Peugeot 308 reviewed

Thanks to a massive cash injection from China the company’s future has been secured and, with a roster of great new models in the pipeline, things are looking up.

Luckily for Peugeot fans, the embattled French giant didn’t stint on the francs when it was losing money. It would have been easy to save money by cutting back on development or rehashing old technology. Instead, boss Philippe Varin challenged his designers and engineers to create new cars that would lift it out of the morass and set it on course to a better future. Good was no longer good enough.

The 308 is the first fruit of that ambitious plan and I’m delighted to report that it’s a stunner; easily the best bread ‘n butter Peugeot since the seminal 205.

Varin reckons the 308 is a match for the Golf - and he could well be right.

ON THE ROAD: ​ After a generation of, er, “visually challenging” Peugeot hatchbacks, the new 308 is a cracking return to form. It looks good from every angle, but especially from the front where the chrome grille and sleek LED headlights on Allure and Feline models lend the 308 real class. Around the back, Peugeot’s claw-shaped tail lights and extended wheel arches are styling motifs we’ve seen before and a horizontal line running beneath the number plate highlights the low loading lip. The designers were aiming for understated elegance in a shape that won’t date quickly and they have succeeded unequivocally.

The chassis (built on the new EMP 2 platform that will be used in other Peugeots and Citroens) is comfortable and composed, even in the face of considerable provocation. It turns into corners smoothly and understeers benignly if you press on too hard. There’s no kick-back or vibration through the steering wheel, but precious little feedback, too.

Until the hot GTi arrives, the 308 is all about getting from A to B as comfortably, reliably and safely as possible. The car is at its best if you sit back and relax, rather than chase the red line and snatch the gears.

​ON THE INSIDE: ​ It seems incredible, I know, but the 308’s cabin quality is as good as a Golf’s and out-distances the Focus by a considerable margin.

The centre of the dashboard is angled towards the driver (although the audio on/off button is still a bit of a stretch) and Peugeot has rethought its instrument layout to make the most of its preferred head-up display arrangement. The rev counter needle now moves anti-clockwise after studies showed this was the optimum design in a set-up where the clocks are viewed over, rather than through, the steering wheel.

The cabin is trimmed with expensive soft-feel slush-moulded plastics (including the door caps, one area where car companies love to economise) and the materials quality is top draw throughout. The perception of substance is more than superficial. The doors shut with a satisfying thunk, not a tinny clang and I could find no creaks or groans from the interior.

This kind of sturdiness doesn’t happen by accident. Peugeot’s 308 hacks racked up more than two million miles in testing and the designers filed 116 new patents to its name.

Just as impressive is the 308’s weight. Despite the hefty build, the new model is, on average, 140kg lighter than its predecessor. This has not been an easy diet. Peugeot has had to use expensive composite materials and aluminium in order to save the weight. The spare wheel floor is now entirely made from composite thermoplastics, rather than steel, and even the handbrake lever is fashioned from aluminium.

The fuel tank is smaller and, despite a commonality in the design, key components are different according to the model. For instance, the power steering uses electric motors available with three different power outputs. Going forward, this may have implications for spare parts availability when the 308 goes out of production. For now, it helps eliminate 33kg from the chassis.

​ WHAT DO YOU GET: ​ Peugeot calls its new interior layout the i-cockpit. It consists of four elements: the titchy steering wheel, a raised instrument pod, a high centre console and a 9.7-inch touch-screen (standard on Active models and above). From the screen you control the air conditioning, park assistance, multimedia, sat nav, your telephone and the vehicle set-up. The graphics are clear and logically arranged. However, the operating system could do with a faster processor and a more responsive screen. It’s sometimes slow to respond and, until you get used to the delay, you’ll find yourself stabbing away uselessly.

Standard equipment on every model includes a DAB radio, USB connectivity, Bluetooth, air-con, remote central locking and a cruise control system with a speed limiter function. However, if you’re an old stick-in-the-mud who prefers listening to CDs, you need to stump up £80 for a player no matter how much you spend.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT? ​ The old 308 had a decent boot but the new luggage space, at 435 litres, is even bigger. It’s a shame the glovebox is tiny because so much of the space is taken up by the fuses, though.​ The cabin has plenty of room for two adults and a trio of kids in the back. Leg and knee room is average for the class.

RUNNING COSTS: ​ The tester came with the 1.6-litre turbodiesel that’s expected to be one of the most popular choices. Peugeot claims the 308 accelerates to 62mph in 11.9 seconds but it felt faster.

No matter, what’s more important is the general air of refinement in the cabin that makes the 308 a very pleasant place to be on a long journey.

I didn’t achieve Peugeot’s official combined fuel consumption figure of 74.3mpg, but a return of 56mpg is nothing to be sneezed at in a week of mainly in-town running.

​ VERDICT: ​ Peugeot’s plan with the 308 is to improve the quality so it can charge more. In future, its cars will major on luxury while models from sister company Citroen will cater for the “value” end of the mid-market segment.

To achieve that aim Peugeot has pushed the boat out. The 308 is the best C-segment car the company has ever built, assembled from premium materials and constructed on a costly new platform.

For now, the Golf may have a better image but, be in no doubt, the 308 is a classy alternative.

PEUGEOT 308 Feline

Price: £21,745

​Spec:​ Engine: 1560cc turbodiesel, eight valves​ Power: ​115 bhp @ 3600rpm Torque: ​270 Nm @ 1750rpm Top speed: ​118mph 0-62mph: ​11.9 seconds Fuel economy: ​74.3 mpg (official combined figure) CO2 emissions: ​100g/km (£0 VED) Insurance group: ​19E Equipment: ​18-inch alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, tinted rear side windows, half Alcantara faux suede sports seats, keyless entry, dynamic cruise, reversing camera with front/rear parking sensors, front fogs, full LED headlamps, dual zone air conditioning, electric handbrake.

Extras fitted to test car: metallic paintwork (3525), leather seats with massage and heat functions (£1,200)

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