Peugeot happy with new car

"The most important thing is that the new 307 has been fast and reliable," said Grönholm, who finished 1m26s behind rally winner Loeb. "I feel very positive about the rest of the season."

Peugeot Sport boss Corrado Provera agreed that the team's results on a tricky Monte Carlo were encouraging, especially considering that Grönholm lost 40 seconds with a spin on the second day.

"We started with two cars and both have come back to us in a good points-scoring position," said Provera. "The new car is fast and we have a good platform to work from."

Loix was much further back, over eight minutes off the winner. He paid for a wrong tyre choice on the final day when he wore snow tyres over the Col de Turini.

The next event will also be a specialist challenge - the Swedish Rally. It runs from February 6-8.