Peugeot 308 Hatchback 2007 - Present

The 308 takes the baton that’s been wielded so expertly by the 307 for the last few years, and runs with it.  Rather sensibly they have made only evolutionary changes, looking to upgrade ad tweak areas of deficiency for the 307, and making a better car moving forward.  The lion has been working on it’s engines with BMW and has acquired some decent powerplants as a consequence.

The 308 is bigger than the 307, both longer and wider, but like Rod Stewart it wears it well.  The extra few inches give the occupants more room and comfort on the inside.  As with many within the current Peugeot range, safety has been given lots of attention and the result is a car that scores five stars for adult protection and four for child safety.  It scores three for pedestrian protection and this score sees them level on points with the VW Golf, Citroen C4 and Toyota Auris. 
. 
The look of the 308 won’t be for everyone but I really like it.  The curves look voluptuous and the shape purposeful.  The boot door of the hatchback rounds of the car really nicely.  The whole design is one that looks to move through the air almost unnoticed.  Inside the car there has obviously been care and attention lavished on the 308, the solid feel no doubt enhanced by the amount of safety devices and airbags that the car is fitted with.  Controls are all ergonomically laid out and feel perfectly natural.  The quality of the finish has also been upgraded from the 307, with good quality material used throughout, with the exception of the gear knob which felt cheap with every gearchange.

As you pull off the 308 feels like something that you’ve always known.  The seats envelop you and the way that the car’s set up immediately draws you into the experience of driving the willing lion.  At launch the 308 comes with the choice of six engines; three of each, petrol and diesel.  The three petrol units were jointly developed with BMW and come in two sizes 1.4 and 1.6, but the top of the range adds a turbo to the 1.6 lump.  The entry level petrol engine is frankly too small for the job.  The308 is no size zero among UK motorcars and as such needs a large amount of guts and power to drive it.  The 1.4 unit always feels like it’s playing catch up, which is no fun and I expect that they will age worst of the bunch.  The normally aspirate 1.6 is a willing performer, and with 42 mpg for it’s 10.5 second sprint to 60 mph and top speed of 122 mph ,it’s rewarding too.  The best engine of the lot is the 1.6 turbo unit, which is just shy of hot hatch performance with 8.5 seconds for the sprint and 133mph top end, but it is also frugal too with 39 mpg on the combined cycle.  Coupled with the 308’s quality ride the turbo engine makes for a rewarding drive, and with good levels of power throughout the rev range the engine never feels wanting, has always more to give.  It felt like the sort of engine that would last forever.  That was right up till we tried the 2.0L HDi, which loses a little on the performance with 9.8 seconds and 129 mph, but with 51 mpg on the economy count it offers a lot of miles for it’s money.  It pulls hard from low down the rev range ad feels like something that could easily last the owner into retirement.  The 1.6 HDi engine comes in two levels of tune 90 and 110 bhp and both pull well.  The more powerful of the two is clearly the better and with 60 and 62 mpg on the economy side they’re both good value and competent engines

The 308 is an impressive drive and can really encourage the driver as they pilot the car around the urban jungle that this lion inhabits.  The ride is unflustered and the suspension set up to offer both protection from and grip of the road.  The car feels nimble and lithe, darting from corner to corner and keen to progress along the straights in between.  It’s not quite up there with Ford’s Focus, but lets be fair little is, but it’ll give the Golf and Nissan Note something to think about.

The 308 takes Peugeot into new places in terms of quality and ride.  Only time will tell how reliable they actually turn out to be but their engines feel sold and sturdy and that sense pervades the whole car.  Avoid the 1.4 unless you’re over 60 and actively want something to go slow in, but pretty much all of the rest will give driving pleasure every time you take the car out, some more than others mind you.

Leave a comment

Type into the box below