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| Despite being early prototypes, these cars drive well |
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For an early prototype, both the C4 and 307 drive well. Despite a 110kg weight penalty, the hybrid car outperforms its conventional sibling in a straight line. The hybrid C4 takes 2.4sec less time to accelerate 50-75mph than the conventional C4 HDi 110. Subjectively, it also feels livelier than the Prius, especially at higher speeds.
The transition between the power sources is impressively smooth: however, when you accelerate hard from a low speed, there's about a second's delay before the diesel engine intervenes. Peugeot and his team are working to reduce this delay before the cars go on sale. Advances are also expected in battery technology, which will improve the car's range in SEV mode.
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| Gearbox is currently jerky |
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Our only other concern surrounds the gearbox. The prototype employs a robotised manual transmission, similar to that already offered in the C2 and C3 superminis. It uses a hydraulic system in place of a standard clutch and gearstick. There's a fully automatic mode, or you can change gear sequentially. At present, the gearbox is unacceptably jerky, but PSA promises that it can and will be improved.
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