At the intersection of modern design flair, practicality, versatility and performance you’ll find the Peugeot 308 Touring.
Since a preview in the form of the 308 SW Prologue concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the production 308 Touring has garnered awards and kudos from designers (automotive and non-automotive) from around the world.
What You Get
Design awards are nice but in the tough world of automotive retailing, a wagon won’t make the grade unless it delivers the practicality and convenience buyers demand. The 308 Touring does that with seven seats, luxury and French style.
Car Showroom tested the range-topping XSE variant with its 2.0-litre diesel engine and beautiful leather-trimmed interior. By any measure, this is a wagon for today – it seats seven in a compact, urban-friendly package, has variable load configurations and diesel enviro-cred – just the sort of wagon you’d expect those savvy Parisian families to drive.
The Engine
Peugeot’s excellent 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is a contemporary European engine – it performs well, it’s quiet, economical and clean.
Maximum power is 100 kW and peak torque (on overboost) is 340Nm. Peugeot says the combined cycle fuel consumption is 7.1l/100kms and C02 emissions are rated at 187g/km. Fuel tank capacity is 60 litres.
Our test car drove the front wheels via a six-speed sequential automatic transmission – the manual is also a six-speeder.
With years of diesel-powered passengers cars in their repertoire, European manufacturers like Peugeot ‘get’ the diesel thing better than anyone – the 308 Touring is a perfect example with zero to 100km/h in 13.2 seconds and relaxed highway cruising. Now if only Australian fuel retailers will step up to the mark and stop treating all diesels like interstate trucks.
The Interior
You’ll have to go a long way to find a smarter interior than the 308 Touring. The second row is actually three individual seats, which – like the two-seat third row – can be quickly removed for maximum load versatility.
Up front, the driver and passenger seats are straight from the 308 hatchback. They are nicely sculptured and with 230mm of fore-aft adjustment, even lanky Aussies should be able to find comfort.
The three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel adjusts for rake and reach to provide a nice driving position. Unusually these days, the wheel is naked (it’s just used for steering!) with remote controls for the cruise control and audio on separate stalks.
Instrumentation too is very conventional - four gauges with stylish graphics and white backgrounds.
XSE models (as tested) secure the center-mounted RT4 multimedia satellite navigation system with six-speaker CD sound including MP3, Bluetooth and speed-sensitive volume control.
Second row passengers score ‘aircraft style’ tables mounted in the rear of the front seats plus their own individual slide/recline functions.
The two third row seats are really only suitable for children but the smart feature is their easy removal/installation - complete with colour-coded plastic plugs to fill the boltholes in the floor (the French are big on aesthetics).
That versatility is designed for cargo and with all rear seats removed, the 308 Touring can jam-in 2149 litres worth (508 litres with all seats in place). Cleverly (again!) the front passenger seat can also fold flat to provide a load length up to 3.10 metres.
Exterior & Styling
When you have the stylish 308 hatchback as you basic starting point, chances are the wagon too will be a styling standout. We reckon the 308 Touring and Ford Mondeo are the style leaders of the European wagon gang – and there are some real beauties in that team.
The 308 Touring’s front end is straight from the hatch – that steeply sloping, sharply contoured bonnet, large under-bumper grille, massive wraparound headlights and prominent Peugeot ‘lion’ badge.
For the side view, add a surprisingly large third window and thick rear-facing C-pillar. Five-spoke 16-inch alloys prominently fill the wheel wells for a sporty look
At the rear, the wraparound tailgate glass looks impressive and the XSE’s prominent chrome strip/opening lever brings splash of colour.
The Car Showroom juniors loved the massive panoramic glass roof with its electrically operated sunblind.
On the Road
When it comes to driving dynamics, Peugeot certainly has it all together these days. Like the larger 407 Touring, the 308 rides on one of the best chassis currently coming out of Europe – independent McPherson strut front end and a smart u-shaped deformable cross member at the rear located by two arms and a hollow anti-roll bar.
Around town that combo delivered a refined and quiet ride, predictably firm and precise in the European way. The 2.0-litre turbo required careful selection of gear ratios to ensure rapid acceleration when joining freeways but it certainly was zippy enough for Melbourne’s commuter action.
The 308 delivers excellent all-round visibility which combined with the XSE’s rear parking sensors to make our city car park a piece of cake (not many wagons can claim that attribute).
Over our high-speed mountain roads test the 308 was again very poised.
Challenges
We were a tad surprised to be caught out a couple of times with the 2.0-litre turbo engine not quite on-boost. And the stalk-mounted cruise control and remote operation for the audio and trip computer are somewhat cumbersome.
Verdict
Wagons are under the spotlight following Ford’s decision to end Falcon wagon production due to poor sales. We reckon the high-standard European wagons – like the 308 – provide just about everything a serious wagon buyer needs with abundant style and nice driving dynamics.
So if you’re a wagon buyer, don’t automatically look straight to SUVs to replace the Falcon, the Peugeot 308 Touring will surprise you with its all-round competence.
The Competition
Peugeot responded quickly to the 1 January reduction in imported vehicle tariffs with some substantial price cuts. Entry to the 308 Touring family (1.6XS) is now $31,590 while the range-topping 2.0 HDi XSE auto we tested is very sharply priced at $39,390.
Citroen’s funky C4 Picasso is a little more expensive but has abundant interior space and rear air suspension.
From America, the Dodge Journey is definitely worth a look.
Likes:
Winner in the Looks Department; versatile interior; quality
Dislikes:
Cumbersome cruise control; turbo-lag
