Peugeot 308 SW: Who said estate cars had to be boring?

If the second generation of Peugeot 308 marked a before and after in the history of the French compact, the third is a leap into the abyss. It is for several reasons, although the general public will stay with the aesthetic evolution what is between one and the other. And it is logical, because although the last 508 gave clues as to where the shots would go, we could never imagine that they would launch such an attractive and aggressive model. And the family version was yet to be known…

Until now, that they have presented in society the new 308 Peugeot SW. His official debut has not caught us by surprise, since some time ago they announced that it would arrive this June. What has surprised us, and for good, is the twist they have given to the concept of family bodies. If you are looking for a spacious model, with character and flee from the increasingly hackneyed SUV's, this is your car. And we tell you why...

The image of the Peugeot 308 SW is very dynamic and attractive. Bravo for its designers!

If you do a bit of memory, you will remember that a few weeks ago we showed you some renders that showed how this new Peugeot 308 SW could be. Well, it seemed that its creator, Kolesa, had a direct line with the creative team of the house of the lion, because he has not failed in practically any detail. Especially when it comes to finishing off the rear, the area that changes the most compared to the five-door hatchback that we already met in March.

As expected, the front of the new 308 SW is identical to that of the compact. The design begins to change from the "B" pillar, as the ceiling drop is less pronounced. This is necessary, since it must offer a space for the occupants and the most usable load. In addition, as differentiating details we have some attractive roof rack and a third side moon which, in addition to reducing visual weight, brings more light to the cabin.

What if the new Peugeot 308 SW looked like this render? Would you like it?

Finally we have the rear. As we have mentioned before, it is the area that changes the most and, contrary to what it might seem, it maintains the dynamic character of the hatchback. Especially for the spoiler that crowns the rear window, the Full LED optics or the rib that divides the gate. Nor can we ignore the trims of the exhaust outlets that, by the way, are false. The rest of the elements, such as alloy wheels or shades, are shared.

Identical interior, except that it offers more capacity for the boot…

From inside the doors basic lines that define the dashboard design or the technology on board are shared with the compact. The main novelty provided by the new Peugeot 308 SW is limited to the cargo space thanks to the fact that the rear overhang has increased its size by 21 centimeters. In this way it can offer a volume of trunk what about the 608 liters (with five seats) and 1.634 liters (with the three rear folded).

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The total capacity is not record high, but they also reach gadgets to increase versatility. The rear bench can be folded in 40/20/40 portions and even load objects over 1,85 meters long. As a complement, the gate can have a hands-free function and the cargo area boasts "extras" such as a 12-volt socket, bag hooks, LED lighting or two nets to store objects.

Logical and rational mechanical offer shared with its hatchback brother: hybrid versions included...

Finally we will talk about the mechanical offer of the 308 Peugeot SW. Unsurprisingly, it's shared with the hatchback. So in gasoline we have the modern and reliable block 1.2 Pure Tech with powers of 110 CV y 130 CV respectively. For its part, the only diesel engine in the range is the 1.5 BlueHDI with 130 CV of power The associated transmission is a 6-speed manual except in the most powerful, which can be an EAT8 automatic.

Plug-in hybrid versions (PHEV) HYBRID 180 e HYBRID 225 will also be present. Both resort to a 1.6 PureTech petrol block with 150 hp for the first and 180 hp in the case of the second. Both share the 110 hp electric motor and the lithium ion battery with 12,4 kWh of energy capacity. The autonomy, in electric driving, is around 60 kilometers, making it worthy of the DGT label 0.

Later, in a second commercial phase, a one hundred percent electric version. However, still no technical details about this project, nor if the SW family body will benefit from it. Perhaps new data will arrive when the sale of this second version starts in early 2022. In between, we'll get to know your official price list and equipment possibilities for the Spanish market.

Source - Peugeot