Automobiles Peugeot and its official local distributor Nasim recently rolled out the brand’s first-ever defensive driving programme in Malaysia. Dubbed Peugeot Driving Performance (PDP), the event was the first of its kind for the French carmaker – not just in Malaysia, but globally as well.
Held at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS), it was open to Peugeot owners in Malaysia. Sixty participants took up the available slots – all within 10 days of its initial announcement.
“By creating a controlled environment, we are helping Peugeot owners unlock the full potential of their vehicles. They will be able to push their cars to the limit while experiencing the safety features of the car,” said Nasim CEO Dato Samson Anand George of the event.
The debut programme focussed on defensive driving techniques, as well as safe driving habits. The initial theory session of the event was handled by none other than our own Harvinder Singh, covering both preventive and reactive safety tips – the former to avoid accidents in the first place, the latter in case of emergencies.
Often overlooked by drivers, sitting the right way – backrest in an upright position and close enough to the steering wheel without having to stretch your arms – is absolutely vital to car control. An ideal driving position allows you to be more aware of your surroundings, and more ready to react if necessary.
Then, it was on to driving. A pair of Peugeot 408 Turbo sedans were provided for the understeer and oversteer course. An extremely slippery surface helped induce lurid understeer or oversteer, and the participants experimented on the do’s and don’ts of each situation.
To allow the drivers to properly experience such driving instances, one 408 had its electronic stability programme (ESP) completely disabled (involving a few pulled fuses). Just turning the ESP switch off isn’t enough, of course, as modern Peugeots are pre-programmed to re-activate the safety net if required.
The participants were then allowed a go in the other 408 (with its ESP intact), and witnessed first hand how the system reigns in mild dynamic instabilities to minimise out-of-control situations. Prevention is better than cure, as the saying goes.
Next up, a detailed slalom course. Here, the small and agile Peugeot 208 1.6 VTi was the subject of a tight and twisty trail. The objective was to highlight the importance of driving smoothly, as opposed to resorting to fast but erratic steering or throttle/braking inputs.
Smoother actions allow drivers to carry more speed through corners, without the onset of early understeer. The smoother the drivers were, the faster they’d go, while being in more control the entire time. Meanwhile, the 208’s small steering wheel made rapid direction changes easier to manage.
The final exercise was to navigate through an obstacle avoidance course. Simulating an emergency brake-and-avoid situation, participants were instructed to stomp hard on the brake pedal whilst negotiating a quick lane-change manoeuvre, relying on the Peugeot 508’s ABS and ESP safety systems to pull through – without which, the car would have ploughed on straight.
The Peugeot Driving Performance programme was overseen by a team of experienced professional driving instructors. For Peugeot owners who missed out, it is likely that Nasim will organise more rounds of PDP in 2015, so stay tuned.
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Scrolling through the pictures first without reading, I backtracked my scrolling when I saw the familiar face belonging to the Sideways Singh. Good on ya!
Looks like the course is quite comprehensive. A lot of their activities were just briefly touched upon in the article. This…this is how our driver’s education curriculum be – after the basics, of course.
*This is how our driver’s education curriculum should be.
Hey! that dude in the driver seat is a GRA champion!
PiuuJiot cars also need Performance Driving ? WTF
looks like you never drive peugeot yet.
Peugeot kereta aunti la…. hantar budak sekolah
Proton drivers need this
hahaha… from response, confirm banyak aunti here that drive peejot
Is CDM 25 there?
Harvinder the ‘sideway’ singh needs a new nickname, the ‘safety’ singh
Tiu Nia Sing
I bet after this the drivers don’t need ESP as it can only correct minor skidding. Anything more needs skill in controlling car. Problem is how to know the limits of ESP in each car which is different. For an unsuspecting driver without advance driving skills, relying on ESP to manage the skidding & with the thinking that ESP is going to handle everything is going to suicidal. You still see these cars with advance electronics end up crashing / upside down on the highway. Better to make it compulsory for drivers to undergo advance driving skill because it will save lifes & improve on their judgments. Great that Peugeot organise this course. Hope it continues.
heard nasty stories about 308 quality issues and poor after sales, in the end for average consumers that what counts.
I can give an anecdotal story of this, a colleague of mine who bought a 308 late 2011 had her gearbox retire early after just 6 months of ownership…thing is, we only found out about it when we wondered why the hell didn’t she drive her damn car during outings together.
True enough around early 2012 when we saw her driving her red 308, she told us that Peugeot took a whopping SIX MONTHS to replace her damn gearbox. If there’s a Peugeot representative reading this, simply lookup your service records for a red 308 and you will know what I mean.
She now drives Mitsubishi Mirage (manual) and have been happy ever since.
You read that right. A girl. Driving a manual. @_@
I guess that experience has made her apprehensive of fancy schmancy gearboxes.
Nice story. :)
I drive a 2011 red 308. I did not have any problem with the gear box. These gear boxes are very dependable and safe. One such problem can occur in any car. My friends Altis got its power steering problem within one year. This does not mean all Altis have power steering problem. But your point is well scored when they take 6 months to repair it. In fact the warranty system has to make sure it was not fault of the user. they need to go through several checks before they can ensure it and it takes time. it should still not be 6 months, it should have been done much quicker.
LOL @image 295683 xD! Peugeot lion vs Ultraman Singh?
Defensive driving? I think malaysian drivers need training in going back to the basics like how and when to use indicators and understanding right of way !!!
they should’ve open entries to the family members of the owner too (ie. son or husband/wife)
Any car distributed by Naza group,think 100 times before you even pay the booking fee.
I had nasty experience with their service centre,when a defective simple air con component takes 2 months to replace.
I am not surprise gear box would take 6 months.
They have the best salesmen but the poorest bunch of mechanics.
They have been giving excessive perlindungan for a decade now after the founders death but still fall terribly short,cos his children only knows how to go for mega bucks at the expense of excellent service.
If you have the affordability,might as well go for Japanese marques.No need take panadol.
Surprisingly the replacement of radiator for my KIA Forte was done within 2 days. Good job KIA.