MODERNCLASSICS 65
A little tacky in retrospect,
perhaps – but more interesting
than a Golf's funereal cabin.
handling a darty edge compared to its direct rivals, the
eagerness giving way to a nervous disposition when you're
really pressing on. All control inputs must be measured in
order to keep cornering arcs clean, and any rashness or
indecision is punished more harshly than it would be in,
say, a Golf GTI or Astra GTE.
The upshot is that the 309 rewards confidence and
concentration in a way its contemporaries don't. Stringing
together a few well-executed corners to form a single
systematic sequence is up there with life's most satisfying
experiences – file it next to 'sweetly caught volley',
'argument-ending comeback' and 'post-vindaloo toilet
trip'. And you'll feel like you've had a cardiovascular
workout afterwards, too. Thrills at (mostly) legal speeds
and a healthy heart, what's not to love?
Well, don't expect to alight feeling relaxed just because
you've not been in B-road attack mode. While the 309
boasts ride quality that cossets way above a hot hatch's
station, and one of the new-fangled fifth ratios that had
only just become 'a thing' in the early 1990s, this is no
cruiser. The engine hum that penetrates the cabin is
‘CONTROL INPUTS
MUST BE MEASURED
TO KEEP CORNERING
ARCS CLEAN’
