2019 Ford Focus vs Peugeot 308

What's the difference?

You've got to feel for the marketing peeps at Ford tasked with cooking up a catchy one-word description for the new Focus Active.

The others models in the range are easier, of course. The Focus ST-Line? "Sportiness", says Ford. The Titanium trim? "Elegance", they shout.

But the Active? "It's like a hatchback, but with more capability..." It isn't quite as catchy, is it?

That capability they speak of arrives in the form of more ride height (30mm at the front and 34mm at the rear), as well as standard roof rails and two new drive modes, Slippery and Trail, which are designed to help the front-wheel-drive Focus better handle light off-road conditions like sand or icy roads.

But the weird thing here is that, for a car so focused on light off-roading, the place the Active really shines is glued firmly to the tarmac.

I get it. You don't want a small car that everybody else has, like a Toyota Corolla, a Hyundai i30 or a Kia Cerato. You want something that represents the quirky-cool you a bit better, am I right? That's why you're here snooping around this Peugeot 308 Allure review.

Yes, the Peugeot 308 Allure is a small hatch like the i30, Corolla and Cerato, but it's made in France and so it's nowhere near as common as those other cars.

Well not here anyway; in France they're everywhere, and if you want to be different there then you'd get an i30. There might be something in that...

Ah, mon ami, we're not in France, but France is here in the form of the 308 Allure. Our test car was the petrol version (you can also have it in diesel guise).

So what, if anything, makes it different from its Japanese and Korean rivals? Is just being French reason enough to get one? Is it more expensive than those rivals? What about warranty and servicing? And is it good to drive?