Peugeot 308 vs Skoda Octavia vs Volkswagen Golf
The Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf family hatchbacks have just been updated with more ef cient petrol engines. Let’s see how they stack up against the frugal Peugeot 308
These family cars have all been recently updated with more ef cient engines. So, which is now the best buy?
TYPICAL. JUST AS everyone was getting used to family hatchbacks and even SUVS being fitted with smaller, turbocharged, often three-cylinder engines in search of better fuel economy and CO2 emissions, the Volkswagen Group goes and bucks the trend.
We’ll explain. You see, Skoda and Volkswagen are replacing their clever turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine with a 1.5-litre unit that, despite being bigger, is officially both cleaner and more efficient.
In the case of the Golf, we’re testing the new 1.5 in 128bhp form. Skoda offers the new engine only in 148bhp guise, yet the Octavia is still slightly cheaper.
Completing our trio is the Peugeot 308, which has recently been refreshed with new front and rear-end styling and updated infotainment. It also offers one of the most frugal petrol engines in the class, the turbocharged petrol 1.2 we’re testing here. So, which petrol-powered family hatchback makes the most sense?
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, re nement
The Octavia’s extra 20bhp over the Golf and better pull from low revs can certainly be felt on the road, helping it drag itself up to motorway speeds more quickly in the higher gears and sprint from a standstill with more verve. That said, the Golf never feels out of its depth, whether around town or when trying to keep pace with faster-moving traffic on A-roads. Both cars rev smoothly and also stay vibration-free at high revs.
The 308’s three-cylinder engine matches the outright power of the Golf’s four-cylinder unit. Unsurprisingly, it therefore matched the Golf in a drag race from 0-60mph, but the 308 doesn’t pull as hard at very low revs, which means you need to change gear more often when driving around town. There’s also noticeably more noise and vibration from the 308’s engine under hard acceleration.
The Golf’s steering is nicely weighted and feels natural, complementing the car’s eagerness to change direction, tidy body control and strong grip. The Octavia isn’t far behind, with steering that’s almost as agreeable and just as much grip, but you can feel its larger body moving about more when you’re cornering. The 308 is some way adrift; its overly quick steering is designed to make it feel agile but, in reality, just makes it feel nervous. Unfortunately, it’s also the first to give up grip through corners, so all told, it’s the least capable and least enjoyable-handling car here.
The 308 also has the worst ride. It fails to satisfactorily deal with larger obstacles, such as speed humps, and is the most unsettled around town. The Octavia does a much better job of sponging away surface imperfections on any road at any speed, even if its rear suspension can be heard going about its business. The Golf rides most comfortably, staying neatly composed, even along badly pockmarked roads.
The Golf is the quietest car to be in, too, keeping road and wind noise at bay on the motorway better than the others.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
Both the Octavia and Golf’s driver’s seats have a generous amount of manual adjustment, including adjustable lumbar support, while both steering wheels can be manipulated to suit most drivers.our Allure-spec 308 test car was fitted with the optional (£1500) electric, leather sports seats, but the standard seats are comfortable enough.
Less impressive is the 308’s tiny steering wheel, over which you look to see the instrument dials. Some of our testers found the top of the wheel blocked their view of the dials.
Seeing out of the front and sides of all three cars is easy enough, thanks to their thin windscreen pillars, so judging roundabouts and T-junctions is never an issue. Your over-the-shoulder view in the Octavia, and even more so the Golf, is also reassuring, but the 308’s thicker rear pillars and smaller rear screen mean there’s more guesswork involved when reversing. Thankfully, all three cars get standard rear parking sensors. Peugeot and Volkswagen also include sensors at the front, but Skoda lists them as an option.
The Golf just edges the Octavia for interior quality. The Golf’s dashboard and doors feature soft-touch plastics, and these continue further down in the interior, although the general fit and finish of both cars, as well as the substantial feel of both sets of buttons and switches, are very closely matched. Perceived material quality in the 308 is decent enough, but start to prod and press and it becomes clear that there are more brittle
plastics and the switches aren’t as nicely damped.
Talking of switches, the Golf’s manual air conditioning (optional climate control is pictured) is easy to use and the Octavia’s standard climate control system is similarly intuitive. Less so is Peugeot’s decision to incorporate the 308’s climate controls within the menus of its touchscreen, making it a real faff to adjust the temperature while you’re driving.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
Space and practicality are the Octavia’s fortes; it frankly destroys the Golf and 308 here. Its rivals come closest to matching it in their front seats – a couple of tall adults will enjoy good head and leg room in all three cars – but the Octavia still offers the most.
In the rear, there really is no contest. The Octavia has by far the most leg room and marginally the most head room, too, allowing another pair of tall adults to stretch out behind similar-sized people in front. The Golf isn’t far behind on rear head room and actually offers decent rear leg room by wider class standards, but it still seems stingy next to the Octavia. Trailing in third place is the 308, which not only looks comparatively cramped in the back but feels it, too. In fact, it has less knee room than many cars from the class below.
The main reason for the 308’s tight rear quarters is that space has been given over to its generoussized boot, which is larger than the Golf’s and a consistent square shape inside. Still, the Octavia’s boot easily outguns both its rivals’ for space and access. Indeed, in our carry-on suitcase test, it swallowed a staggering 11 cases – more than many large SUVS – versus the six we managed to squeeze in the 308 and the five that fitted in the Golf.
However, it’s worth pointing out that while all three cars get 60/40 split-folding rear seats as standard, only the Golf gets a standard height-adjustable boot floor. This means it’s the only car that has a near-flat extended load bay from the boot entrance right through to the front seatbacks when the rear seats are folded down.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
The Octavia and Golf are closely matched on list price, with less than a hundred pounds separating them, while the 308 is around
£1000 cheaper than either. However, if you’re paying in cash, it’s worth haggling at all three dealers, because discounts are available if you do. There’s around £1800 to be had off both the Octavia and Golf, while roughly £1000 can be bartered off the 308, bringing the Target Prices of our trio much closer together.
Considerably more buyers will opt to sign up to a finance agreement, though, and on a PCP deal over three years – limited to 10,000 miles annually and fronted by a £3000 deposit – the 308 is the cheapest option (if you give it back at the end of the term), setting you back £252 per month. That said, the Octavia and Golf aren’t far behind, costing £270 and £284 per month respectively.
That order remains if you’re a company car driver. The 308’s lower list price and CO2 emissions make its monthly benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bills around £20 cheaper than the Octavia and Golf’s.
However, look at three-year ownership costs and the tables turn, with the 308’s considerable depreciation and higher servicing costs making it the priciest by some margin. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to run our True MPG fuel tests on the 308, but the Golf returned a slightly better figure than the Octavia.
The Octavia’s standard kit list stands out with its leather and Alcantara seats and LED headlights, which are expensive options on the other two cars. The 308 counters by being the only car with a standard panoramic roof, while the Golf’s standard adaptive cruise control (the other cars get regular cruise control) is a welcome luxury. However, its lack of climate control seems remiss and is worth adding at £415.
There’s a bigger elephant in the room when it comes to safety: automatic emergency braking isn’t standard on the 308 but a £400 option. That’s very disappointing, given that Skoda and Volkswagen include it as standard. The 308 also has the least impressive Euro NCAP safety rating (although it still achieved five stars), scoring the lowest marks for adult occupant, child occupant and pedestrian protection.