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However, it is rather unfortunate that I found the automatic transmission to need a bit of more work. When left in ‘D’, the 307 is a thing of rapid progress, but when the so-called sporty Tiptronic feature is used, this quirky athletic girl suddenly turned into a lethargic creature, which requires a second or two of computer processor to accurately convey a shifting action. Underneath, the 307 has the usual underpinnings found of European cars of its class: a fully independent front suspension coupled with a twist-beam axle at the back. Crude as it may sound; this French number manages to take road imperfections with grace while still giving some form of driving entertainment. Likewise, the rather large 205/55 VR 16 tires give good amounts of grip whatever the driving environment. What isn’t so common with other European cars is the 307’s high-quality interior. The switchgear is well-damped and positioned as I would imagine in an enthusiast driver’s car. In fact, the orange-glow of the instrumentation, coupled with the fat-three steering wheel would likewise give a BMW a run for its money. However, there were still some tacky plastic bits, most notably the glove box, which felt like breaking off, despite the car’s low mileage. Since then, I’ve Being such a wonderful piece of engineering, I thought it would be a shame to keep the 307 within the Manila city limits. Thus, I gave into temptation and took it to my usual Tagaytay test route. As she hit the South Luzon Expressway, it was clear that the 307 was built do take the German Autobahns. It was quite stable; eliciting some form of déjà vu, especially when you have had a running with other cars of European makes (usually the more expensive kind). The speedometer would usually register excessive speeds, but the car would remain stable and well-balanced, with little degree of wind and tire noise. |
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