Strength and quality to deliver longevity From the start of the project, when the specification for the car was being drawn up, Peugeot’s engineers went out on long driving missions to build up mileage on the different sorts of roads that would be taken by the future 301 customers. Roads with poor surfaces, hot climates, cold climates, humid climates… all of the possible situations have been tested and sometimes even with a customer at the wheel. In total, many tens of thousands of kilometres have been run in several continents.

Using the knowledge acquired on the ground and Peugeot’s recognised know-how as a motor manufacturer since 1889, the designers have been able to move in the right direction and make the most appropriate choices to create a car that is perfectly suited to these different conditions of use.

Robustness in design, looked for in the smallest details, is accompanied by a high quality of assembly. These are the same standards as for the Peugeot 508, renowned for its perceived quality, that have been applied for the production of 301 at the Vigo plant, in Spain. With the same aim, 4,000,000 kilometres of quality testing driving has been done to perfect the design of the car. The result is a level of durability that is proof against any test, even in the most rigorous conditions.

A benchmark for its great spaciousness Room for life on board and boot volume constitute major expectations for the customers that 301 wants to win. This is because the car is often used as transport for the family with passengers in the rear seats. It is for this reason that Peugeot wanted to make assets of these points compared to the competition.

So the body designers have optimised the dimensions of the platform used for 301 to the fullest extent, obtaining a length of 4.44 m. The wheelbase is carried out to 2.65 m, the longest in the segment, allowing a huge passenger compartment to be created with class leading dimensions and a boot of generous size.

Source: http://www.peugeot.com/en/news.aspx?filterBy= 1