Road tests by motoring journalist Tim Saunders
Advanced motori
st Tim Saunders was the Business and Motoring Editor at the Bournemouth Daily Echo. His regular test reports are published in newspapers and magazines across the UK and abroad.
BMW X5 E53 video, the subject of Tim's book
Above: Tim Saunders with Vicki Butler-Henderson
Peugeot 308SW
By Tim Saunders
After driving a Mistubishi Eclipse Cross stepping into the Peugeot 308 SW comes as a bit of a shock. There was a pretty high driving position in the Mitsubishi. The Peugeot is a complete contrast, surprisingly low to the ground with a really sporty feel. I love it.
Assessing the car on the driveway from my desk its front side profile could easily belong to a sports coupe. A quick glance and you could be forgiven for thinking it was a Mercedes especially with the wing mirrors folded as they do when it is locked shut.
This is a really practical family car. It has a cavernous boot that allows for all the family luggage we need to take on a trek to Devon.
The only way to beat the traffic, especially on a bank holiday, is to leave as early as possible so feeling like a family of moles, we venture out at 6am and arrive at Paignton for 9am. To my surprise we beat the estimated time by 10 minutes. For a change I really enjoy the journey. There are no traffic jams, few red traffic lights and the lack of traffic means that I can put the Peugeot through its paces. This is a diesel and so the engine does rattle a bit but I love its gutsiness. Slam it into second gear, floor it and it delivers a smile for me and a tut from my wife… I like the way the dial on the rev counter shows the engine’s progress from right to left; the opposite way to usual.
It corners and holds the road well and is pretty economical. There’s auto stop start and a six speed gearbox.
My criticisms of the 308 SW are that the gearbox is indecisive and that while I am waiting for the car in front to move on a steep hill on the edge of Brixham, it stalls. I panic and I can’t get it to start again. It’s probably driver error, perhaps my foot slipped off the clutch too quickly, I don’t know but auto start stop usually sees the engine start again once it has stopped but it doesn’t happen on this occasion. I throw my hands up in the air and the van driver behind is thankfully patient. I turn the ignition a couple of times and thankfully the Pug surges back to life. At least the automatic roll prevention that comes with the electric handbrake, works. There is no rolling down the hill here.
While this model is fitted with front and rear parking sensors there is no reversing camera. It is quite a sizeable vehicle and I was worried that my over reliance on reversing cameras in cars of this size might make manoeuvring the Peugeot all the more difficult. But using the easy to operate electrically operated wing mirrors, as long as the driver keeps their cool, it is pretty easy to reverse and indeed parallel park. I don’t like paying for parking and we visit the fish port of Brixham on a Sunday where there’s free on road parking. There’s a tight parking space. I muster up the courage and do a spot of parallel parking and there’s success on my second attempt.
The country roads around Paignton and Brixham are especially narrow and there is one particularly hairy moment when we are travelling slowly up a hill when a BMW X3 comes speeding towards us. We both stop. I reverse for a little while and find there is no place to pass, so I stop. The X3, clearly driven by a local, reverses back up the hill. The driver can’t find any passing place either. She then comes to a broken down VW Beetle and skilfully reverses up another hill to the left to allow me to pass. The rest of our time with the Peugeot passes without anymore challenges and we all love the large panoramic glass roof which really does throw light into the cabin. The children enjoy watching the electric fabric cover retracting.
The Peugeot 308 SW makes for a comfortable and competent family estate and the addition of rear privacy glass makes it feel a bit more extra special.
Assessing the car on the driveway from my desk its front side profile could easily belong to a sports coupe. A quick glance and you could be forgiven for thinking it was a Mercedes especially with the wing mirrors folded as they do when it is locked shut.
This is a really practical family car. It has a cavernous boot that allows for all the family luggage we need to take on a trek to Devon.
The only way to beat the traffic, especially on a bank holiday, is to leave as early as possible so feeling like a family of moles, we venture out at 6am and arrive at Paignton for 9am. To my surprise we beat the estimated time by 10 minutes. For a change I really enjoy the journey. There are no traffic jams, few red traffic lights and the lack of traffic means that I can put the Peugeot through its paces. This is a diesel and so the engine does rattle a bit but I love its gutsiness. Slam it into second gear, floor it and it delivers a smile for me and a tut from my wife… I like the way the dial on the rev counter shows the engine’s progress from right to left; the opposite way to usual.
It corners and holds the road well and is pretty economical. There’s auto stop start and a six speed gearbox.
My criticisms of the 308 SW are that the gearbox is indecisive and that while I am waiting for the car in front to move on a steep hill on the edge of Brixham, it stalls. I panic and I can’t get it to start again. It’s probably driver error, perhaps my foot slipped off the clutch too quickly, I don’t know but auto start stop usually sees the engine start again once it has stopped but it doesn’t happen on this occasion. I throw my hands up in the air and the van driver behind is thankfully patient. I turn the ignition a couple of times and thankfully the Pug surges back to life. At least the automatic roll prevention that comes with the electric handbrake, works. There is no rolling down the hill here.
While this model is fitted with front and rear parking sensors there is no reversing camera. It is quite a sizeable vehicle and I was worried that my over reliance on reversing cameras in cars of this size might make manoeuvring the Peugeot all the more difficult. But using the easy to operate electrically operated wing mirrors, as long as the driver keeps their cool, it is pretty easy to reverse and indeed parallel park. I don’t like paying for parking and we visit the fish port of Brixham on a Sunday where there’s free on road parking. There’s a tight parking space. I muster up the courage and do a spot of parallel parking and there’s success on my second attempt.
The country roads around Paignton and Brixham are especially narrow and there is one particularly hairy moment when we are travelling slowly up a hill when a BMW X3 comes speeding towards us. We both stop. I reverse for a little while and find there is no place to pass, so I stop. The X3, clearly driven by a local, reverses back up the hill. The driver can’t find any passing place either. She then comes to a broken down VW Beetle and skilfully reverses up another hill to the left to allow me to pass. The rest of our time with the Peugeot passes without anymore challenges and we all love the large panoramic glass roof which really does throw light into the cabin. The children enjoy watching the electric fabric cover retracting.
The Peugeot 308 SW makes for a comfortable and competent family estate and the addition of rear privacy glass makes it feel a bit more extra special.
Facts at a glance
Peugeot 308 SW Allure BlueHDi 130
Price: Around £23,000
Engine: 1.5-litre
Power: 129bhp
0 to 60mph: 10.3secs
Top speed: 126mph
Economy: 74mpg
Engine: 1.5-litre
Power: 129bhp
0 to 60mph: 10.3secs
Top speed: 126mph
Economy: 74mpg
Mitsubishi Eclipse
By Tim Saunders
Like your favourite coat, a Mitsubishi always has a particular smell and feel, I find. And that’s very reassuring because you know what you’re getting. Always good build quality and a robust practical vehicle that’s satisfying to drive.
Its new Eclipse Cross is available in three options: 2, 3 or 4 and as either 2WD or 4WD. Prices start from just over £21,000 and rise to over £28,000 for the Cross 4 4WD. It is the latter that I test, complete with its twin glass roofs and helpful parking camera. It’s an attractive offering, with hardwearing leather seats and a plethora of luxury features including heated and powered front seats, power folding wing mirrors and air conditioning. Not to mention the touchpad and touchscreen. The children particularly enjoy locking and unlocking the car, which can be done via a small black button on the driver’s or front passenger’s door handle as long as the keyfob is present.
My favourite aspect has to be the two glass roofs; one for the front and one for the rear. What a great idea and it really does bring light into an otherwise dark cabin. Of course this is nothing unusual in the world of sports utility vehicles because any worth their salt also have such features. But Mitsubishi has been making SUVs since 1984 when it introduced the Shogun to the UK, which became the company’s most successful SUV. They have all that experience in this field that other manufacturers do not. Added to which you might not ever think or wish to drive a Ford or a Hyundai off road but the 4WD Mitsubishi will welcome such an opportunity and not disappoint.
Driving the Eclipse Cross 4 is enjoyable, aided by the simple to use automatic box. Simply select ‘D’ and kick the accelerator, not forgetting to release the electric handbrake, of course. It does also have an intelligent cruise control that tracks the traffic in front and automatically slows the vehicle, if required. It is possible to override the cruise control by braking or accelerating and once you stop doing this the cruise control will take over again.
At speed there is road noise in the cabin, not helped by certain road surfaces. It is quick and responsive. Over a long journey the front seats are not as supportive as I would like but they are easy to adjust thanks to being electrically operated. On a hot day the air conditioning is welcome.
In common with all SUVs the high ride height gives the driver a good command of the road ahead, a useful aid to overtaking when not on motorways or dual carriageways.
The reasonably sized boot is large enough for a pushchair and other bits and pieces but there is no spare wheel should there be a puncture.
It’s an attractive vehicle with a striking and imposing front. In my opinion its rear haunches look a little awkward from the side with hints of Honda but straight on it has an attractive derrier.
Over the course of the test the Eclipse Crossover returns around 35mpg.
Its new Eclipse Cross is available in three options: 2, 3 or 4 and as either 2WD or 4WD. Prices start from just over £21,000 and rise to over £28,000 for the Cross 4 4WD. It is the latter that I test, complete with its twin glass roofs and helpful parking camera. It’s an attractive offering, with hardwearing leather seats and a plethora of luxury features including heated and powered front seats, power folding wing mirrors and air conditioning. Not to mention the touchpad and touchscreen. The children particularly enjoy locking and unlocking the car, which can be done via a small black button on the driver’s or front passenger’s door handle as long as the keyfob is present.
My favourite aspect has to be the two glass roofs; one for the front and one for the rear. What a great idea and it really does bring light into an otherwise dark cabin. Of course this is nothing unusual in the world of sports utility vehicles because any worth their salt also have such features. But Mitsubishi has been making SUVs since 1984 when it introduced the Shogun to the UK, which became the company’s most successful SUV. They have all that experience in this field that other manufacturers do not. Added to which you might not ever think or wish to drive a Ford or a Hyundai off road but the 4WD Mitsubishi will welcome such an opportunity and not disappoint.
Driving the Eclipse Cross 4 is enjoyable, aided by the simple to use automatic box. Simply select ‘D’ and kick the accelerator, not forgetting to release the electric handbrake, of course. It does also have an intelligent cruise control that tracks the traffic in front and automatically slows the vehicle, if required. It is possible to override the cruise control by braking or accelerating and once you stop doing this the cruise control will take over again.
At speed there is road noise in the cabin, not helped by certain road surfaces. It is quick and responsive. Over a long journey the front seats are not as supportive as I would like but they are easy to adjust thanks to being electrically operated. On a hot day the air conditioning is welcome.
In common with all SUVs the high ride height gives the driver a good command of the road ahead, a useful aid to overtaking when not on motorways or dual carriageways.
The reasonably sized boot is large enough for a pushchair and other bits and pieces but there is no spare wheel should there be a puncture.
It’s an attractive vehicle with a striking and imposing front. In my opinion its rear haunches look a little awkward from the side with hints of Honda but straight on it has an attractive derrier.
Over the course of the test the Eclipse Crossover returns around 35mpg.
Facts at a glance
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 4 4WD
OTR price from: £28,480
Engine: 1.5-litre petrol
Top speed: 124mph
0-60mph: 10.4secs
Power: 120bhp
Economy: 35mpg
Engine: 1.5-litre petrol
Top speed: 124mph
0-60mph: 10.4secs
Power: 120bhp
Economy: 35mpg
