’s suspension. 
Even the brake callipers from Italian masters Brembo to bite into the carbon ceramic discs and the wheels (20 and 21 inch diameter) have been lightened. Plus, Pagani will offer 19 and 20 inch diameter wheels, lightened Pirelli P Zero tyres and the ability to hit 2G in corners for buyers. To cope with those that have more expectations of their talent than reality actually has gifted them, Pagani will fit a track mode for the stability control system.
Finally, the opulence level has been turned down from 11 in order to provide even further weight savings…not to mention the “oh my eyes, my eyes” sensation. Final figures will be released at the show.
Fans of the now defunct Top Gear UK with JC, RH and JM, will be familiar with another odd name, Gumpert. As exotic as the car seemed to be, it wasn’t enough to save the Gumpert name. However, the company was salvaged and renamed Apollo, in a nod to the former Gumpert Apollo vehicle (yes, my head is being done in too). The Apollo car set records at both Germany’s Nurburgring and at the TG test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
The revitalised car is now named the Apollo Arrow and is said to also pack in excess of 550 killerwatts. The original Apollo would see 200 kmh in just 9 seconds from the Audi sourced 4.2L V8, complete with twin turbos as well. Weight was just 1200 kilos.
Czech brand and VW owned offshoot, Skoda, is said to be offering something a little different for their forthcoming Octavia and Superb. Wireless smart phone charging is still not common place in the office or home however Skoda will be providing that as an option from April, for the European market. Wireless charging works by an induction process (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging ) with brands such as Samsung, Motorola and LG, amongst others, able to do so. Apple handsets apparently require a special casing, at this stage.
Ford has unveiled a refreshed Kuga; sporting a facelift not unlike Hyundai’s Tucson with an elongated hexagonal grille and redesigned lower front bumper, Ford will also lob the Kuga the updated Sync3 infotainment system, new 17/18/19 inch wheels, a slightly redesigned rear diffuser, a power operated retractable towbar (!) and slimline headlights. A new 1.5L diesel powerplant will also be offered, replacing the older 2.0L, but will provide the same 88kW while offering 4.4L/100 kilometres. 
Inside, there’ll be a new steering wheel, new aircon controls, a heated tiller for northern hemisphere clients, paddle shifts for the auto gearbox and will add in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The more powerful 110kW and 132kW versions of the old 2.0-litre diesel live on, with the latter available with Ford’s new ‘Intelligent’ four-wheel drive that adds torque vectoring and curve control, which are said to help drivers who enter a bend too fast.
On the petrol side, the 1.5-litre turbo Ecoboost engine with either 88kW, 110kW or 134kW outputs carries over, with the 178kW 2.0-litre EcoBoost dropped from the range. Australia should find out more towards the end of 2016.
Private Fleet will bring you more once the show has been started and new info is at hand.
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