The Peugeot 106

I

’ve driven several Peugeot 106s, but just the 950, 1·1, 1·3 Rallye and diesel variants. I’ve never tried the 1·4 or 1·6 versions. Of the range, naturally I do favour the diesel versions, and of the two diesels the later 1·5 litre version is the one to have.

My first Peugeot 106 experience was in a mate’s pavement grey XN model - the 950cc (Peugeot called it a 1·0 litre), four speed, three door hatchback. He’d bought it nearly new at a decent discount (I should hope so, given the dreary colour). Compared to the Mk. 2 Fiesta that I had at the time, it was slightly quicker, quieter, and much smoother to ride in. On the downside, this really was a base model car. The XN didn’t even come with the basics such as a rear wash wipe, and given that it was a wet weekend, I sorely missed it. That 950cc engine provides decent power and torque given the size of the engine - quicker than the Ford 957cc engine. However, the real reason why I didn’t go out and get one was because the 106 has a somewhat unusual driving position, and the centre console caught my knee.

The 1·1 litre version felt a whole lot quicker, with a smoother engine, yet gave away nothing as far as economy went. It also had a fifth gear (why didn’t Peugeot use the five speed gearbox in the 950cc XN?) so was quieter on the motorway. I trundled to Scotland and back in one, taking turns to drive, and because I was spending most of the time in fifth gear it wasn’t so bad that at every gearchange, my knee would catch the centre console. I did have half an hour in a base model 1·4 litre diesel, long enough to like the French diesel, but also long enough to catch my knee several times.

The 106 Rallye featured a unique 1·3 litre, 8v petrol engine with around 100 PS. It had no luxuries, but instead was built for entertainment. The Rallye is supposed to offer broadly similar performance compared with the 1·4 XSi version, but it lacks torque - this donk needs thrashing! The DataSheet gives the Rallye a performance score of 32·8 compared with the XSi’s score of 32·4.

The new generation 106 promised more driver room, but sadly, still had the problem. I was fortunate enough to a week with a 1·5 litre diesel, as my local Peugeot salesman tried to get me to part with the Fiesta diesel I ran. It was brand new, which explained why it only averaged 54 mpg over about 700 miles (less than my diesel Fiesta). And whilst it didn’t feel quite as rapid, there was little in it. That little diesel engine was much quieter, smoother and didn’t rattle as much as the Ford lump, too. If the Peugeot had more knee room, a 1·5 litre diesel would have been my second DervMobile.

The second generation 106 also introduced two 1·6 litre engines - one with 8 valves (fitted into XT and XS models) and one with 16 valves (in the GTi only).

One thing I don’t like about Peugeots is their service costs. Although a good mate of mine, the Peugeot salesman at the Sleaford garage couldn’t discount the service costs.

I like the enthusiastic engines, fuel economy, handling, ride, brakes, looks, but dislike the driving position, service costs, and snappy lift off oversteer if you’re a bit too keen. However, my choice would be for either the 1·5d or 1·1 models.