Premium bonding

New 308 combines style and practicality

Estate cars are, as I’m sure you know, a particular passion of mine and I’ve owned a few over the years, from a Citroen BX to several Ford Escorts and a cavernous Peugeot 504.

Generally, estates drive as well as their saloon relatives but are a whole lot more useful, and this week we’re testing the new Peugeot 308.

The current 508 estate is the great grandchild of my 504 and it’s a wonderful looking car. The 308 SW (as Peugeot refers to its estates) is also attractive, but perhaps less so than its bigger brother. They make a PHEV version of the 308 and next year a pure electric model will hit the roads too.

The 308 shares a platform with the new Vauxhall Astra – and there is an electric one of those on its way.

This week we’re testing a more old-school powertrain that comprises a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and an eight-speed auto gearbox.

You can’t buy a 308 or 308 SW with a manual gearbox in the UK, but that’s no issue since the auto box is very smooth and efficient.

Our test car is in Allure Premium spec which is one above entry level but below the posher GT and GT Premium trims. This means a price of £29,220.

The GT trims give you more sporty styling but also an electric tailgate as standard. That’s a gadget that none of my estate cars had but which I quite like. However, they’re not so good when the car is old and the struts need replacing as they tend to be rather expensive.

What really matters in an estate car is space. As with previous generations of 308, the SW has a longer wheelbase than the hatchback although in this one it’s only 55mm longer which is about half of what it was before. Nevertheless, the boot space is substantially bigger than the hatchback’s (by 50%), holding 608 litres when the rear seats are in place and 1,634 litres when they’re folded flat.

There’s also a twin-level adjustable boot floor on all SWS apart from the entry level model.

Rear leg and headroom are apparently improved according to

Peugeot, but it’s such a small increase that you’d be really hard pushed to notice it.

Another thing that you’re unlikely to notice is the increased weight over the hatchback.

We drove both the hatch and the SW with exactly the same powertrain and both cars handle well and offer the occupants a comfortable ride, in-keeping with what is a French

tradition.the latest 308 SW is a stylish and practical newcomer which has an interior that matches the outside for distinctive design.

The are rivals that are more spacious, especially for passengers, but none have the visual appeal of the Peugeot.

I’d spend a bit more and get the even more appealing styling of the GT and its electric tailgate.