Peugeot 308 XSE 2008 Review

You get tired of hearing terms such as funky and quirky when describing small French cars. But there's something unique about them. And after all, quirky or funky are not terms you'd use to describe German or Korean cars.

Features such as glass roofs, unique front styling and satellite navigation units that pop out of the dashboard keep bringing you back to quirky and funky. They are among the features on Peugeot's new 308 range.

Peugeot doesn't talk about quirky and funky. Its key term for this car is refinement. That starts with the 308 being slightly bigger and offering more value than its predecessor, the 307.

So much so that the 308 is really medium-sized rather than a small car these days. The car is now some 74mm longer and 53mm wider than the 307. It is also marginally lower, with increased tracking front and rear.

I drove the new turbo-petrol 5-speed manual and the turbodiesel 6-speed automatic versions of the mid-spec XSE 308 over a few days in Sydney. The new 308 has seven variants of the 5-door hatch shape.

It starts with a 1.6-litre petrol 88kW XS model at $25,990. More features are added to create the auto-only XSE at $30,390. Next there's the 110kW turbo XSE at $30,590 manual. Add $2000 for the auto. Top of the range petrol car is the XTE auto at $34,790.

Peugeot has carved a niche in the market with its diesels. There are three variants for the 308. The lowest priced is the 1.6-litre XS HDi at $29,990 — but you pay for diesel economy. That's $4000 dearer than the base petrol car. Buying the better two-litre diesel XSE HDi will cost $33,590, manual. Again it's $2000 more for an auto. The most expensive 308 is the auto-only XTE HDi at $37,990.

Overall, both versions handled similarly and felt solid and reliable.

The petrol turbo certainly has more acceleration punch and pizzazz than the diesel, even allowing for a rather notchy manual gearbox. It's diesel economy versus turbo petrol whoosh.

As you shift gears in the manual there's a noticeable whoosh sound from the turbo. It sounds like a tempered WRX. It must be that refinement. On the diesel, the engine sound is still noisy inside though improvements have been made over the sound levels of the 307. Small diesel cars are gaining in popularity in Australia but they have not won full acceptance. Diesel is still seen as a novelty, and the noise of the engine and having to fill up with trucks and work vans at the servo still puts buyers off. However, the economic benefits are being clearly shown.

Peugeot announced in late February that a 308 XS diesel driven around Australia in 25 days by regular economy run experts John and Helen Taylor had recorded an overall consumption figure of just 3.13 litres per 100km. Not only is that better than the claimed figures for either of the two hybrid cars currently sold in Australia (Toyota Prius and Honda Civic) it also meant only eight trips to the pump on a 14,500km trip.

Peugeot says the car's best run was 1988km on a single tank.

Certainly one benefit of diesel comes when you find queues at your local petrol station. Almost all of the other cars waiting aren't heading for the diesel pump. Peugeot says it expects that 64 per cent of 308 sales in Australia will be diesels.

But the 308 faces some stiff competition in its class. Diesel and petrol turbo versions of the VW Golf GT, the ground-breaking Citroen C4 and tough competition from Japan in the Mazda 3 makes it mandatory for potential buyers to shop around.

If it comes to looks, the Peugeot will divide opinion. The front end has a large black bumper bar across the front of a substantial grille.

Having said that, the two test cars came in exquisite paint colours. The blue (Tauranga Blue) and particularly the red (Babylon red) gave the cars a premium look that enhanced the stronger points of the styling.

The 17-inch alloy wheels, an option on both cars, also help the styling.

A glass roof seems an odd choice for a car but it's actually a wonderful alternative to a convertible.

You get the light without the noise, the wind, heat, sun and city smells that annoy anyone driving with the top down in the city and suburbs.

Talking of smell, the range-topping XTE has a fragrance-emission system to make the interior smell fresher for the occupants. The 308 is also packed with safety features. It has a five-star safety rating on the back of six airbags as standard (and a seventh optional on the top-end cars), unique impact absorption structures to protect the front end, plus stability control.

All models also have “follow me home lighting,” which equates to the lights staying on for a short while after you lock the car. Its aim to provide you with extra lighting when you park your car at night, but it does have you double-taking to make sure you have actually turned them off. Other features worthy of mention are rear parking sensors on a car half the size of many who need such a feature as standard and don't get it, plus side mirrors that automatically retract when the car is parked.

Inside, the layout of the controls, particularly in models where the satellite navigation system is installed, are somewhat confusing.

However, this is something you will come to grips with through practice, and not on a short-term test.

Overall, the 308 offers a multitude of engine and transmission choices.

It is a welcome improvement on the previous model and will find favour among people seeking to stand out from the crowd on the road.

The bottom line

Bigger, smoother and dare we say it, funkier than its predecessor.

Snapshot

Peugeot 308 XSE

Price: $30,590 (petrol), $33,590 (diesel)

Engine: 1.6L/4-cylinder turbo 110kW/240Nm; 2L/4-cylinder turbodiesel 100kW/320Nm

Economy: 7.1L/100km (petrol), 6.8L/100km (diesel)

Transmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed auto petrol, 6-speed auto diesel, 6-speed manual

The rivals

VW Golf GT

Price: $34,990 (petrol), $34,790 (diesel)

Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder twincharger 125kW/240Nm; 2L/4-cylinder turbodiesel 125kW/350Nm

Economy: 7.7L/100km (petrol), 6.3L/100km (DSG) 6.6L/100km (manual)

Transmission: 6-speed manual, 6-speed DSG

Mazda3 MAXX Sport

Price: $26,500

Engine: 2L/4-cylinder 104kW/181Nm economy: 8.6L/100km (manual), 8.9L/100km (auto)

Transmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed auto

Citroen C4

Price: from $25,990 (petrol), $29,990 (diesel)

Engine: 2L/4-cylinder petrol 103kW/200Nm; 2L/4-cylinder turbodiesel 100kW/320Nm Economy: 8.1L/100km petrol, 5.1L/100km diesel

Transmission: 6-speed auto