ON THE ROAD:
FOR a brief minute I was completely suckered. Put the 308 GT into Sport mode and dials glow red and there's a distinct rumble of a V8 to be heard. Surely not, after all, there's a 2.0 litre diesel unit under the bonnet.
Nope, definitely sounds like something more usually heard rumbling along Route 66. But wait a minute, I can hear it in the cabin, but my son, stood outside? 'No dad, just the usual diesel sound'.
I quit revving for fear of looking like a complete idiot.
It's a clever ploy by Peugeot and it certainly makes the 308 seem much more sporty than it really is, but the missing 'i' should really have given it away.
While able to go along at a fair lick, this is more warm hatch, than hot hatch.
That said, I didn't dislike the car, despite it's attempt to pull the wool over my eyes.
It looks the part in a kind of non-shouty way - something that suits me given my advanced years.
It sits low and squat and you could probably fit dinner plates up the twin exhausts.
Nought to 62mph comes up in 8.2 seconds and it's good for a top speed of 137mph.
It can be fun to drive, the chunky steering wheel - more akin to one found on a go-kart - adds to the experience and there's more than a little driver input needed to keep everything on the straight and narrow at speed. But around town it can also be civilised, just avoid the temptation to flick that switch or the auto box will barely get out of second.
ON THE INSIDE:
THE interior of the 308 GT fits well with the image of the car. It's sporty, relatively plush and has plenty to keep the eye occupied. You sit low down and the seats hold you firmly in place, or at least they did me.
The dash is largely a button-free zone, with most of the functions controlled via the touchscreen. It's fairly easy to use, as far as units such as this go, but I generally find them more of a hindrance than a help.
WHAT DO YOU GET:
OUR car came with 18ins alloys, twin exhaust with black laquered rear diffusor, sequential LED direction indicators, lowered ride height, tinted rear side windows, half alcantara trim sports seats with red stitching, GT style leather steering wheel with red stitching, GT style carpet mats, aluminium style pedals and door sills, 9.7ins multifunction colour touchscreen with DAB radio, satellite navigation, USB connection and Bluetooth. It also featured a Driver Sport Pack which increases responsiveness of power steering, engine and gearbox to accelerator pedal, red instrument panel display and electronic display. Our car also had the optional City Park feature with blind spot monitoring.
HOW PRACTICAL IS IT:
ROOM in the front is generous, but although I like to sit quite far forward, it didn't afford those in the back too much space. Legroom, as a consequence, is quite tight. On the plus side, the boot is positively capacious. It has 470 litres of space, which increases to around 1,300 litres with the seats folded down.
RUNNING COSTS:
PEUGEOT say you should be able to get around 70mpg on the combined cycle, while CO2 emissions are 103g/km.
VERDICT:
ARGUABLY Peugeot's best model, hampered slightly by lack of rear space.
ALTERNATIVES:
FORD Focus, VW Golf
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here