Peugeot 308 2018 hatchback in-depth review - Mat Watson
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Date: 2022-04-11
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Comments and reviews: 10
Nacho
This review is extremely biased, it looks as it was made by a german! I've been the owner of a 308 for more than 5 years. The car is close to perfect, by far the best I ever owned and one of the best that I've driven. Seats are spot on, so is steering (best wheel in the market, once you get used to it the rest seem like truck steering wheels, perfect chassis, biggest trunk space in the segment when it was introduced in the market, amazing design (both interior and exterior, better performance compared than other cars with similar engines (due to lower weight, I guess, very good quality of materials, excellent LED lighting and reliability which has been superb up to this day. The price was much cheaper than the equivalent Golf, btw a friend of mine bought the VW and had some issues and I couldn't notice a thing in which it'd be better (apart from the tech and navigator which is awful in the 308. Gear changing is not bad once you get used to it but could be improved, I've tried faster gear knobs. A bit of wind noise in the mirrors as in every other car in this segment and. that's about it, no more faults. I've travelled with 3 additional passengers and nobody complained about the space, most of them fell asleep due to a very confortable ride and seats, many people has praised my car over the years and some members of my family even offered to buy it. Probably the most underrated car in the market as of now and I'm really willing to see how much Peugeot can improve for the next gen. As mentioned in another comment, you probably need to own it to really appreciate it.
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This review is extremely biased, it looks as it was made by a german! I've been the owner of a 308 for more than 5 years. The car is close to perfect, by far the best I ever owned and one of the best that I've driven. Seats are spot on, so is steering (best wheel in the market, once you get used to it the rest seem like truck steering wheels, perfect chassis, biggest trunk space in the segment when it was introduced in the market, amazing design (both interior and exterior, better performance compared than other cars with similar engines (due to lower weight, I guess, very good quality of materials, excellent LED lighting and reliability which has been superb up to this day. The price was much cheaper than the equivalent Golf, btw a friend of mine bought the VW and had some issues and I couldn't notice a thing in which it'd be better (apart from the tech and navigator which is awful in the 308. Gear changing is not bad once you get used to it but could be improved, I've tried faster gear knobs. A bit of wind noise in the mirrors as in every other car in this segment and. that's about it, no more faults. I've travelled with 3 additional passengers and nobody complained about the space, most of them fell asleep due to a very confortable ride and seats, many people has praised my car over the years and some members of my family even offered to buy it. Probably the most underrated car in the market as of now and I'm really willing to see how much Peugeot can improve for the next gen. As mentioned in another comment, you probably need to own it to really appreciate it.
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autos
I have a 2 ltr diesel manual (Allure) Blue HDI and it is very good, had it two years now. 56. 4 ltrs to the gallon. Boot as he said is awesome, rear room behind me (the driver) is rubbish.
It has a sporty suspension and cornering agility depends on what tyres are on the car, best with the old model 'V' thread Toyo proxes. Looking over the steering wheel a the dials is rubbish, but you get to live with it. The infotainment system is the worst thing you'll get in the car (AWFUL. One example, it does not have the letter 'V' however if I make a call on my phone with a name with a V it shows up, and Southbury Road (that leads to Enfield Town train Station) is not in its list of streets in Enfield. Unresponsive, my phone connection killed it for about 30mins before it sprang back into life again.
With the correct tyres again depends on how much noise you get into the cabin (I found the cheap Arrowspeed the better for that. Yep, changing gear is clunky and at times I miss 2nd (annoying, but it may be me. The car is comfortable, however the rear view is fine for me, i don't know what mat is on about, besides mine has a rear camera. That's me for now. :. One last thing, I was shocked as to how good it was when I took it for a test drive.
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I have a 2 ltr diesel manual (Allure) Blue HDI and it is very good, had it two years now. 56. 4 ltrs to the gallon. Boot as he said is awesome, rear room behind me (the driver) is rubbish.
It has a sporty suspension and cornering agility depends on what tyres are on the car, best with the old model 'V' thread Toyo proxes. Looking over the steering wheel a the dials is rubbish, but you get to live with it. The infotainment system is the worst thing you'll get in the car (AWFUL. One example, it does not have the letter 'V' however if I make a call on my phone with a name with a V it shows up, and Southbury Road (that leads to Enfield Town train Station) is not in its list of streets in Enfield. Unresponsive, my phone connection killed it for about 30mins before it sprang back into life again.
With the correct tyres again depends on how much noise you get into the cabin (I found the cheap Arrowspeed the better for that. Yep, changing gear is clunky and at times I miss 2nd (annoying, but it may be me. The car is comfortable, however the rear view is fine for me, i don't know what mat is on about, besides mine has a rear camera. That's me for now. :. One last thing, I was shocked as to how good it was when I took it for a test drive.
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Brendan
I bought 308 GT 180 EAT8: - You have to set up the climate whilst parked - impossible (dangerous) to readjust while driving. The sat nav is impossible (very dangerous) to reset after accidentally touching the wrong spot on the screen while driving. This is particularly serious on major roads. My Garmin on the other hand lets me switch on to my route as I am approaching my destination - I don't have to listen to it for hours of driving on familiar roads. Also very irritating is not being able to use the radio while parked, say waiting for a passenger - it goes into -economy mode- and switches off - unless you keep the engine running - illegal or soon will be.
Also if your expert would be so kind to tell us how to turn off the enhanced hifi-speaker engine sound in -sport- mode - is the annoying noise a deterrent from using it - some sort of economy nudge by Peugeot? I have the Denon speaker version and whilst it might make the pseudo engine noise impress adolescents and younger, it doesn't impress me or other adults that might enjoy listening to radio or music.
On the plus side, its a nice drive especially on winding country roads.
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I bought 308 GT 180 EAT8: - You have to set up the climate whilst parked - impossible (dangerous) to readjust while driving. The sat nav is impossible (very dangerous) to reset after accidentally touching the wrong spot on the screen while driving. This is particularly serious on major roads. My Garmin on the other hand lets me switch on to my route as I am approaching my destination - I don't have to listen to it for hours of driving on familiar roads. Also very irritating is not being able to use the radio while parked, say waiting for a passenger - it goes into -economy mode- and switches off - unless you keep the engine running - illegal or soon will be.
Also if your expert would be so kind to tell us how to turn off the enhanced hifi-speaker engine sound in -sport- mode - is the annoying noise a deterrent from using it - some sort of economy nudge by Peugeot? I have the Denon speaker version and whilst it might make the pseudo engine noise impress adolescents and younger, it doesn't impress me or other adults that might enjoy listening to radio or music.
On the plus side, its a nice drive especially on winding country roads.
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Shadow
I love this car I have driven this exact model and I have to disagree with a lot of your review it's very nippy very precise driving loads of room front and back (for it's class size ) does near 60 mpg for me the manual gear box is NOT notchy driving position tho' slightly offset is not bad at all, it's easy to park in any space has a rear view camera to aid parking, it infotainment/on screen controls although not THE best they are pretty good within the class of cars it competes with, and finally it's fun to drive it really is my last 10 cars have been 2 Q3s - 2 Q7s - 2 Q5 an A5 an A6 a Bmw 5 series and a Skoda Kodiak. apart from the Skoda Kodiak the little 308 has been my favourite -little car - hands down. as for the Kodiak, that has been a revelation too would definately have another Kodiak over any of the Audi offerings currently available.
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I love this car I have driven this exact model and I have to disagree with a lot of your review it's very nippy very precise driving loads of room front and back (for it's class size ) does near 60 mpg for me the manual gear box is NOT notchy driving position tho' slightly offset is not bad at all, it's easy to park in any space has a rear view camera to aid parking, it infotainment/on screen controls although not THE best they are pretty good within the class of cars it competes with, and finally it's fun to drive it really is my last 10 cars have been 2 Q3s - 2 Q7s - 2 Q5 an A5 an A6 a Bmw 5 series and a Skoda Kodiak. apart from the Skoda Kodiak the little 308 has been my favourite -little car - hands down. as for the Kodiak, that has been a revelation too would definately have another Kodiak over any of the Audi offerings currently available.
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George
I like carwow but they must be on the payroll for ford, imagine buying a car because it has seatbelt holders in the back? The equivalent focus is dull as dishwater and feels 10 years older than the peugeot, the focus is probably the only newish car you can buy that doesn't have a proper screen. And as for handling how many people buy a family hatchback to take down an a road at break neck speeds? You buy it for practically and comfort, otherwise you'd be getting the gti model anyway which will have sharper handling. As for a golf the quality isn't even that good in the golf and neither is rear leg, it's a room, it's a poor man's audi where as the peugeot isn't pretending to be something it's not.
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I like carwow but they must be on the payroll for ford, imagine buying a car because it has seatbelt holders in the back? The equivalent focus is dull as dishwater and feels 10 years older than the peugeot, the focus is probably the only newish car you can buy that doesn't have a proper screen. And as for handling how many people buy a family hatchback to take down an a road at break neck speeds? You buy it for practically and comfort, otherwise you'd be getting the gti model anyway which will have sharper handling. As for a golf the quality isn't even that good in the golf and neither is rear leg, it's a room, it's a poor man's audi where as the peugeot isn't pretending to be something it's not.
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blakaeg
I actually prefer the older 308. It had French flair. This 308 is boring and looks and tries to be a VW Golf. Even the wipers that Peugeot always used to use that sweep to centre have gone and I really don't like either that one has to control the climate control through the touch screen or the speedometer is obstructed by the steering wheel. This is an example of what they did to the Citroen C4. Removed the french flair and uniqueness and made them boring.
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I actually prefer the older 308. It had French flair. This 308 is boring and looks and tries to be a VW Golf. Even the wipers that Peugeot always used to use that sweep to centre have gone and I really don't like either that one has to control the climate control through the touch screen or the speedometer is obstructed by the steering wheel. This is an example of what they did to the Citroen C4. Removed the french flair and uniqueness and made them boring.
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Jo-o
Misses some important stuff:
- The seats in the upper versions are brilliant in leather
- The panoramic roof
- The steering wheel doesn't affect your dials view capability if you are over 5 foot 0/ not a dwarf
- It has a standard rearview camera
- The manual versions are ok
- It is a bargain for money (less 5000- than a Vw Golf.
The car just had a midlife lift. Maybe a second unbiased check will make wonders.
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Misses some important stuff:
- The seats in the upper versions are brilliant in leather
- The panoramic roof
- The steering wheel doesn't affect your dials view capability if you are over 5 foot 0/ not a dwarf
- It has a standard rearview camera
- The manual versions are ok
- It is a bargain for money (less 5000- than a Vw Golf.
The car just had a midlife lift. Maybe a second unbiased check will make wonders.
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Every
I've got a 1. 6 bluehdi 120 BHP allure version on 16 inch alloys. Don't buy if you are after fuel economy as claimed 85mpg combined is a big lie, you'll get 60 mpg if you're extremely lucky. My old 308 active 92bhp 2011 returned a fantastic average 56mpg against an official figure of 67mpg!
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I've got a 1. 6 bluehdi 120 BHP allure version on 16 inch alloys. Don't buy if you are after fuel economy as claimed 85mpg combined is a big lie, you'll get 60 mpg if you're extremely lucky. My old 308 active 92bhp 2011 returned a fantastic average 56mpg against an official figure of 67mpg!
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Nuno
Hey genius the whole concept of the icockpit and its small steering wheel is so it can be set just below the dash, which is up closer to the front view of the road. Saying the steering can block the dash is just cos you-re not setting it properly and missing the whole concept of the design.
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Hey genius the whole concept of the icockpit and its small steering wheel is so it can be set just below the dash, which is up closer to the front view of the road. Saying the steering can block the dash is just cos you-re not setting it properly and missing the whole concept of the design.
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Adam
bought a 2015 308 yesterday 1. 2 Turbo active and i love it much better than golf / polo and all their dsg issues and jerks expensive to maintain but peogeots interior is classy, clean & unique 6 speed torque converter made in japan by asini its just perfect and the 4. 4l/100km is awesome
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bought a 2015 308 yesterday 1. 2 Turbo active and i love it much better than golf / polo and all their dsg issues and jerks expensive to maintain but peogeots interior is classy, clean & unique 6 speed torque converter made in japan by asini its just perfect and the 4. 4l/100km is awesome
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