The budget car Peugeot 301 has a too bright and expressive appearance
The 301 sedan has a 'double' in the concern – C-Elysee. This is not the first attempt at building a budget model. For example, in China the Peugeot 308 model is still sold, slightly lengthened by the trunk. In our country, the car is known under the 408 badge.
French developers rightly believe that the extra centimeters of space in the cabin or trunk will be another advantage of the 301 model in sales. The car set a record in the B class in wheelbase, so rear seat passengers will be comfortable. The trunk also stands out in size (506 liters) – it is more capacious than that of the leader, Kia Rio. Moreover, the rear seat transforms, making the trunk even larger.
Do not treat the Peugeot 301 as just another budget workhorse model, of which there are plenty on the market today. The car received a worthy inheritance from the SR1 concept, it is quite refined in appearance, and in many ways resembles the company's flagship – the Peugeot 508. The car has the same chrome-trimmed radiator grille, ribbed hood cover, and the air intake is even more massive than that of the older model.
In principle, one could say that this is the same flagship, only in a compact version and at a very affordable price. In our country, these cars can be bought from the official Peugeot dealer – the company ViDi Avenue. Here you can choose a passenger or commercial vehicle from a wide range of the famous French brand's model line.
Of course, calling the interior trim materials of the sedan luxurious would be too bold, but the interior is stylish, well-assembled, comfortable and cozy. By the way, French designers have always paid special attention to the last discipline. The instrument panel is neat, with a small monochrome display showing onboard computer information, the steering wheel is three-spoke. In different trim levels, interior trim is offered in three colors: tungsten, gloss, matte.
There is also a lot of interesting stuff under the hood. A new VTi power unit (3 cylinders) is installed there, producing 71 horsepower. In the transmission range, manual and automatic were initially offered, and more recently also a robotic gearbox.
The second engine, a diesel HDi with 92 horsepower, works only with a manual gearbox (5). Finally, the 'top' version – a gasoline VTi with 115 horsepower, is combined with a manual or an automatic. According to experts, the choice is not bad.
Analysts still prefer to remain silent about the model's market prospects. It will hardly be able to significantly push Logan, rather it is a kind of endurance test for the latter. After that, one can reasonably discuss the topic. As for the numbers on the badge, which cause many misunderstandings: the zero in the center is the digit that distinguishes the model from competitors in the segment; the first digit underscores the car's class, and the last indicates its relationship to the line (budget or main).