Peugeot 308 (2011) review
by David Finlay (13 May 2011)
Although it could reasonably be described as a mainstream car, the Peugeot 308 has never made as much impact in the C segment as its smaller relative, the 207, has among superminis. Last year, for example, only about a quarter as many examples of the 308 were registered in this country as of the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, while the Volkswagen Golf outsold it by nearly three to one.
The arrival of the 2011 model is unlikely to change any of that. The 308 was an impressive car when it was launched in 2007, but since then there has been a very new Focus, a very new Astra and a new-ish Golf. In sales terms, the leader of the pack, in the UK at least, is undoubtedly the Focus, and although there are things about it which deserve criticism it does at least feel like a car which could not possibly have been developed any earlier than the 21st century.
By contrast, the "new" 308 - which in fact differs only in detail from the old one - seems to be from a generation back. It would have caused great surprise if it had gone on sale in the 1990s, but I don't think it would have given anyone a fit of the vapours.
The most obvious, though probably least important, changes to the 308 concern its appearance. The basic shape of the hatchback, SW (estate) and CC (coupé-convertible) body styles remain unaltered, but there has been some reworking - particularly at the front, where the heavily revised grille/bumper arrangement is now a lot less brutal than it used to be.
Each version has also had some attention paid to the rear end, and that has generally been successful, though I'd question Peugeot's claim that the work done on the CC makes it look lower and wider than it really is. Having followed one for several miles, I'd say that it has had the opposite effect.
The design differences are, however, trivial compared with Peugeot's efforts to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. These include an average weight reduction of 25kg, the use on some models of low-rolling resistance tyres, along with some even geekier stuff.
Peugeot is most proud of the system fitted to its e-HDi models, all of which use the 112bhp 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine. e-HDi 308s, which feature one unit acting as both an alternator and a starter motor, are described as micro-hybrids, which is a suitably techno-impressive term considering how much work is involved (Peugeot has filed more than 30 patents) an the expense of it all (€300 million).
As far as the driver is concerned, though, e-HDi basically means that the car has a stop/start system, with all the benefits that that entails if you do a lot of urban driving. The main difference between this and a more conventional stop/start is that the engine is cut out and brought back to life incredibly smoothly; other benefits include an operating range which goes as far south as minus 5 degrees Centigrade and a rapid change-of-state time of 0.4 seconds.
Even more unusually, the engine will switch off if you select neutral while going as fast as 12mph (manual transmission) or 5mph (ECG semi-automatic). If you had done this during your driving test your examiner would have called a halt to proceedings straight away, and it's really not advisable behaviour once you have your licence, but no doubt the technique helps keep the official CO2 emissions as low as possible.
In the most extreme cases, an e-HDi 308 with the EGC transmission (not a favourite of mine, I have to say) has a CO2 rating of 98g/km, which means that it's exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty and the London congestion charge. And that's fine, except that there are rival cars of similar size which have even better figures, and the cheapest sub-100g/km 308 costs over £19,000, or nearly £4000 more than the cheapest car in the range.
If you live outside the congestion charge zone but have to commute into it, then, this car makes some financial sense. If not, not.
Despite Peugeot's understandable tendency to emphasise the green figures, there are still 308s designed more for performance than for economy. The most extreme examples are the ones with the 200bhp THP turbo petrol engine (in the hatchback and CC, but not the SW), though there's also a sturdy diesel available in 150bhp form with a manual gearbox or with 163bhp and automatic transmission. 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol engines are also available, the former being the cheapest and the latter available with an automatic box as a £1000 option.
Six trim levels are available, though the full range is offered only on the hatchback. Reading from the bottom up, they're called Access, SR (intended mainly for fleet customers), Active, Oxygo (available only in 98g/km form), Allure and GT. Prices range from £15,245 to £21,645 for the hatch, £16,245 to £23,395 for the SW and £21,295 to £27,545 for the CC.
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