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By
EWAN KENNEDY
17 March 2008
Everywhere we went with the new Peugeot 308 hatchback over the
last week the French machine drew admiring looks. And plenty of
comments anytime we stopped in car parks or outside one of our
favourite cafes on the Gold Coast.
The Peugeot 308 is an excellent example of the
latest thinking in Gallic automotive flair. From the oversized
grille that flows back into an elegant bonnet flanked by elongated
headlights that go way back a long way towards the windscreen, a
‘screen with a shape that flows over into the domed roof, and
finally to a dramatically swooping tail, the 308 is all
fascinating lines and European elegance. Why, even the door
mirrors have plenty of excitement in their shape as the designers
have gone to the nth degree in their search for looks.
The flair continues into the interior, with one of
the most integrated and stylish dash and console areas we have
seen for a long time. The seats have plenty of interesting lines
and the doors are works of art in their use of design and
materials selected.
But does it all work in a practical manner as well
as being stylish? Thankfully, the answer is generally yes. There
are drawbacks in having a huge windscreen: too much sunshine
enters and, while the air conditioning is up to the job of cooling
the Peugeot down quickly, having it standing in the sun for more
than a few minutes certainly pumps lots of heat inside.
Our test example of the 308 also had a huge glass
roof, not an opening roof in the manner of a conventional sunroof,
but a large tinted-glass panel to make for an airy interior.
Thankfully, there's a powered shade that completely shuts out the
sun. So, unlike some competitors that rely on not much more than a
piece of shade cloth to keep the sun away, the Peugeot 308’s
roof can give a totally closed feel.
The light colours of the dashboard received a lot
of praise from those who are becoming tired of the relentless use
of black and near-black for their finish. But the downside of the
light colours is that they can reflect in the windscreen. Most of
the time there's no problem at all, but occasionally the angles of
the incoming light cause irritating bounce back to the driver’s
eyes.
Peugeot has given us a car with a good-sized rear
seat with plenty of space for two people and room for a child in
the centre-rear position. This is a medium-sized car and has good
legroom for its class, however making space for long-legged
individuals in the back necessitates some compromise with the
person sitting ahead of them. The centre console is a large unit,
but goes a fair way back and steals some legroom from the centre-rear
occupant.
The boot, at 430 litres, is one of the biggest in
its class and comes with a fascinating rear shelf that has an
inbuilt stowage area that can cope with an umbrella, tennis racket
and the like. This extra stowage area is hinged front and rear so
can be easily opened from inside the car or when standing outside
the boot.
The Peugeot 308 is set up as a lifestyle vehicle
in the modern manner and has an audio system that can be optioned
up to include a 30 Giga byte hard drive capable of holding up to
180 hours of music.
In the new Peugeot 308 the ride comfort that was
much praised in the now-superseded 307 has been retained, but the
handling has been sharpened up. It is so well balanced that it can
be difficult to pick this as being a front-drive car until you
push it hard at corners. Even then the understeer that eventually
starts to dominate is never objectionable and will prove to be a
handy safety featured for inexperienced drivers.
Peugeot continues to push hard in the turbo-diesel
stakes in the Australian market, having been active in this fuel
saving segment for many years before others joined the rush. Our
test 308 came with a 2.0-litre unit producing 100 kilowatts and
320 Nm. There's also a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel as well as a pair of
1.6-litre petrol engines, one with a turbo the other without.
Turbo lag is minimal in this big 2.0-litre diesel
and it’s only when you are taken by surprise in the need for
sudden acceleration could it prove to be a hassle. Our car came
with an advanced six-speed automatic transmission and it was
willing to adapt quickly to changes in driving style, thus
complementing the engine and getting the best from the economical
powertrain. There's also a fast acting tiptronic-type override
should the driver feel they understand their needs more so than
does the automatic.
Fuel consumption was generally in the six to seven
litres per hundred kilometres on the motorway and in flat-country
cruising, and sat between seven and nine litres per hundred
kilometres in commuting conditions.
An excellent combination of fashion, flair and
function seems sure to attract a lot of buyers for this latest
Peugeot to hit Australia. Particularly from those tired of the
clinical efficiency of German cars.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
XS 1.6-litre petrol five-door hatch - $25,990
XS HDi 1.6-litre turbo diesel five-door hatch - $29,990
XSE 1.6-litre petrol five-door hatch - $30,390
XSE Turbo 1.6-litre turbo petrol five-door hatch - $30,590
XSE HDi 2.0-litre turbo diesel five-door hatch - $33,590
XTE 1.6-litre turbo petrol five-door hatch - $34,790
XTE HDi 2.0-litre turbo diesel five-door hatch - $37,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered in XS HDi; standard in XSE and
XTE models, $2000 option in other models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: $450 option in XS, standard in all other models
Traction Control: $450 option in XS, standard in all other models
SPECIFICATIONS (Peugeot XSE HDi 2.0-litre turbo
diesel five-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.997 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: NA
Bore/Stroke: 85.0 x 88.0 mm
Maximum Power: 100 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 320 Nm @ 2000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4276 mm
Wheelbase: 2608 mm
Width: 2038 mm
Height: 1519 mm
Turning Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb Mass: 1496 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
Towing Ability: 1700 kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam, two suspension arms, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.2 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 5.5 L/100 km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
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Marque Publishing Company
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