With the newly developed Peugeot, the French want to attack the golf class once more. The attack should succeed with more assistance systems, a more modern infotainment system and another plug-in hybrid version with 133 kW / 180 PS.
The Peugeot 308 is attractive, and as a station wagon anyway. Does the living ambience keep what the shell promises? The materials in the interior, as well as the workmanship, are absolutely fine. The EGR seats are also comfortable, but you should choose the version with the pull-out thigh support, which is standard with the top equipment “GT Pack” and otherwise only available for the GT version (i.e. without “Pack”) for an extra charge of 1,340 euros is. But even so, we need a little to find a good seating position, which is mainly due to the limited possibilities for adjusting the height and length of the steering column. Once you have set up your home, the workplace is quite comfortable. At the back it is much tighter and the recesses in the seat backrests help free the knees.
The steering wheel, which is flattened at the top and bottom, is comparatively small, but that is no longer an issue after a short time. We are a little surprised that Peugeot does without a head-up display on the grounds that the instrument display is above the valance. But we got by without the projection in the windshield. At the push of a button, the narrow cockpit is transformed into a 3-D cinema that provides a lot of information that some may perceive as overloaded. We got used to it quickly. The infotainment has visibly improved. In the truest sense of the word, this is due on the one hand to the ten-inch touchscreen, which is neatly integrated into the dashboard, and on the other hand to the optimizations such as the 360-degree view, which now shows a real camera image.
When driving, the French lion makes no secret of its origin. The tuning of the station wagon is decidedly comfortable, but the impressive weight of 1,734 kilograms cannot be concealed when springing. The fact that the Gaul leans smoothly to the side in sweeping curves should only irritate those who have elevated rural road waving to an art form. As well as the fact that the steering could be more direct and communicative. The brakes are also responsible for the recuperation, and suddenly grab a lot. Here we would like to see better controllability. As soon as you have adjusted to this quirk, the delay is smoother.
That brings us to agility. The Peugeot 308 is based on the latest version of the Stellantis EMP2 platform and the engine layout corresponds to the 165 kW / 225 PS version. This means that the electric motor is made available to it with 81 kW / 110 PS using the front axle and, in conjunction with the 110 kW / 150 PS four-cylinder petrol engine with a total of 133 kW / 180 PS and a maximum torque of 360 Newton meters, to the front strives. The Kombi-Löwe reaches the 100 km / h mark after 7.7 seconds and is up to 225 km / h.
To anticipate it right away: The power of the throttled electrified drivetrain is completely sufficient. Especially when the 12.4 kilowatt-hour battery still has energy and actively supports the four-cylinder petrol engine. The French have reduced the driving modes: there are only Eco, Hybrid and Sport to choose from. The strength of the Peugeot SW Hybrid 180 lies in relaxed progress. As soon as you tease everything out of the drive train, the internal combustion engine audibly signals its annoyance about this improper treatment. We carried out our test drive mainly in the hybrid setting and left the system to decide which drive mode to use. During our testing, we drove on motorways and country roads as well as some narrow roads on which we climbed a few meters in altitude. After 81 kilometers there was still two kilometers of electric range in the battery and the on-board computer showed an average consumption of 3.3 l / 100 km. That is 2.1 liters per 100 kilometers more than the data sheet according to the WLTP cycle indicates.
The Peugeot 308 SW is optionally equipped with a single-phase onboard charger, which refills the batteries on a wallbox within an hour and 55 minutes at best. As soon as the cells are empty, every opportunity is used to fill the batteries. Any support is gladly taken, because the four-cylinder does so easier.
The new platform not only brings a new home cinema into the car, but also assistance systems. The blind spot detector now looks up to 75 meters over the shoulder and the adaptive cruise control is now capable of stop-and-go. In a station wagon with a length of 4.64 meters, there shouldn’t be much space to talk about. We already mentioned the economy of space for the passengers at the beginning, the trunk remains. The loading sill is low and the basic volume of 548 liters is okay. If you fold the backrests of the back seat, it will still be 1,574 liters. In the end, there is the price: Anyone who opts for the 308 SW Hybrid 180 e-EAT8 will have to pay at least 37,900 euros from January 2022.
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