Peugeot’s perky 308 a class act

In most ways, the 308 is a more elegant and refined package – when it comes to the interior – than the Golf. But it is bested by the Audi.

Design-wise, it follows the parameters of the Golf, offering a balanced, yet conservative shape, which contains decent leg room behind the front seats and in the boot.

For the price, though – R371 000 for the 1.2 PureTech Turbo Auto GT Line we had on test – you’d expect a lot, though.

And, what’s that about a 1.2 litre engine. Some mistake, surely? No mistake… and please don’t call me Shirley.

Well, that little three-cylinder engine has just won the 1-litre to 1.4-litre category at the 18th International Engine of the Year Awards held in Stuttgart. As voted by a panel of international journos… and for the second year in a row. So it’s not a dog.

Putting out 96kW in GT-Line tune (and 81kW in the other versions), the engine really is a little gem. There is little sign of turbo lag and there is a decent amount of torque available most of the way up the rev range. The threepot produces a half-V6 throaty growl, which grows on you. And it pushes the 308 along at a fair clip, too.

Because it has only three cylinders, you should, in theory at least, score on fuel consumption. And, in our hands, the 308, which is a fairly heavy car, returned between 7 and 8 litres per 100km in the city and well under 6l/100km on the open road.

On that note, it’s refreshing to see that Peugeot does not make any outrageous claims for fuel efficiency based on unrealistic lab-type tests. Earlier this year, the company joined up with some NGOs in Europe to report consumption of some of its products under real world conditions. These figures tallied almost exactly with what owners were getting.

Well done, monsieurs… why can’t the rest be this honest?

In any event, the 308 is an economical car and should prove a pleasure on a long trip, both to drive and at the pumps.

Handling is crisp and there is safety-first understeer which sets in when corners are attacked too fast, causing most drivers to lift their foot off the accelerator.

If there is one area of disappointment, it is in the fact that the low-profile tyres for the sporty GT Line set-up don’t do the ride any favours. It is unusually firm… at least by French, and Peugeot, standards.

The 308 is not cheap – but what is, these days?

It is, however, a viable and left-field alternative to the quality Germans. And that, in itself, is a major achievement.