It’s a testament to how far Peugeot has come recently that my wife, who has minimal interest in cars, also saw this Peugeot 308 at our house and wanted to know more about it. Healthy sales in Europe (second only to VW) also confirm this as the revitalization of the brand picks up.
This particular 308 is the most powerful on sale, if not really a GTI-lite then at least something with the power to make things interesting. It is a plug-in hybrid, with a 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a 109hp electric motor for a total of 221hp and all mated to a front-wheel drive configuration via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
That’s good for 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, a second behind rival VW Golf GTE with its 243bhp. The difference in claimed CO2 emissions is close and in favor of 308 – 26g/km on the Pug, 27 on the VW – and Peugeot’s press release clearly matters where it is marketing this car. Fleet sales are high on the agenda. An electric range of 37 miles is roughly the same—we managed 35 miles on a hot summer day and we weren’t overly gentle on the throttle.
Incidentally, the Golf looks a bit cheap on paper (£38,725) but the Peugeot comes with Alcantara and leather-effect seats as standard and they are £2,380 on the Golf so it swings and swivels.
The rest of the interior is smart, but not as user-friendly as some. The position of the steering wheel still bothers me – Peugeot keeps up with the small, low steering wheel setup, so looking at the instruments is a neck-craning exercise.
But at least there are some switches under the touchscreen so it doesn’t play entirely on the screen. The big menu buttons help too.
On the road, the 225 PHEV 308 performs just as well as its ICE sibling. The 1.2 Petrol has got 4.5 stars for ‘handling and stability’ in our recent road test and this version performs equally well. Peugeot traces its long-forgotten lineage, but with the kind of grip, balance and overall dexterity that makes it as interesting to drive as it is to watch. Importantly, it was not sacrificed at the altar of driving comfort.
It’s a testament to how far Peugeot has come recently that my wife, who has minimal interest in cars, also saw this Peugeot 308 at our house and wanted to know more about it. Healthy sales in Europe (second only to VW) also confirm this as the revitalization of the brand picks up.
This particular 308 is the most powerful on sale, if not really a GTI-lite then at least something with the power to make things interesting. It is a plug-in hybrid, with a 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a 109hp electric motor for a total of 221hp and all mated to a front-wheel drive configuration via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
That’s good for 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, a second behind rival VW Golf GTE with its 243bhp. The difference in claimed CO2 emissions is close and in favor of 308 – 26g/km on the Pug, 27 on the VW – and Peugeot’s press release clearly matters where it is marketing this car. Fleet sales are high on the agenda. An electric range of 37 miles is roughly the same—we managed 35 miles on a hot summer day and we weren’t overly gentle on the throttle.
Incidentally, the Golf looks a bit cheap on paper (£38,725) but the Peugeot comes with Alcantara and leather-effect seats as standard and they are £2,380 on the Golf, so it swings and swivels.
The rest of the interior is smart, but not as user-friendly as some. The position of the steering wheel still bothers me – Peugeot keeps up with the small, low steering wheel setup, so looking at the instruments is a neck-craning exercise.
But at least there are some switches under the touchscreen so it doesn’t play entirely on the screen. The big menu buttons help too.
On the road, the 225 PHEV 308 performs just as well as its ICE sibling. The 1.2 Petrol has got 4.5 stars for ‘handling and stability’ in our recent road test and this version performs equally well. Peugeot traces its long-forgotten lineage, but with the kind of grip, balance and overall dexterity that makes it as interesting to drive as it is to watch. Importantly, it was not sacrificed at the altar of driving comfort.
