Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 09:28:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: saw low 
To: mmc@mmc.com.au
Subject: My Hong Kong 206gti

There are a few good and bad points I would like to
share with you on my 206gti delivered to me a month
ago here in Hong Kong.

Good Points:

Excellent around corners and handling with good
feedback to the driver. This little machince can
actually "tells" how quick you can tackle the corner
with.

Quite responsive engine and gear box combination from
1st to 4th gear, goes wild after 4000rpm, while the
5th should be reserved for open road.

Nice shapey looking car which attracts attention.

Fuel consumption is quite alright at about 9L/100km in
a busy city driving in Hong Kong.

Yet to see how the car survive in the hot and humid
weather in coming summer, this could be a real test.

Bad Points:

Something rattles in the back, possibly the hatch door
which drives you crazy.  Nevertheless, this seems to
be an universal problem and hopefully the dealer
already had a quick fix when I have my first oil
change at 2500km.

Tried to cover the rattles with the audio, but the
factory package is a pain in the neck by itself ...
the radio pick up is poor and the Sony CD skip tracks
every now and then.  The solution for now is to bring
along a pair of ear plugs!

I don't know what sort body models did Peugeot used to
layout the car interior.  I spent the whole month
without success in trying to find a comfortable
sitting position.  After getting the legs right then
the steering wheel would be too far away and vice
versa. The interior rear vision mirror is useless and
all you can see is the two cars immediately behind
you.  What's wrong with a 6 ft tall average build guy?

Surprise from the front seats when you find out they
only lock in position during cornering and braking.

The contact point of the brake is low.

Where is the foot rest next to the clutch pedal?

How come these trivial problems did not happened on my
previously own Corolla and Lanser, I thought the 206
would be an upgrade!

In conclusion, the 206gti is excellent in terms of its
mechanical performance and handling but the overall
impression is somewhat downgraded by the silly
interior.  However it is still a fun car to drive and
I still love to take it out for "short" spins. (my
arms would be too tired for "long" spins as I have to
stretch during the whole course)

Regards

Wayne