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Peugeot 308 2007 Review

The French have turned seduction into an art form in movies, theatre and songs. French carmaker Peugeot also seduced motoring enthusiasts with its sharp-steering, limousine-riding cars that proved as durable in the bush as they were luxurious about town.

However, this art of seduction was diminished with the arrival of some of the modern-day Peugeots.

They were capable yes, but not quite in the same mould as the old cars such as the 504 and 306.

Now Peugeot executives believe the company may have redeemed itself with the 308, which arrives in February.

The 308 adopts a softer evolution of the in-your-face 307's MPV-type styling, echoing styling traits of the 207 with its big, shark-grille front. The newcomer replaces the 307, which is one of the most successful Peugeots of all time, selling more than 3.2 million models globally since 2001.

The 307 also represents more than 50 per cent of Peugeot sales locally so a lot is riding on its replacement.

The 308 uses the same suspension as the 307 but has new petrol engines, vastly improved quality, electronics and tweaked dynamics.

Peugeot Automobile Australia's marketing chief, Chris Brown, believes the 308 will rekindle the memories of the 306, which was renowned for its road-holding, steering and ride comfort. Like the 307, the 308 line-up is tipped to consist of the XS, XSE and a higher-equipped XSE-Plus.

A 130kW model called Feline in Europe is also tipped for Australia, where it could wear a Sport badge.

Brown expects pricing to be close to the current range, with an entry point of $25,490, rising to about $35,000 for the top-spec Touring wagon.

The five-door hatch will be available with the choice of four engines, two petrol and two HDi diesels. The Touring is expected late next year.

The 308 may look similar to the 307 but it is in fact 74mm longer, 85mm wider and 12mm lower. It is also about 60kg heavier, thanks to a stronger body and improved crash safety.

Under the bonnet the same 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre HDi engines carry over but two new petrol 1.6-litre fours join the line-up. The petrol engines are the result of the joint PSA-BMW joint-venture engine program and are shared with the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. The 1.6-litre petrol fours come normally aspirated and turbocharged. The 1.6-litre turbo will replace the 2.0-litre four and although smaller in capacity has 7kW more power and 40Nm more torque.

The base car is expected to come with a five-speed manual and optional four-speed automatic, the 1.6 HDi a five-speed manual, 1.6 turbo a five-speed manual and the 2.0-litre HDi the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. A six-speed clutchless semi-automatic manual is also on the cards in some models.

Brown says the loss of the 2.0-litre should not hurt sales.

“I don't see it as a hurdle for buyers because of the improvement in power and torque compared to the 2.0, as well as better fuel economy,” he says.

European models get up to nine airbags but Australian cars will have a minimum of six, with standard anti-lock brakes. Electronic Stability Control may be on upper-end models.

The car's centre of gravity is 5mm lower than the 307, contributing to the car's handling. Both front and rear brakes are also larger for better stopping power. Peugeot is confident of a five-star EuroNCAP crash test result. The French have also rediscovered plush seating, once a trademark of Peugeot of old.

Boot space has also increased to 430 litres with the rear seats in place and up to 1398 litres with the 60/40 split-fold seatbacks folded flat.

After exiting the first high-speed corner, it is clear the 308 is no 307.

There's a crispness to the chassis that brings back memories of the 306.

The electric power steering turns in crisply and it has a linear, progressive feel while the low-speed suspension sharpness of the 307 has been replaced with more compliance and a lush-riding big-car feel.

The torsion beam rear end still gets caught over lateral bumps but the compliant ride and suppleness of past Peugeots is back. We will have to wait a final appraisal on Australian roads but the prognosis is good.

Ergonomically, the 308 is a big improvement. The trip computer has moved from the top of the dashboard, which was awkward to see in Australia's harsh light, to between the speedo and rev counter in the manner of some German hatches.

All engines, bar the entry 1.6-litre, perform strongly. The 1.6-litre turbo will replace the current 2.0-litre four but few owners will lament its passing.

The turbo has strong low-down torque, revs willingly and quietly and the five-speed gearbox is a joy.

The six-speed 2.0-litre HDi is also a strong performer. Even without the laminated side glass on the HDi models, optional in Europe, all the 308s we drove were eerily quiet and composed at high speeds.

 


Snapshot

Peugeot 308

Price: from about $25,490

Body: 5-door hatch

Engine: 1.6L/4-cylinder 88kW/160Nm, 1.6L/4-cyl turbo 110kW/240Nm, 1.6L/4-cyl turbo-diesel HDi 80kW/240-260Nm, 2.0L/4-cyl HDi 100kW/320-240Nm

Transmission: 5-speedmanual (1.6, 1.6 turbo, 1.6 HDi), 6-speed manual (2.0 HDi), 6-speed clutchless semi-automatic manual expected to be optional

 

Pricing guides

$5,999
Based on 14 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$4,999
Highest Price
$9,999

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
XS HDi 1.6L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN $5,500 – 7,700 2008 Peugeot 308 2008 XS HDi Pricing and Specs
XS 1.6L, PULP, 5 SP MAN $4,400 – 6,490 2008 Peugeot 308 2008 XS Pricing and Specs
Touring XS 1.6L, PULP, 4 SP AUTO $5,940 – 8,360 2008 Peugeot 308 2008 Touring XS Pricing and Specs
Touring XS HDi 1.6 1.6L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN $6,050 – 8,470 2008 Peugeot 308 2008 Touring XS HDi 1.6 Pricing and Specs
Neil McDonald
Contributing Journalist

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