PEUGEOT 308 UPDATED

Peugeot South Africa has updated the 308 range with some subtle changes to the exterior and minor refreshers to the interior. The 308 is probably Peugeot’s most important car as its purpose is to take on the likes of VW Golf. In Mzansi it sells pretty well, although not as well as it should be. These changes could be just the trick to entice buyers into this well-made hatch.

Where changes have been made is in the front and rear end, the usual spot car manufacturers target for facelifts. Apparently it’s cheaper than changes door panels. A shorter bonnet with smoother headlight fairings looks more powerful. The front bumper now features foglights across the range, with the GTI and CC models equipped with LED daytime running lights. The rear bumper is also quite new.

Very little was done to update the interior, except to upgrade the materials and finishes so they feel and look more upmarket. Peugeot has a loaded a new instrument binnacle too just for visual effect.

New badging nomenclature has shown up on the 308 range. Where there were Comfort and Premium derivatives before, now we get Access, which is the entry level designation, and Active, the higher-level one. So we have the Access 1.6, Active 1.6, Active 2.0 HDi and the GTi THP.

Which takes us into the engine bay where the 1.6 litre does its best to keep things running along nicely, in natural aspiration and turbo form. Non-turbowise it makes 88kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 160Nm at 4250 rpm. If these figures look familiar to you then it’s because it’s the same engine as the one found in the MINI Cooper. A 5-speed manual drives the front wheels from 0 – 100km/h to 12.2 seconds, topping off at 195km/h. Average fuel consumption is said to be 6.4 litres per 100km, matched to C02 emissions of 147 g/km.

As for the 1.6 turbo, that hooks up 115kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm at 4000rpm. In the Active 1.6 Auto it is mated with a 6-speed automatic, goes from 0 – 100km/h in 9.9 seconds and returns a respectable 7.4 litres per 100km, according to its makers. The 2.0 HDi has a lovely 110kW at 3750 rpm and a spread of 340Nm at 2000rpm. A claimed consumption figure of 4.9 litres per 100km is stated, alongside 129 g/km in average C02s, giving it a theoretical tank range of 1220km. In essence at that rate you could drive between Jozi and Durban twice on a tank. Topping it all off is the GTi with its 6-speed manual, which puffs off 147kW at 5500rpm and 275Nm of torque, with a 0 – 100km/h time of 8.3 seconds, top speed of 237km/h, consumes 6.9 litres per 100km and has a C02 emissions figure of 159 g/km.

On the wheels side, the Access and Active 1.6 have 16-inch wheels, while the 2.0 HDi goes by 17-inchers. The GTi rides on 18-inch anthracite types.