
Peugeot 308 (2014–)
Last updated 12 February 2019
Depending on the age of the car a 1.2 Puretech might be due a software update for the engine ecu. There's has been a software update campaign for the older Puretech 130s that Peugeot / Citroen main...
Introduction
This 308 is the closest Peugeot has yet come to building a car that's genuinely good enough to compete with the likes of the Honda Civic and ever-popular Ford Focus.
Compared to its ugly predecessor, the latest 308 is a huge step forward in every regard, particularly design and quality. It's off to a good start too being crowned, albeit somewhat surprisingly, European Car of the Year for 2014.
In terms of looks the 308 has a neat if unadventurous design but it is much better proportioned than the old model and loses the ugly front end. But it's inside where you notice the biggest change.
There's a completely new layout that's far more stylish than before with an innovative cabin and a minimalist design. The decluttered look is a welcome change at a time when cars are laden with buttons and controls. Instead, the majority of functions are controlled through a large colour touch screen.
Like the smaller 208, the 308 also adopts Peugeot's small steering wheel which isn't to everyone's taste but does have a quality feel to it. In fact that quality feel is prevalent throughout the interior with a solid finish and tactile materials. It's a practical hatchback too with good rear passenger space and a useful 470-litre boot
The new 308 is considerably lighter than its predecessor thanks to a new chassis and this aids the handing which is far better. The steering has a nice weight to it and it's assured in corners. The ride is another highlight with the 308 very smooth even on rough roads with little wind noise. Only a clunky manual gear shift lets it down.
There's a wide choice of engines in the 308 with impressively efficient HDi diesels - the 1.6 BlueHDi emits just 82g/km of CO2 yet still develops 120PS. But it's the new 1.2-litre THP petrol engine that really stands out. Despite its small size the three-cylinder engine is a real gem and gives strong performance with the top version producing 130PS yet with official economy of more than 60mpg.