Still gunning for VW, Peugeot loads up billowy new 308 with Golf intentions
Although the French carmaker would deny it, suggests Iain Robertson, it has kept a portrait of the VW Golf in its Parisian attic, popping up to inspect it jealously with successive model iterations but never quite managing the magical transformation.
Buy into France and you can expect vital words like chic and stylish to enter your vocabulary. For many years, French city women have nurtured the Chanel look. It is essentially simple and unadorned, making tremendous use of natural form, reliant on minimal frills and fripperies, yet unmistakably Gallic in its appeal and class. Few nationalities can make such a style statement from a black tee-shirt and French blokes are not far behind their womenfolk. It is effortless and cool.
Pop into almost any French restaurant and you can be certain that steak and frites will be cooked to perfection, regardless of the diner’s requested searing, because the culinary artist knows how to retain flavour, with minimal effort. You get what you are given and there is no need for anything else. Although the obligatory sel and poivre may be on the table, the respect with which the meat has been treated ensures that the condiments are unnecessary and, should you ask for ketchup, you can expect a sneer and no rush to deliver a bottle to the table.
Food and fashion are key French indicators. Over the decades, French cars have eschewed the Teutonic desire to install autobahn-grade harsh damping and springing media, instead, with less forgiving surfaces to contend with on Departmente roads, a squishier ride and less roll-resistance creates a more relaxed and compliant progress, supported by cushy seats. Yet, aware that adopting such a dynamic stance could be denting non-domestic sales, French carmakers started looking towards Germany for inspiration. The last truly comfortable French cars were produced in the late-1980s, since when they have become progressively less resilient.
Peugeot is a brand that has appeared ‘lost’ at times, perhaps even incapable of managing the dynamic dichotomy. Citroen even sold out to the German market in that same period, failing ultimately to reach the high bar established by the German marques. The company’s 308 model range of 2007 grew off the back of the relatively disastrous 307, which had been blighted by unreliability, despite crisp lines and improved build quality. The first-gen 308 was not the prettiest in class but it was exceptionally frugal, especially in diesel form.
The second-generation of 2013 was a somewhat different proposition. It shed a lot of weight but grew in size in a vain attempt to corner German buyers. It was also a handsome vehicle, surprisingly well-balanced and factored in the choice of 247bhp, or 267bhp variants carrying restored ‘GTi by Peugeot Sport’ badging. Various Car of The Year awards were given to it. However, it was ruined by the introduction of Peugeot’s much-vaunted i-cockpit that introduced a tiny steering wheel, instruments that were obscured for taller seat occupants, with needles rotating in the wrong direction.
Now there is a third-generation 308, set for public launch in just a couple of months’ time. From the outset, the new 308 is available with a pair of plug-in hybrid powertrains, although both petrol and diesel engines continue in production. The PHEVs are either the 180bhp or the punchier 225bhp variants, each driving through an efficient 8-speed automatic transmission. Both vehicles are powered by a 12.4kWh electric battery and a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, with an 81kW electric motor, which provides them with an EV range of up to 37 miles. With CO2 emissions from just 25g/km, the 308 hybrids are also eligible for a Benefit-in-Kind taxation rate of just 11%, making them ideal for fleet and business users.
All PHEV variants come with a 3.7kW on-board charger as standard, with buyers able to add a faster, 7.4kW charger as an option. A full charge using the standard in-built device will take 3 hrs 50 mins, while the optional 7.4kW charger halves the recharge time. The regular versions use the familiar 130bhp 1.2-litre turbo-petrol triple, or the 1.5-litre BlueHDi that also develops 130bhp.
Having grown in almost every dimension, a 55mm longer wheelbase provides improved passenger space and a 16mm lower height gives a sleeker profile, although it is also 105mm longer than the outgoing 308. Up front, apart from the revised Peugeot logo, behind which are sited the radar sensors for its semi-autonomous driving aids, Eco LED headlamp units are fitted as standard from Active Premium trim grade, highlighted by trademark vertical LED daytime running lights. From Allure levels, the 308 features a slightly different LED treatment. GT and GT Premium models feature Full Matrix LED headlights, although the former ‘cat’s claw’ taillights are more subtle. The exterior design is more bolstered and looks a little overwrought from some angles.
Inside, all models feature Peugeot’s hateful i-cockpit, with a new multi-function tidgey steering wheel and a 10.0-inch HD capacitive colour touchscreen. Drivers can also choose between Eco, Normal, and Sport modes for petrol and diesel variants through a drive mode selector, while hybrid customers can select between Electric, Hybrid and Sport modes. If there is one clear cabin benefit, it lies in the tactile elements that include the high-grade plastic mouldings and piano-type switches.
Unsurprisingly, the 308 is packed with every imaginable item on the ADAS menu, some of which can be switched off, when the intervention starts to get annoying. Prices have been announced unusually and the new range starts at £24,000, which is almost £3,000 costlier than the outgoing model. The top hybrid GT model weighs in at a brave £38,800, which is going to demand a leap of faith even for hardened Peugeot customers, although hardly an option has remained unticked at the top of the shop, even down to massaging leather seats.
Bear in mind that the SW (estate) versions are even costlier and you can see what Peugeot is doing to close the gap to a future all-electric 308. It is pricing that will make an impact on potential sales and Peugeot needs to be careful of not jumping the gun a touch.
