Peugeot hopes its new 308 will move the company upmarket, taking on not just the Volkswagen
Golf, but the Audi A3 and the Mercedes A class as well.
Can the posh Peugeot really take on the Germans?
Well, that's what we're here, at the UK launch to find out.
Those upright lines certainly look quite Germanic, and while the 308 won't turn many heads, it's
handsome in a subtle kind of way.
There are some nice details too, like the shapely bonnet and those super bright LED
headlights, standard on high spec models.
The car I'm driving today is the 1.6 liter diesel which comes in three power outputs.
This is the middle one with 113 brake horsepower, and that's enough to get it to 62 miles an
hour in just over 10 seconds.
That's plenty quick.
picking up for a family hatchback, although it doesn't feel quite as punchy at low revs
as some other diesels.
You do need to work it a bit on country roads.
Peugeot claims impressive fuel economy of 74 miles per gallon, however the most efficient
version of its smaller 208 was over 20mpg short of claims in our tests.
Click the link to read our car reviews and get the truth about fuel economy.
Everyone is penny-pinching nowadays, of course, but even so I'd be tempted to hang on for
one of the turbo-charged 3 cylinder petrol engines which are due in spring 2014.
They won't be quite as efficient as this diesel, but they'll be cheaper It's a buy and if Ford's
similar eco-boost petrol engines are anything to go by, it should also be more fun to drive.
Oh yes, fun.
Even the once stodgy Golf feels pretty agile on a twisty road now, but Peugeot has refused
to tick the box marked sporty.
This car is built for comfort, not speed.
Whether that's a good thing, depends on your point of view.
The 308 It does roll a bit when cornering, as you can see.
But the payoff is a really smooth ride.
It's vastly more comfortable than a Mercedes A class for example.
I'd appreciate a bit more feedback through the steering though.
It's very light which is fine around town, but not so good when you up your speed a bit.
The steering wheel itself is pretty controversial too.
It's so small it wouldn't look out of place on a go-kart.
the idea being that you read the dials over the top of the wheel rather than through it.
I actually think this small wheel feels fine once you get used to it.
And the same goes to this central touch screen which controls everything from the air con
to the sat nav.
That's left the dashboard free of all the usual clutter.
And it really is quite stylish.
I hate to make another comparison with the Germans, but there is something very Audi-esque
about this very minimal design.
Quality is much improved over Peugeots of the past and there's plenty of space in the
front.
It's a bit cramped for adults in the back though.
The boot holds 470 liters according to Peugeot, compare that to the 316 liters Ford quotes
for the Focus.
The medium hatchback market is fiercely competitive and much comes down to what you get for your
money.
But the good news is that while the 308 has premium aspirations.
it doesn't have a premium price.
In fact, it is about 2000 pounds cheaper than the equivalent Golf.
Where the Peugeot does fall short bought is its warranty.
Three years and 60,000 miles of cover pales alongside the five and seven year deals of
some rivals.
And that's a worry because overall Peugeot reliability was rated poor in the 2013 Which?
car survey.
Let's hope the 308 can reverse that trend The new 308 is a big improvement over the
car it replaces.
It's stylish, comfortable, well equipped and good value.
A contender then if not necessarily a class leader.
If you get given a 308 as company car.
That's no bad thing, but I'd wait until we have that all important reliability data from
the Which? car survey before spending my own money on one.