Peugeot 308

It was making wait, but finally the new Peugeot 308 has made an appearance. One of the benchmark compacts in the European segment is completely updated for its third generation. A model with a long history that has managed, for logical reasons, to be very important, both at a market level and at a commercial level within its own home, where it has recently been displaced by the strong SUV trend.

To know the history of the 308 we must go back a few years ago, more specifically until the year 1969, which is when the first Peugeot 304 went on sale. Over the years, the new generations have been increasing the last number one by one, until reaching the first of the generations of the 308 saga in 2007. Today Peugeot maintains that denomination, as occurs in other models of the house such as the Peugeot 208 o Peugeot 508.

The outgoing generation, the Peugeot 308 from 2014, leaves excellent reviews and sales figures along the way. The third generation is presented in March 2021, the date set for the Geneva Motor Show, which was finally unable to open its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its commercial launch took place in the summer of that same year., months later the Peugeot 308 SW makes an appearance, the long-awaited family variant.

Technical characteristics of the Peugeot 308

The old 308 had the honor of being the first to release the PSA Group's EMP2 platform. The new generation continues that path, although in this case it enjoys an updated variant. It is the same modular architecture that we can see in other products of the conglomerate, such as the Peugeot 3008, Peugeot Rifter, Opel Grandland X or Citroen C4 SpaceTourer. In this particular case it has been adapted to include alternative mobility systems.

As is normal in the industry, each new generation grows in size with respect to the predecessor. The Peugeot 308 grows with respect to the previous generation. Officially announces some levels of 4,37 meters long, 1,85 meters wide and 1,44 meters high. To these dimensions must be added a wheelbase of 2,67 meters, five centimeters more. the 308 SW grows to 4,64 meters in length, keeping the width and height exactly the same.

All this translates into a generously sized compact that offers interior space for a maximum of five passengers, three of them located in a slightly narrow rear row in shoulder distance. In terms of cargo volume, the Peugeot 308 announces a minimum trunk volume of 412 liters, expandable to a maximum of 1.323 liters when the rear row is folded down completely. The most capable of the family is the Peugeot 308 SW, with a minimum trunk of 608 litres.

Mechanical range and gearboxes of the Peugeot 308

Despite using the EMP2 platform of the previous generation, the new Peugeot 308 has adapted the scheme to be able to offer a much wider range of engines, also complying with the latest obligations established by the European Union in terms of emissions, where it is essential the use of electrified systems. The initial range is made up of a diesel variant, a gasoline variant and two plug-in hybrid versions..

The entire gasoline division relies on the same engine. It is a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged block. Its most powerful version, at least for the moment, is the 308 PureTech 130 horsepower, which can be mated to a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic transmission. The only diesel unit announced is the 308 BlueHDI 130 hp, although more units are expected.

The novelty is the plug-in hybrids. The two existing ones have the same configuration: a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a 110-horsepower front electric motor and a central battery with a 12,4 kWh capacity. The access unit is the 308-horsepower 180 Hybrid and the most powerful is the 308-horsepower 225 Hybrid.. The difference lies in the power squeezed out by the gasoline engine. The approved electric autonomy is 60 kilometers for the access variant and 59 kilometers for the most powerful.

Equipment of the Peugeot 308

As expected, the new Peugeot 308 has been conceived with the already characteristic driving position of the French house. A state-of-the-art i-cockpit that continues to stand out for the low position of the steering wheel. Peugeot has wanted to take a step forward in terms of quality and finishes, offering a well-presented compact that is positioned one step above the usual finishes of the general range.

The range of equipment of the 308 and 308 SW is maintained with respect to what is usual in the French house. We find various levels, which from lowest to highest are: Active Pack, Allure, Allure Pack and GT. In each of them, not only the load of equipment is modified, but also the quality of the materials, the available mechanical range, and the design. Being able to go from a sober appearance to a more attractive and sporty one with the specific finishes.

As far as equipment is concerned, technology has focused much of the development of the 308. The French compact shows off the latest advances from the house. It is worth highlighting some elements such as: Full LED headlights, Head-Up Display, digital instrumentation, mobile connectivity, connected systems, 360º camera, multimedia system with touch screen up to 10 inches and a complete safety equipment and driving assistants.

Try Peugeot 308 on video

The Peugeot 308 according to Euro NCAP

The new generation of the French compact proves reliable in safety tests. In the spring of 2022 Euro NCAP analyzes the protection of the 308, awarding it four out of five safety stars. The results by sections are: 76 out of 100 in adult passenger protection, 84 out of 100 in child passenger protection, 68 out of 100 in pedestrian vulnerability and 65 out of 100 in driving assistants.

The Peugeot 308 of Km 0 and second hand

Throughout its history, the successive variants of the Peugeot 300 saga have been among the best-selling in their category. The Peugeot 308 has been a success in the markets, although the new one will not have it so easy before the barrage of new models that have made an appearance. Secondary sales channels will continue to be important, although at the moment we cannot determine what the estimated depreciation of the new model will be, but an acceptable price-product ratio can be expected.

If we take a look at the second-hand market we see a multitude of options for outgoing generation, which shows a depreciation of around 32,5%. The most affordable models start at amounts close to 1.000 euros for first-generation diesel models with more than 200 thousand accumulated kilometers. The Km 0 channel also offers interesting alternatives, all of them from the outgoing generation. Offered with significant discounts before the arrival of the new unit.

Peugeot 308 rivals

Once more the Peugeot 308 is part of the European compact segment. Despite the fact that its sales do not have as much weight as it did years ago, the C segment is still very important for the brands, and for this reason they all fight with at least one model in the category. The rivals of the French are found within the general category, where we can count several dozen units. The most representative and important rival models are: SEAT Leon, Honda Civic, Opel Astra, Mazda 3, Kia ceed, Renault Mégane, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Volkswagen Golf o Toyota Corolla. As we have already said, all of them are rivals by category, size, characteristics and prices, although few offer the technical diversity of the new 308.

Highlight

• Integrated
• Varied mechanical range
• price-output ratio

To improve

• driving position
• media system
• Fair space in the rear seats

Peugeot 308 prices

Despite the considerable changes and succulent improvements suffered by the French compact, Peugeot's pricing policy sets realistic amounts for the market. The starting price of the Peugeot 308 is 24.099 euros, without offers or promotions. That amount refers to a model with Active Pack access finish and PureTech gasoline mechanics with 130 horsepower and manual transmission. The most expensive of all is the 308-horsepower 225 GT Pack hybrid. Its price, without offers or promotions, starts at 43.480 euros.

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