Peugeot has now commenced the ‘8’ generation of cars with the launch of the new Peugeot 308 five door hatch. A touring (station wagon) and coupe/cabriolet versions are just around the corner, with shipments due in Oz over the next couple of months.

I say the ‘new’ Peugeot 308 but in fact many of the components of the car are tried and tested – floor pan, engines, transmissions, so perhaps the 308 is more of an ‘evolution’ from the 307.

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The new 308 five-door hatchback is longer and wider. Although wider in both the front and rear tracks it’s sleeker due to a reduction in height. In reality it looks a much bigger and imposing car all together than the 307.

The large ‘smiling grille’ is now well and truly entrenched in the Peugeot look, with the 308 no exception. The interior has had the most improvements and biggest changes. At first glance my immediate view was that the quality has vastly improved, the layout of the controls and instruments is much better and more logical and the fascia and door trims are superb. Though the dials, when on a black back ground, are very hard to see on a sunny day. The sporty ‘white’ back ground is a far better option.

The rear seating space is also improved with adequate width for three adults. The backs of the front seats are neatly sculptured to improve knee room. The rear headroom is not great for a six-footer like me but then the test cars I tried had the panoramic roof system, which adds even more light to the inside of the car, but does cut down on head space a little.

The handling, ride comfort and road holding are also improved. The suspension absorbs the potholes and bumps we have come to expect on Australian roads with relative ease, and the steering has a sharp turn-in and responsive attitude with good feedback. It feels a much more solid and ‘well planted’ car and this will appeal to all customers as it is definitely a move up in class and refinement.

I cannot understand why Peugeot have not fitted all 308s with the Electronic Stability Programme system as standard, when in the grand scheme of things it costs so little to factory fit. It makes sense in the interests of improved handling safety for less experienced drivers, or when the car is fully loaded – and should be a ‘must’ as an option if it is not already fitted to the model you are looking at purchasing.

I had the opportunity to try the two engines, the 1.6-litre turbo petrol unit from the PSA/BMW/MINI joint venture coupled with a 4-speed automatic transmission – with a paint job, that was say – a not-so-inconspicuous, almost fluorescent, metal yellow green. The second test was with the 1.6-litre HDi turbo diesel unit coupled with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The 1.6-litre turbo engine we know already from the Peugeot 207 and MINI ranges. It is smooth, responsive and with good fuel potential. On the open road or around town it was surprisingly better than I expected and it will be a good choice for buyers of all ages. The fuel economy was also better than you might expect for the size and weight of the new 308.

The second engine is the well respected 1.6-litre HDI turbo diesel unit, whilst it performed adequately well, it was certainly no ball of fire and perhaps the 1.6 petrol engine has the edge on it this time around. The new 308 is an eye-catching attractively-styled car with much better road presence, with a choice of 2 petrol and 2 diesel engines to choose from.

The other Peugeot I had the pleasure of testing recently was the 207 Touring XT HDi. As more and more people want out of an SUV – whether it be because of high running costs, excessive bulk, or perceived social pressure to downsize for the environment – Peugeot has placed itself perfectly to take advantage of this cultural phenomenon with its recently released 207 Touring HDi.

The Peugeot 207 Touring is one of the more stylistically aggressive small station wagons. The front of the car is the same as the hatchback version, but past that it features a profile with a slightly descending roof line and ascending window lines. The rear, with its large, elongated tail lights, sloping support panel and triangular rear window, resembles the 407 Touring. The 4+ m length gives the body a modern, sporting look.

The interior is not all that spacious and even though the car seats five, rear passengers may complain about a lack of leg room. But few cars in this segment can expand their luggage compartments to 1,258 litres in a couple of seconds, like the 207 can. The rear seats can be folded down easily to create more space and the boot allows for quite large objects to be loaded.

The dashboard is ergonomic, well lit and well laid out – and a multi-adjustable steering column and seat ensure the driver is always correctly positioned. The 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine can accelerate to 100km/h in 10.3 seconds and has a maximum speed of 200 km/h, not that we tried to verify that fact. As with most diesels engine is very noisy in the higher revs but performs adequately in the low to mid range. While fuel consumption averages a respectable 6.5 per 100km – according to the technical specifications, it was nearly one and half litres higher during our test drive.

It is hard not to recogise a new Peugeot when you see one ‘smiling’ at you. The range in Australia is broad and varied and when shopping for a small to medium car a must on your shopping list.

AUTO FACTS

Price: $25,990 – $37,990
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 1.6-litre 4-cyl petrol; 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol; 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel
Power: 80Kw, 240Nm; 88kW, 160NM; 110kW, 240Nm; 80kW, 240Nm; 100kW, 320Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, 6-speed automatic
Fuel: 4.4-litre / 100km combined 6.7, 7.1, 4.1, 4.5