More than once my Scandinavian heritage has let me down in the face of the harsh solar rays. It’s meant that my days driving convertibles have been limited to the winter months. But the Peugeot 308SW gives you the feeling of driving in a convertible without the hassles of bad hair, pollution-caked lungs or melanomas. How does it achieve such magic? With the aid of a full-length panoramic glass roof and retractable blind.
And that’s not the only sorcery this practical Peugeot conjures up. It’s one of the quietest diesels I’ve driven in a sub-$100,000 car. No clattery horridness, no tickety- tickety- tickety at the lights. Even the exhaust smells quite clean due to Peugeot’s use of a FAP (particulate filter).
A friend of a friend used to work for David Copperfield doing rigging and work on set for his magic shows. Copperfield is famous for making things disappear (like the Statue of Liberty), and the Peugeot is good at making the kilometres disappear quickly. Too quickly sometimes. The engine is smooth and torquey, and the gearing quite low, and I found on many occasions I’d be inadvertently doing almost 70kph in a 50kph zone (you didn’t hear that, officer). That has to be taken with the caveat that the previous week I’d had a Ford XR8 which has significantly more engine noise, and that I avoided using Peugeot’s very intuitive speed limiter (more about this later).
The two-litre HDi turbo diesel engine’s 340Nm of torque (in sport mode on overboost) and six-speed Tiptronic transmission give it an urge in excess of what you’d expect from just 100kW. But that’s likely what makes it so efficient, recording 7.1l/100km on the combined cycle — not bad for a car that weighs the best part of 1700kg. Peugeot’s environmental leanings also result in Euro 4 emissions compliance, and 99% of this car is recyclable.
There’s an optional third row of modular seats. All the second and third row seats can be removed completely from the car leaving a large cargo space. So, it’s a people mover and small van in one.
Two rear-seat passengers have the luxury of pop-up trays, and the seats in the back slide forwards and backwards and recline.
Seven airbags (driver, passenger, front-side, front to rear curtain and knee airbags), a five-star Euro NCAP rating, ABS, ESP and other electronic assistants will kick in if the brakes (which are very keen on our test model), don’t haul you up in time.
Peugeot’s driving position is much better of late. The seats are firm and supportive. Classic-style white-faced dials sit astride an orange LCD which gives trip computer and cruise control/speed limiter readouts. The cruise control/speed limiter is very intuitive, allowing the driver to set a specific speed quickly using a stubby wand on the steering column. The speed limiter is great for the motorway, but impractical around town where I found I really needed it to curb my inadvertent lead foot.
The front seats have storage bins underneath them, which goes a little way to making up for the small central binnacle and almost non-existent glovebox. Door pockets are big enough to take a 750ml bottle, and there are two cup holders centrally mounted in front of the gearstick. A few other small receptacles are dotted around, but the 308SW really needs some kind of bigger cubby hole to make it more practical for longer trips.
While the engine is quiet at idle, it certainly lets you know it’s there when you need it to perform, sounding a little harsh (as four-cylinder diesels often do) when under heavy load. You can drown that out with the six-speaker, MP3-compatible stereo. It’s not the best stereo in the world, but is perfectly adequate.
Considering the large glass roof, noise from the road and engine is very low at cruising speeds. With excellent visibility and the large amount of ambient light entering the cabin, the 308SW is magic in the late winter sunshine — a stylish, practical and economical family wagon with a few tricks up its sleeve.
Click through to the next page to read full specs on the Peugeot 308SW
Price: from $45,190 base model (our test car had the optional third row of seats)
What we like
- Save on suntan lotion — it’s spacious and airy in the cabin, without being a convertible
- Smooth, quiet and effortless cruising
- Practical load space
What we don’t like
- You might need that speed limiter until you get used to it
- Styling at the rear doesn’t quite work for me
- Other than the gigantic boot, interior storage options are scant
Peugeot 308SW Specifications
ENGINE
High-pressure Direct Injection turbo diesel, 16 valve
Cubic capacity (cc) 1997
Max Power kW @ rpm 100 kW @ 4000 rpm
Max Torque (Nm @ rpm) (overboost) 320 Nm (340) @ 2000 rpm
WHEELS AND TYRES
Alloy wheels 215/55R 16
Spare tyre full size
BRAKES
Ventilated front discs with sliding calipers 286 x 26mm
Rear solid discs 249 x 9mm
SUSPENSION
Front Inverted Pseudo McPherson strut with
linked anti-roll bar
Rear Rear torsion beam, two suspension arms
and an integral anti-roll bar
DIMENSIONS
Length (mm) 4500
Width (mm) (excl wing mirrors) 1815
Height (mm) 1555
WEIGHTS AND CAPACITIES
Kerb weight (kg) 1675
Braked trailer towing weight (kg) 1650
Unbraked trailer towing weight (kg) 750
Fuel tank (l) 60
FUEL CONSUMPTION / ENVIRONMENT
Combined l/100km 7.1
Emission Control EURO 4
Emission of CO2 by weight 187g
European End-of-Life Vehicles Directive Recyclability 99%
Combined active carbon / pollen fi lter
SECURITY
Remote central locking
Rolling code transponder immobiliser
Visible VIN number
Security coded in-car entertainment
Auto lock doors/boot over 10km/h
Dark tinted tailgate screen
INSTRUMENTS
LCD display of digital odom & trip
Dial Background colour – White
Multi function display screen
Warning light display
On-board Computer
Distance to next service indicator
PRESTIGE UPGRADE PACK
17″ alloy wheels
Electrochrome mirror/exterior folding mirrors
LUXURY UPGRADE PACK
17″ alloy wheels
Factory leather seats
Perfumer
Interior chrome detailing
Electrochrome mirror/exterior folding mirrors
7 SEAT UPGRADE PACK
Optional
SAFETY FEATURES
5 star Euro NCAP rating
7 airbags – driver, passenger, front side,
front to rear curtain, knee airbag
ABS (with EBFD & EBA)
ESP (with ASR, CDS-stability)
5 x 3-point seat belts with warning
Pre-Tensioning/force limiting front seatbelts
Force limiting outer rear seatbelts
Height adjustable front seatbelts
Isofi x on front passenger and rear outer seats
Electric rear child door locks
Fuel cut off inertia switch
Wrap around front/rear head restraints
Auto hazard warning lights
Collapsible steering column
Door/boot ajar warning
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
Cruise control with speed limiter
Rear park aid
Internal operated central door locking
One-touch front electric windows with anti pinch
Electrically operated and heated door mirrors
6 Speaker RD4 Radio / CD player
MP3 Compatible
Steering wheel remote controls
Digital Dual Climate Control airconditioning
Airfl ow vents to row 2
Leather steering wheel
Shopping bag hooks in boot and boot net
12 V plug row 1, 12 V plug boot
Storage drawers under front seats
Panoramic glass roof with electric blind
Front centre storage between seats – sliding
Satin chrome roof rails
60/40 split folding 3 x rear seats
Flip up tables on back of front seats
Toughened side windows
Sunglass holder above driver’s door
Lumbar adjust driver
EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND VISIBILITY
High level third brake light
Accoustic laminated front windscreen
Auto headlamps
Front and rear fog lights, reverse lights
Rain sensative wipers with auto lights
Intermittent rear wash/wipe
Parking light function
Words and photos Darren Cottingham
More than once my Scandinavian heritage has let me down in the face of the harsh solar rays. It’s meant that my days driving convertibles have been limited to the winter months. But the Peugeot 308SW gives you the feeling of driving in a convertible without the hassles of bad hair, pollution-caked lungs or melanomas. How does it achieve such magic? With the aid of a full-length panoramic glass roof and retractable blind.
And that’s not the only sorcery this practical Peugeot conjures up. It’s one of the quietest diesels I’ve driven in a sub-$100,000 car. No clattery horridness, no tickety- tickety- tickety at the lights. Even the exhaust smells quite clean due to Peugeot’s use of a FAP (particulate filter).
A friend of a friend used to work for David Copperfield doing rigging and work on set for his magic shows. Copperfield is famous for making things disappear (like the Statue of Liberty), and the Peugeot is good at making the kilometres disappear quickly. Too quickly sometimes. The engine is smooth and torquey, and the gearing quite low, and I found on many occasions I’d be inadvertently doing almost 70kph in a 50kph zone (you didn’t hear that, officer). That has to be taken with the caveat that the previous week I’d had a Ford XR8 which has significantly more engine noise, and that I avoided using Peugeot’s very intuitive speed limiter (more about this later).
The two-litre HDi turbo diesel engine’s 340Nm of torque (in sport mode on overboost) and six-speed Tiptronic transmission give it an urge in excess of what you’d expect from just 100kW. But that’s likely what makes it so efficient, recording 7.1l/100km on the combined cycle — not bad for a car that weighs the best part of 1700kg. Peugeot’s environmental leanings also result in Euro 4 emissions compliance, and 99% of this car is recyclable.
There’s an optional third row of modular seats. All the second and third row seats can be removed completely from the car leaving a large cargo space. So, it’s a people mover and small van in one.
Two rear-seat passengers have the luxury of pop-up trays, and the seats in the back slide forwards and backwards and recline.
Seven airbags (driver, passenger, front-side, front to rear curtain and knee airbags), a five-star Euro NCAP rating, ABS, ESP and other electronic assistants will kick in if the brakes (which are very keen on our test model), don’t haul you up in time.
Peugeot’s driving position is much better of late. The seats are firm and supportive. Classic-style white-faced dials sit astride an orange LCD which gives trip computer and cruise control/speed limiter readouts. The cruise control/speed limiter is very intuitive, allowing the driver to set a specific speed quickly using a stubby wand on the steering column. The speed limiter is great for the motorway, but impractical around town where I found I really needed it to curb my inadvertent lead foot.
The front seats have storage bins underneath them, which goes a little way to making up for the small central binnacle and almost non-existent glovebox. Door pockets are big enough to take a 750ml bottle, and there are two cup holders centrally mounted in front of the gearstick. A few other small receptacles are dotted around, but the 308SW really needs some kind of bigger cubby hole to make it more practical for longer trips.
While the engine is quiet at idle, it certainly lets you know it’s there when you need it to perform, sounding a little harsh (as four-cylinder diesels often do) when under heavy load. You can drown that out with the six-speaker, MP3-compatible stereo. It’s not the best stereo in the world, but is perfectly adequate.
Considering the large glass roof, noise from the road and engine is very low at cruising speeds. With excellent visibility and the large amount of ambient light entering the cabin, the 308SW is magic in the late winter sunshine — a stylish, practical and economical family wagon with a few tricks up its sleeve.
Click through to the next page to read full specs on the Peugeot 308SW
Price: from $45,190 base model (our test car had the optional third row of seats)
What we like
- Save on suntan lotion — it’s spacious and airy in the cabin, without being a convertible
- Smooth, quiet and effortless cruising
- Practical load space
What we don’t like
- You might need that speed limiter until you get used to it
- Styling at the rear doesn’t quite work for me
- Other than the gigantic boot, interior storage options are scant
Peugeot 308SW Specifications
ENGINE
High-pressure Direct Injection turbo diesel, 16 valve
Cubic capacity (cc) 1997
Max Power kW @ rpm 100 kW @ 4000 rpm
Max Torque (Nm @ rpm) (overboost) 320 Nm (340) @ 2000 rpm
WHEELS AND TYRES
Alloy wheels 215/55R 16
Spare tyre full size
BRAKES
Ventilated front discs with sliding calipers 286 x 26mm
Rear solid discs 249 x 9mm
SUSPENSION
Front Inverted Pseudo McPherson strut with
linked anti-roll bar
Rear Rear torsion beam, two suspension arms
and an integral anti-roll bar
DIMENSIONS
Length (mm) 4500
Width (mm) (excl wing mirrors) 1815
Height (mm) 1555
WEIGHTS AND CAPACITIES
Kerb weight (kg) 1675
Braked trailer towing weight (kg) 1650
Unbraked trailer towing weight (kg) 750
Fuel tank (l) 60
FUEL CONSUMPTION / ENVIRONMENT
Combined l/100km 7.1
Emission Control EURO 4
Emission of CO2 by weight 187g
European End-of-Life Vehicles Directive Recyclability 99%
Combined active carbon / pollen fi lter
SECURITY
Remote central locking
Rolling code transponder immobiliser
Visible VIN number
Security coded in-car entertainment
Auto lock doors/boot over 10km/h
Dark tinted tailgate screen
INSTRUMENTS
LCD display of digital odom & trip
Dial Background colour – White
Multi function display screen
Warning light display
On-board Computer
Distance to next service indicator
PRESTIGE UPGRADE PACK
17″ alloy wheels
Electrochrome mirror/exterior folding mirrors
LUXURY UPGRADE PACK
17″ alloy wheels
Factory leather seats
Perfumer
Interior chrome detailing
Electrochrome mirror/exterior folding mirrors
7 SEAT UPGRADE PACK
Optional
SAFETY FEATURES
5 star Euro NCAP rating
7 airbags – driver, passenger, front side,
front to rear curtain, knee airbag
ABS (with EBFD & EBA)
ESP (with ASR, CDS-stability)
5 x 3-point seat belts with warning
Pre-Tensioning/force limiting front seatbelts
Force limiting outer rear seatbelts
Height adjustable front seatbelts
Isofi x on front passenger and rear outer seats
Electric rear child door locks
Fuel cut off inertia switch
Wrap around front/rear head restraints
Auto hazard warning lights
Collapsible steering column
Door/boot ajar warning
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
Cruise control with speed limiter
Rear park aid
Internal operated central door locking
One-touch front electric windows with anti pinch
Electrically operated and heated door mirrors
6 Speaker RD4 Radio / CD player
MP3 Compatible
Steering wheel remote controls
Digital Dual Climate Control airconditioning
Airfl ow vents to row 2
Leather steering wheel
Shopping bag hooks in boot and boot net
12 V plug row 1, 12 V plug boot
Storage drawers under front seats
Panoramic glass roof with electric blind
Front centre storage between seats – sliding
Satin chrome roof rails
60/40 split folding 3 x rear seats
Flip up tables on back of front seats
Toughened side windows
Sunglass holder above driver’s door
Lumbar adjust driver
EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND VISIBILITY
High level third brake light
Accoustic laminated front windscreen
Auto headlamps
Front and rear fog lights, reverse lights
Rain sensative wipers with auto lights
Intermittent rear wash/wipe
Parking light function
Words and photos Darren Cottingham