Peugeot 308 review (2013 onwards)

Peugeot 308 review (2013 onwards)

Peugeot 308: first impressions

Peugeot hasn’t been having an easy time of late so the success of the new 308 is vital. The move upmarket is part of the plan, the hope being that the 308 will be considered more in the same breath as the VW Golf and Mercedes A-Class, less as a Vauxhall Astra rival.

It’s a tough call but Peugeot has risen to the challenge and built a car that feels rather special. Discretely good looking from the outside, the interior is distinctive, not least down to the unusual location of the instruments, placed above the steering wheel. Prices aren’t available yet but they won’t be far different from those of the outgoing model, which runs from £16,000.
 

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Peugeot 308: performance

The Peugeot 308 comes with a massive range of engines, not all of which will be available from the initial launch. The base 1.2-litre engine with just 82hp may be challenged in a car of this size, but turbocharging is available on all the other petrol and diesel offerings.

The new Peugeot 308 is a highly accomplished family car

The most powerful petrol engine is a 155hp 1.6 litre turbo, a fine power unit that offers both top end punch and decent pulling power if you want a lazy drive. It’s smooth and refined, too.

There will be a 2.0-litre diesel with a similar power output in spring 2014 but the big seller is likely to be the 1.6 diesel with 115hp. It’s marginally quieter than the 2.0-litre, generally refined and an easy drive with its strong levels of torque. But again there are even better versions on the way in the new year.
 

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Peugeot 308: ride and handling

The loss of weight – there are savings of up to 140kg over the previous model – means an improvement in agility for the whole 308 range. Coupled to that is a clever suspension redesign and the use, in some cases, of ultra-low rolling resistance tyres.

The result is a highly accomplished family car. With the regular tyres the Peugeot 308 grips very well with little body roll in the corners, even at high speeds. It always feels stable and reassuring.

Aligned to this is a particularly good ride. It’s the sort of thing to be expected of a Peugeot, and it still pleases, even though it may not be as soft as in the past. The 308 deals well with bumps on straight roads and shrugs them off in corners.
 

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Peugeot 308: interior

The Peugeot 308’s interior is the big talking point. It takes the controversial driving position of the recent 208 – small, low-set steering wheel – and transfers it to the larger model with success.

It takes some familiarisation, looking at the instruments over the top of the wheel rather than through it, but pretty soon you forget about the unusual situation and welcome the great clarity of view that results.

The controversial driving position offers great clarity once you get used to it

Peugeot makes much of its ‘i-Cockpit’. It’s neat and stylish, uncluttered by switches and quite unlike the competition, but very pleasing to the eye. A large screen dominates the centre console on all but the base Access version (that gets a normal radio and more buttons). Pretty well everything is controlled by touch-sensitive buttons – heating, satnav, car systems and so on.

If this sounds like a recipe for total confusion, fear not. It is easy enough to get to the screen you need in a couple of touches, the only hiccup being that you lose sight of the satnav if you want to adjust the temperature or change the radio station.

Seat comfort in the front is very good, a level of initial softness backed up by good support. Sadly things are not so good in the rear. To accommodate the lower, sportier roofline the rear seat cushion has been lowered too much to support adult thighs. There’s not much cushion padding either, notris there an abundance of room for feet under the front seats.

Luggage space is up 10%, with a good square-shaped boot. But fold the seat forward and there is a step in the floor, which is disappointing. Similarly the thick rear pillars and narrow rear window, which limit the view when parking. Some versions get a rear-view camera that displays in the satnav screen, which helps.
 

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Peugeot 308: economy and safety

Comfortable and good to drive, the new 308 has a character that stands out

The enjoyable 155hp 1.6-litre petrol model averages up to 50.4mpg – like all new 308s, the tyres fitted can make up to 2mpg difference. CO2 is 129-134g/km. The 1.6 HDi diesel has a claimed average of up 76.3mpg and CO2 of 95-100g/km.

Arriving a little later is the impressive sounding BlueHDi which promises an outstanding 91mpg and CO2 of 82g/km.

It’s too early for EuroNCAP crash safety results, but you can bet on five stars. Six airbags are standard.