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Peugeot 308 S HDi 90 5dr road test report

S HDi 90 5dr

When Peugeot decided that the popular small family car the 307 had come to the end of its natural lifespan you can imagine that someone high up in the company basically said “same again boys” or words to that effect, as the result, the Peugeot 308, looks and feels very much like its predecessor and more like a mid-life revision than an entirely new model. The Peugeot 308 is in one of the toughest automotive segments out there, a real battle ground where sales volumes are high and customer choice is equally as high – all major car makers have at least one model battling for sales here. How does the Peugeot 308 compare to the other heavyweights in the segment?

Road Test Reports Says 3.5 star rating
A front-facing image of the Peugeot 308 S HDi 90 5dr

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RICHARD SAYS

Performance Performance - 2 stars

Inside the Peugeot 308 is a highly efficient 1560cc diesel engine (a HDi unit capable of delivering 90 bhp) with real performance issues. While acceleration through the gears is good, the car is woefully under powered for the motorway, which means you need to really be aware of what is happening in front of you and anticipate the other road users much more than if you had a little extra power to call on to overtake or get yourself out of any potential trouble, this lack of performance is perfectly illustrated by looking at it’s 0-62mph time of 14.1 seconds. Compare this time with the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Studio and the Peugeot loses the race by 1.5 seconds, things don’t improve when you compare it to the VW Golf S 1.6 TDi which beats the 308 by 1.2 seconds. However it isn’t all doom and gloom, performance improves when travelling at lower speeds; the car has plenty of torque to call upon at lower speeds, so scooting about in the urban environment, quickly getting up to 30/40mph and back down again is performed without any fuss from the engine. One of the main selling points of this car is the efficiency of the engine, and yes it is impressive, the fuel economy stats make impressive reading with 62.7mpg returned on the combined cycle; and in real life conditions the fuel efficiency is equally impressive. On long runs the car hit mid to high 50s during the road test. Comparing the Peugeot with its contemporaries shows very similar levels of fuel efficiency – with the VW Golf attaining 62.8mpg, while the Ford Focus hits 62.7mpg. As you would expect with its small diesel engine and frugal fuel efficiency figures the car benefits from low CO2 emissions (120g/km) which makes the car slot neatly into category C for VED purposes.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 3 stars

Having driven several Peugeot 307’s over the years part of the cars appeal was that the handling was pretty precise, the car was easy to drive and gave the driver a good level of feedback, ride too was also fairly forgiving however things appear to have changed for the worse with the Peugeot 308. One of the complaints levelled at the old 307 was that it suffered with the car feeling heavy and sadly the new 308 retains the same affliction, the car feels cumbersome and heavy when cornering – much heavier than its small family car size; the car is also a little jittery when cornering on uneven roads, which can be a little disconcerting. Wide rear pillars were an issue with the 307 and the same problem remains on the 308; they simply eat into the available view when reversing, which can be a real issue.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

The old Peugeot 307 suffered with reliability issues, mainly revolving around the cars electrics and depollution engine faults; the Peugeot 308 would appear to have resolved the majority of these issues with far fewer complaints levelled against the car. One area which rarely sees any complaints is with Peugeots excellent bodywork, and again externally the car is well put together – panels, bonnet, and doors all fit together well, with the doors closing with a reassuring clunk. Inside the cabin the dominating colour (or should that be non-colour) was of grey; gray plastics and grey seating, however the quality of the plastics used lifted the interior with its Kevlar-like finish adding a dash of quality to the, well, dash. The quirkiness is provided by the handbrake the brake is positioned close to the gearbox but doubles back on itself, it worked perfectly well but just didn’t look right. The gearbox itself is a little springy with second to third gear a little too haphazard at times. Other frustrations revealed themselves in the form of the little storage areas and glove compartment being woefully short on space; with two tiny storages areas found directly above and below the air-con controls being particularly fine examples of un-useful space – this didn’t go unnoticed by passengers either!

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 5 stars

The French carmaker has certainly built a safe car, its Euro NCAP score of 5 stars is a really statement of success for the company. Regardless of trim level the car comes with six airbags. Further safety features, as standard, on the car include ABS, electronic brake force distribution (EBFD), and emergency brake assist (EBA). ESP is an optional extra on the model driven, available for £300. When looking at the security measures placed on the car, there is no reason to suspect that the car is a soft touch when it comes to car thieves, deadlocks have been used, along with a Thatcham category 2 immobiliser and remote central locking. All in all the car is up there with the best in class in terms of safety and security.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

Also available as a three door, the Peugeot 308 works much better as a five door, instead of two huge doors we get four well proportioned ones, making it much easier for rear passengers to get in and out of the vehicle. Space in the front is good; the seat is adjustable, as is the steering wheel making it suitable for the short and tall amongst us. The dash very much has the Peugeot feel, with nothing much altered from the later 307s; in fact it all feels very much like the previous model inside the cabin – you would be hard pressed to tell it’s a later generation of car if you put this at the side of a four year old 307. Having said that it all works well and is simple and intuitive; a minor gripe would be the lack of any trip/audio controls on or around the steering wheel. One area which the car excels in its class is the amount of boot space on offer – easily beating both the Focus and the Golf by offering 420 litres with the rear seats up.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 3 stars

Weighing in at £16,495 the Peugeot 308 HDi 90 is slightly cheaper than the Ford Focus Studio 1.6 TDCi, and slightly more than the Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI which means the Peugeot has been priced in the upper echelons of the small family sized segment. The Peugeot 308 is a popular fleet choice with large volumes sold to businesses, and the French carmaker is well geared in offering competitive servicing levels and parts – so expect the car not to be overly draining on the pocket. Servicing interval is 12000 miles which is pretty much segment standard, and thanks to the frugal diesel engine the car will literally carry on driving effortlessly for much farther than you would think. Perhaps the cars strongest selling point is the ease in which it can (leisurely) clock through the miles with the fuel gauge not moving. Expect residuals to be pretty weak on the car, high volume business sales will see to that.

Submitted: 06/08/2009 09:03:05

DAVE SAYS

Performance Performance - 2 stars

The 308 is one of the latest editions to the Peugeot range, and seems to be the natural successor to the 307. I drove the entry-level edition, with a 1.6 diesel engine, giving you 90 BHP to play with. Though this seems low for a car of this size and weight, it copes admirably producing reasonable performance and excellent fuel economy. They’ve also managed to remove any kind of diesel lag from the lower range, so it gives you plenty of chance to set off quickly when the urban jungle requires it.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 2 stars

The only way I can describe the handling car, is as if it were a small car dressed as a big one. Where as it feels heavy when you’re cruising down a perfectly straight bit of motorway, as soon as you try to corner it, it feels light as a feather. Depending on the speed you’re doing, this is either a massive bonus as you cruise round those urban angles, or really rather scary as you’re going that little bit to fast and the car feels like it’s going to flip over with you in it!

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 3 stars

The 307, and in fact Peugeot’s in general, are not renowned for their reliability. Only time till tell whether the 308 can buck the trend. Having said that, everything did seem re-assuringly heavy, and there didn’t seem to be much by way of rattles and shakes as I drove it.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 3 stars

The 308 scored well in the Euro NCAP safety ratings, getting five out of five for adult occupant protection, four out of five for child protection and three out of four for pedestrian protection. This puts it level with the best cars in its’ class. All of the 308’s come with deadlocks, but the one I drove didn’t come with an alarm as standard. Unfortunately, the good folks at Peugeot didn’t see fit to rectify the age-old problem of the A-pillars either side of the windscreen, which appear in your line-of-sight every time you corner. Also, the windscreen washers completely cover the windscreen in an instant, leaving you completely unable to see if the sun happens to be shining in your direction. However, this is a feature you can get used to quite quickly, and choose to clean your windscreen at the opportune moment.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 2 stars

Both the cabin and the boot are far more spacious than the 307, and you sink back into the exceptionally comfortable seats. Unfortunately, I sank back so far that I couldn’t reach the stereo, though if you are comfortable sitting slightly closer to the steering wheel, this can easily be remedied.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

If you’re the kind of person who sits up at night worrying about trees, sea-levels and penguins, then you’ll be pleased to know that the 308 is very green indeed, spitting out only 120 g/km of CO2. This also ensures you won’t be paying much by way of road tax either. It also achieves a very economical 62.7mpg, meaning you won’t be visiting the petrol station too often.

Submitted: 06/08/2009 09:18:55

ANDY SAYS

Performance Performance - 4 stars

The Peugeot 308 comes with plenty of options when deciding which powerplant you want choose. The vast majority of 308 models you see on British roads will be fitted with one of the diesel engines available and there is good reason for this. We drove the 1.6 Hdi 90 BHP unit and it was quiet, refined and a pleasure to drive. Being a small-ish diesel unit, it is never going to impress with 0-60 stats but in real life driving conditions there was plenty of mid-range torque and the car cruised comfortably on the motorway. There are more powerful petrol units available and they no doubt give spirited performance, as an all round ownership prospect however we see no reason why you wouldn’t choose one of the diesel options available.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 4 stars

This section is usually the big selling point for Peugeot, the carmaker prides itself on providing a comfortable ride and entertaining handling and you can see that in the 308 it has tried to continue this theme. The 308 gives a very compliant ride which smoothes over road imperfections and when combined its refined nature, the car increases the feeling of isolation from the outside world. Where Peugeot may have struggled a little is with keeping the handling as entertaining as in previous models such as the 306 or 205. Peugeot has generally developed its cars over the years to become more family friendly and practical and it is inevitable that this will impact on the spirit of the car. If you stand the 308 next to the 306 you can certainly tell the difference in the market Peugeot is searching for.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

One thing which has improved for Peugeot in recent years is the quality of the materials used to build their vehicles. The cars have had a tendency to become heavier and more solid feeling as a result and the interior certainly gives the impression that you are driving a premium marque. When compared to the rest of the French manufacturers, Peugeot ranks itself as the best in terms of quality and refinement, this is reflected in the price of the cars but also the ownership experience. The one thing which has blighted Peugeot’s reliability record in recent years is problems with the computer management system, a trip to the dealer usually fixes this however and apart from that the reliability record is good.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 4 stars

Front side, passenger and driver airbags are standard on all of the 308 range, as are front seatbelt pre-tensioners. Whilst immobiliser is standard on all of the range, an alarm is not and neither is the electronic stability programme, found on most new vehicles. The 308 scored 5 stars on it’s Euro NCAP occupant test, 4 stars for it’s child test and 3 stars for the pedestrian test. Overall Peugeot have done very well in this sector will all of its vehicles over recent years making huge improvements over the results the range achieved for example, 10 years ago.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

Real improvement here for the 308, you could quite easily fit four adults and their luggage in what is a mid range hatchback and you cannot say this for all of its competitors. Peugeot have really majored in this sector and whilst this may have meant compromises have had to be made regards pure driving entertainment, they have probably opened themselves up to a much larger market as a result.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

At £16495 the 90 bhp ‘S’ spec 308 we drove is far from the top of the range but 110 BHP and sport spec is only around £1000 more and that is not really a huge jump when you take into account the difference it makes. Residual values have always been quite strong for Peugeot and choosing a diesel option will again improve your chances in this area. Contract hire rentals have never really been a strong point for Peugeot, the carmaker simply refuses to make deals available to compete with the headline deals sometimes available on marques such as Citroen. More of a retail prospect than a fleet buyers’ dream.

Submitted: 06/08/2009 09:21:38

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