Performance diesel wagons have blossomed into a fully formed segment. You've got the expensive Golf GTI Variant, the dynamic Focus ST Wagon, the popular Octavia RS Combi and now there's a Peugeot as well, the 308 GT BlueHDi in wagon form.
The 308 GT was launched before the GTI. It's a watered down performance car with lots of premium equipment and a choice of two engines, the diesel we are going to talk about and the 208 GTI 1.6-liter turbo. Because about half of the Octavia RS buyers order the DSG gearbox, Peugeot also installed an automatic gearbox for the new model year.
That's what we see in this acceleration test from German YouTube channel Test Drive Freak. As far as we can remember, this gearbox is a conventional 6-speed automatic made by Aisin, the same company that supplies MINI with its cog-swapper. Sure, it's not lightning fast as the DSG, but you can't really notice unless it's being pushed hard.
Many people underestimate the importance of the 2-liter diesel engine's capabilities. This one makes 181 PS and 400 Nm of torque, which means it's got slightly more torque than the famous 2.0 TDI.
You do need a lot of power combined with excellent fuel consumption when you drive the way the Germans do. This particular tester already has over 26,000 kilometers on the clock, even though it's less than a year old. Withing three years of being bought, a family+business wagon can travel as much as 200,000 miles.
And if that car drinks just one less liter of fuel, it will save 2,000 liters in those three years. We'll let you do the math regarding money saved.
As for performance, the 308 GT BlueHDi wagon does 0 to 100 km/h in 7.57 seconds, which is pretty fantastic for this segment. The Octavia RS claims to do the same thing in 8.3 seconds.
Keen-eared folks might notice the sound of the engine is different when inside the car. That's because Peugeot programmed the speakers to produce artificial noise. The Golf GTD and Octavia RS have fake sound too, but theirs is coming from the Soundaktor that projects onto the windshield. It's an entirely different setup that feels a little more realistic.
On a more personal note, I think the 308 GT wagon has one of the best interiors in the segment but is let down by the body kit. It doesn't come down low enough to project the sporty aura.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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