the midsize five-door hatchback the volkswagen golf the ford focus used to
be european's favorite type of car but that was before the suv and nowadays we buy three suvs
to every one midsize hatchback but here's a car that hopes to stop all that peugeot's new
308
there are three compelling reasons why you might choose a 308 over an suv one it's electrified
there'll be two plug-in hybrid engines that launch and a pure electric version is coming too
secondly it's efficient it's lighter than an suv and it has better aerodynamics and of course
you'll get better fuel economy and thirdly it's really rather lovely inside it's got
a real upmarket quality push there are big digital touch screens with a new infotainment
system called i connect and there's a bit more space than in the outgoing model
when it comes to design the 308 embraces the peugeot family look it's got those led fang
daytime running lights you've seen on the 208 and 508 and a grill with horizontal silver accents
to make the car look wider and rear claw lamps peugeot's also kept the side profile much the same
so the glass house and rear pillar have that same graphical shape as the outgoing cars
what you might not have noticed is the new proportions compared with the outgoing car the
bonnet is longer that pushes the cabin backwards and the wheels are pushed out closer to the ends
of the car it's lower too all of this adds up to make the new 308 look more dynamic and sporty
and if you're sizing one up for your garage this 308 measures 4.36 meters long by 1.85 meters wide
so the first thing you'll notice about the new 308 is that enormous new peugeot line badge i mean you
can't miss it it's so big that it's dropped the lower number plate down onto the bumper there at a
speed bump bothering heights now there are a couple of really nice design secrets about that
new logo first thing is the radar the thing that looks ahead and spots if the autonomous emergency
braking needs to kick in because the traffic in front has stopped that's hidden behind the badge
and the second thing is there was no firm decision to actually put it on this car
but when the designers were sketching their proposals for the new fareweights all of them kept
drawing the new line badge on the front and in the end the executives decided to start putting it
onto this car when it comes to engines peugeot's mantra is to offer customers the power of choice
at launch in the uk there'll be one diesel one petrol and two plug-in hybrids the diesel is a 1.5
litre four-cylinder units with 130 horsepower the cars mpg figures are still being certified but the
diesel should emit 117 grams of co2 per kilometer that's four grams saving over the outgoing car
and that's down to peugeot's holistic approach to efficiency
the 308 may be bigger but it's no heavier than the outgoing car and improved aerodynamics reduce drag
the 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol engine comes with 130 horsepower
both the diesel and petrol are coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission
but the zeitgeist low tax engines are the two plug-in hybrids both combine a four-cylinder
petrol engine with an electric motor and the eight-speed auto this is the hybrid 225 the
performance flagship with 180 horsepower with 36 miles of electric range its co2 emissions are just
26 grams per kilometer the hybrid 180 packs 150 horsepower it offers an extra mile of electric
range so 37 miles and a gram less co2 so it makes 25 grams per kilometer the hybrid's lithium-ion
battery will take about two hours to charge off a seven kilowatt wall box or seven hours off a plug
purge says the new 308 offers a big step up in quality and there are some lovely touches
like this aluminium door insert and some piano gloss black trim around the air vents and the
seats are really comfy with some lovely green highlight stitching peugeot claims there's up
to 34 liters of stowage in the cockpit there's a big cubby under the armrest a couple of cupholders
and in the door bins there's space for a big bottle of water in comes that bank of digital
keys which peugeot calls i toggle allowing owners to shortcut their most used functions
the 10 inch central touchscreen is standard and it has a tile approach where apps or widgets can
be deployed on pages a lot like a smartphone or tablet this infotainment is called i connect by
peugeot the screen is set lower than before which makes it with an easy reach but that does mean the
driver's eyes will drop a little lower the good news is there's also a digital drivers display
which comes on a 10 inch screen with lots of lovely animations and customizable screens
on upper spec trims like this gt premium it comes with a 3d effect too up to eight drivers profiles
and infotainment settings can be established and two phones linked simultaneously and wirelessly
the wheelbase stretch of five centimeters has mostly been channeled into the rear seats
boosting leg room there's plenty of headroom too the boot will stir a decent 412 liters on
the combustion engine hatchbacks this dips to 361 litres on plug-in hybrid models due to the
battery beneath the boot floor fold the rear seats flat and you get 1 323 liters of cargo capacity
so that's our first look at peugeot's new 308 five-door hatchback uk delivery should begin in
the final three months of the year but what do you think does it have enough substance and style to
make you shun that suv if you don't need the extra space and practicality it's probably a no-brainer
but let us know what you think in the comments below and stay tuned to
parker's website and social channels for our first drive which is set for september time
so
you