Peugeot 308 2008 review

The new Peugeot 308 has become even prettier, more feminine, than before — if that is possible.

Just as well, because the majority of buyers of the previous model 307 were women.

My wife and two daughters love the new curvaceous body, the almond-eyed headlights, perfume-dispensing airconditioning with a selection of six fragrances, petite pedals, quiet and soft-touch cabin, 12 exterior colour choices and small latte holders, rather than macho jumbo-sized drink holders.

And my girls love the pretty little wing mirrors which fold away when the car is locked. It's not a gimmick; it's vital in the small streets of Paris where the wing mirrors on parked cars often get knocked off as cars rush past.

The eighth-generation 308 five-door hatch comes in a choice of two 1.6-litre petrol engines, one a turbo, and two turbo-diesel engines, 1.6 and 2-litre. The two-litre petrol engine has been scrapped for the turbo 1.6.

Previously there were three trim levels in the petrol and two in the diesel. Now there are three trim levels in each: XS, XSE and XTE.

Prices are up $500 for the XS petrol at $25,990 and $1400 for the XSE, even though it drops from two-litre to 1.6.

Diesel XS models remain the same at $29,990, while the XSE HDi is up $1000.

Choice of transmissions is five-speed manual (XS, XS HDi, XSE Turbo), four-speed auto (XS, XSE, XSE Turbo, XTE), six-speed manual (XSE HDi) and six-speed auto (XSE HDi, XTE HDi).

The Porsche-derived four-speed auto costs an extra $2000 and $2200 for the six-speed.

I recently drove the XSE Turbo with five-speed manual ($30,590) and the XSE HDi ($35,790).

The top-spec models come with a healthy list of features.

However, the Turbo I drove also had the full-length glass sunroof ($1000) and dashboard-mounted, pop-up sat nav system ($3600) that includes a 30Gb hard disk to store 180 hours of music, Bluetooth and an SOS button that will dial 000.

Another neat audio feature is iPod or computer game connectivity via RCA plugs in the glovebox.

However, there are no steering wheel-mounted controls for cruise or audio. They are all on stalks behind the wheel which is very awkward.

Accommodation inside is generous, but legroom in the back will be at a premium if there is a tall person in the front.

As in most French cars, the seats are sumptuous, like big lounge chairs. But you wouldn't expect your lounge suite to hold you in place if you were going around a corner at 60km/h, and neither do these.

I found the speedo difficult to read in daylight as the numbers are a bit spindly, especially when wearing prescription sunglasses to see into the distance.

On the road, the car is exciting to drive, although eerily quiet. The diesel is as quiet as the hush-hush BMW 530d.

Engineers paid a lot of attention to reducing rattles, squeaks, engine noise, wind buffeting and tyre noise.

Even the door speakers are mounted to the door, rather than the trim, to avoid vibration.

This is now one of the quietest cars in its class. Even the diesel engines have little audible clatter or roar from within the cabin.

Unfortunately, it takes some of the excitement out of the turbo which could do with a little bit of exhaust rort.

Both the turbo petrol and diesel engines have strong low and mid-range torque which makes daily driving chores responsive.

The diesel loses breath up top where the 1.6-litre turbo from the Mini Cooper S and the Peugeot 207 continues to shine. Steering is a bit on the heavy side and there is a twitch from torque steer in both models.

The brakes are strong with a firm and responsive brake pedal and women will approve of the light clutch and foolproof manual box with well-spaced gears. On the national launch in February, the second-to-third change was notchy, but not on this test car.

The automatic was overly responsive to aggressive input, holding on to gears much longer than needed after you have given it a heavy foot.

The turbo returned fuel economy of 9.2L/10km while the diesel claimed 6.6.

On the safety side, there are six airbags, a five-star European crash rating and stability control.

A Touring (wagon version) is coming in August and a CC (cabrio-convertible) in February.