RARE GEMS
The Peugeot 308 GT and Fiat Bravo T-Jet have been in the market for quite a while but they are hardly seen on our roads, despite their outstanding value for money. It is well known that Malaysian car buyers are an over-conservative bunch, with hordes of them queuing up to buy the latest Toyota/Honda or, moving a few classes up, Mercedes/BMW, while the sales of any other car brand looks dead pale in comparison. What are they missing out on with these seemingly blind brand loyalties? Quite a lot it turns out.
Which one of these two cars is better though? It becomes clear as they are put up against each other through gruelling back roads and empty highways that it is a question of choosing between raw unadulterated talent and soulful character.
OUTLOOK EXPRESS
Styling wise, the Fiat and the Peugeot can’t be any further apart. While the former goes for the simplistic, sleek look with clean svelte lines, the latter takes the complicated route of overlapping dips and creases to achieve a dramatic yet fussy appearance, especially at the front with the company’s current corporate design language. Nevertheless, both command a great presence on the road with their big 18-inch wheels, further amplified by their rarity.
The Bravo certainly looks more exotic though, being Italian, and with the Pug’s lesser brethren (308 VTi and Turbo) getting decent sales, its uniqueness is somewhat impaired. Worth noting is the exclusion of any visible tailpipes on the 308 GT, a jarring display of French quirkiness considering its sporty intentions, whereby the Fiat has twin chromed exhaust tips with distinctive red brake callipers.
While the 308 GT is a 3-door hatchback, don’t be fooled into assuming that it’s a much smaller car than the 5-door Bravo. It is, but only slightly - shorter by 60mm, and a sliver wider in fact. Parked next to each other it looks bigger still, where its bulbous nose (or more accurately, snout) and larger glass house towers over the Fiat’s relatively low nose and steeply raked window line. Appearing bigger might not be a bad thing, with size being crucial to the common Malaysian, although rather unfortunately, it has to be said that for the common Malaysian neither will even be on their radar when it comes to choosing a new car.
Do note however that the 308’s 3-door configuration does make it much harder to gain access to the rear, as you have to pull the front seat forward and literally squeeze into the tight crevice. The massively wide opening doors that accompany it too are an additional hassle, as extra care is needed to avoid dinging them into neighbouring cars in tight parking lots.
FORCED PROGRESS
This is where things get interesting. Both have low-capacity turbocharged engines with outputs that put them beyond the class-norm 2.0-litre competition, which means these two have a healthy dose of performance (literally) forced into them. With the aforementioned manual 6-speed gearboxes, drivers are given full access to the power available, enabling them to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.3 seconds in the 308, and in a tenth less with the Bravo. Top speeds are 225km/h and 211km/h respectively so there are no slouches here.
Putting aside the bald figures, the Pug’s turbocharged 1.6-litre block is a much sweeter motor, revving smoothly with no hint of complaint and minimal lag even at the low end of the rev range. Remember, this unit was co-developed with BMW, and is used in the current Mini Cooper S.
The Fiat’s 1.4-litre pot pales in comparison - not being able to carry revs anywhere near as comfortably as the PSA engine can, plus a big serving of turbo lag south of 3000rpm. It pulls cleanly and strongly beyond that, but the low-rev lethargy, coupled with the short ratios mean it demands more gear changes than it should, be it for a run through back roads or plain city driving.
The 308’s 6-speeder is a much nicer tool to use too, giving positive and precise shifts through the lovely aluminium gear knob, as compared to the Bravo’s slightly notchy and long throw leather lever. Its footwell is very cramped though; with little space to operate the awkwardly placed pedals. This is a typical French car eccentricity, which makes you wonder, do the French all have small feet? Lets just leave it at that. Overall though, this is a commendable return to form for Peugeot in the engine and gearbox department.
MOVING ON
Handling and driver involvement is where the Fiat claws its way back into contention. The dreaded Italian long-arm, short-leg driving position is still present here, but it’s not such a big problem for average-sized Asians. The cabin appears snug and cocoons the driver to a certain degree, giving a pleasant sense of occasion that is lost in the Peugeot, which is more akin to an MPV from the inside.
The 308 certainly feels more airy with its huge glass house and sloping dashboard giving the impression that you’re sitting on the car rather than in it. Both cars have more than decent perceived quality and rather surprisingly, the Italian car has slightly better ergonomics.
Pushing through trunk-roads, it is the Bravo that feels more rewarding. It shows impressive body control with minimal roll, giving drivers the confidence to carry decent speed through corners. The Peugeot is undoubtedly the faster of the two on all roads during the test, but there’s little joy to be had. The suspension set up is a tad too soft for some spirited driving, allowing too much body roll. Outright grip is good, though the steering goes numb through turns never quite giving the required feedback, which is strange as it is somewhat hefty at low speed. Its only saving grace, rather morbidly, is its tendency to snap-oversteer on a trailing throttle, a trait that is perhaps helped by the sorry state of the test car’s rear tyres.
Ride quality is not one of the Fiat’s strong points, as it is very firm, almost fidgety even. The Peugeot, on similar sized wheels, handles bumps with much aplomb, showing sophistication that is beyond the Bravo’s capabilities. On the highway however, they are equally matched, where it’s easy to maintain steady and relatively comfortable progress, apart from the very vocal tyre roar. Both cars had brakes that are sufficiently powerful, though the Pug’s is a touch over-servoed.
TO EACH HIS OWN
The thought of owning any of these two hatchbacks is a daunting affair, not least the Fiat as the official dealership has just been dissolved and being an Italian car, its reliability will always come into question. Trustworthy Fiat service centres are few and far between, and expectedly the maintenance costs will scare off most except for the very brave. Peugeot on the other hand, under Naza supervision, is fast growing into a reputable brand locally with an above-par service network and attractive discounts for spare parts.
To answer the question asked earlier, the Peugeot 308 GT is the better all rounder as it offers a superior compromise of regular comfort and occasional fun. You’d get no disrespect for choosing the Bravo instead though, as while it is harder-riding, it is more enjoyable to drive outright and comes with a dollop of Italian flair and character as standard. Which one would I choose, given a choice? Well, simply put, the Bravo in these pictures is my own car, so there is your answer.
Hafriz Shah
Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet 150 Sport
Price RM135,000
0-100km/h 8.2sec
Top speed 211km/h
Economy 14.3km/L
CO2 emissions 165g/km
Engine layout 4 cyls in line, 1368cc, turbo, petrol
Installation front, transverse, front-wheel drive
Power 150bhp at 5500rpm
Torque 230Nm at 3000rpm
Power to weight 118bhp per tonne
Specific output 110bhp per litre
Compression ratio 9.8:1
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Length 4336mm
Width 1792mm
Height 1498mm
Wheelbase 2600mm
Kerb weight 1275kg
Fuel tank 58 litres
Real-world range 829km
Boot 365 litres
Front suspension MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension Torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Brakes (f,r) 281mm ventilated disc, 251mm solid disc
Wheels 18in alloy
Tyres 225/40 R18
Peugeot 308 GT 1.6 THP 175
Price RM159,999
0-100km/h 8.3sec
Top speed 225km/h
Economy 13.4km/L
CO2 emissions 180g/km
Engine layout 4 cyls in line, 1598cc, turbo, petrol
Installation front, transverse, front-wheel drive
Power 175bhp at 6000rpm
Torque 260Nm at 1600rpm
Power to weight 126bhp per tonne
Specific output 109bhp per litre
Compression ratio 10.5:1
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Length 4276mm
Width 1815mm
Height 1488mm
Wheelbase 2608mm
Kerb weight 1389kg
Fuel tank 60 litres
Real-world range 804km
Boot 430 litres
Front suspension MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension Torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Brakes (f,r) ventilated disc, solid disc
Wheels 18in alloy
Tyres 225/40 R18