I have to hand it to Peugeot. I was looking at a 308 recently enough from 2009 and I thought wow, it still looks good. I often say that although change is good, sometimes changing something too often just doesn't wash. For example, one of my favourite cars from 2013 is the Mazda3. It's a beautiful looking machine, but one thing that annoyed me about it is the fact that when Mazda make style changes they can tend to be a bit drastic. Not so with Peugeot though. Their changes are subtle. Peugeot recently made some big changes with the 308 and what we tested this week is nearly 100% different from the outgoing 308. They've pulled it off and done it in style.
Peugeot have been making some great changes recently. In my view they really started to stand-out ever since they introduced the 3008 and 5008 back in 2009. By standing-out I mean that their entire range has been gradually changing for the better in terms of style over the last 5 or 6 years. Only this week they launched the brand new 108 in Paris and from the photos I've seen of it so far I can see the new uniformity running through their brand.
Anyway, this week I test drove the new Peugeot 308. This is my second meeting with this very attractive machine - I was lucky enough to be at its Irish launch earlier this year. Everything about this new machine is different from what was there before it.
Peugeot interiors are becoming far more minimalist in a way but far more technological at the same time. What once would have been a button-full dash is now a 9.7" multi-function colour touch screen. This same touch screen controls pretty much everything in your car. The only other buttons present in the centre console are the emergency lights and the central locking.
Peugeot has introduced a new, smaller, steering wheel to the 308. There is a purpose to this change though. Normally when you drive a car if you want to look at what speed you are doing you have to look through your steering wheel to view the panel, but with the new wheel you look over the wheel. There is a method to this madness. The intention is that you will be able to keep your eyes more firmly on the road.
In the past I have given out about the legroom to the rear of this machine. After spending longer with it I realise that maybe I was a bit harsh. The rear leg room is not terrible, I wouldn't say it was amazing, but I did fit in there comfortably enough.
One of the surprising features of this small enough car is the space inside, especially the boot area. The Peugeot 308 offers a very large 470 litres of space - this is good.
Outside, the Peugeot lion seems to be more prominent than before and the inclusion of LED lighting to the front and the rear is a nice touch. I do think that Peugeot are onto a winner with the exterior style of this car and the colours available are very attractive. The best way to describe the style is that it is clean and crisp.
Drive on the 308 is good and this is aided by the fact that it has been stripped of a bit of weight. It now weighs 140kg lighter than its predecessor. The suspension tweaks and the wheel changes help the car to provide a more comfortable drive.
Obviously the fact that this car is lighter than what came before means that the fuel economy of the vehicle is better.
Three trims are available with the 308 - – Access, Active and Allure, all of which offer different specs. Active and Allure come with the 9.7” multi-function touch-screen mentioned above. Prices range between €18,990 and €25,890. It comes with a choice of three engines at the moment – in petrol you can get a 1.2 Vti offering 82hp and in terms of diesel there are two – 1.6 eHDi offering 115bhp and a 1.6 Hdi offering 92bhp.
The CBG.ie verdict
I'm glad I got to spend a week with this vehicle. My last time writing about it was at the Irish launch, so it's nice to get a proper look at it. The best points for me are the fuel economy, the nice style it offers and the centre console is pretty impressive. The rear legroom, although it isn't as bad as I first thought, could do with offering a bit more space to potential buyers.
Also read:
308 launch drive - http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/details/peugeot-308
2008 Review - http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/details/peugeot-2008
Mazda3 review - http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/details/mazda3
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