Photo: SB-Medien
Peugeot has been making compact cars for many decades, but the all-new 308 needs to make radical changes to survive in the current market environment. These are our clearest spy shots of the next-generation 308 SW, the wagon version that will go up against strong rivals from Volkswagen, Skoda, and Ford.
Even though the camouflage is pretty thick to hide its new design, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect, thanks to spy shots of the regular 308 hatchback. And, not surprisingly, Peugeot has chosen a sloping roof for its wagon, which makes for a sexier but slightly less practical shape.
The current 308, which debuted in 2013, suffers from a number of problems. First, it doesn't have sufficient legroom in the back, which isn't as much of a problem on the SW. Also, while Peugeot does make some of the best small diesel engines, customers haven't exactly been happy. According to the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey for family cars, the 308 is almost the second least-reliable car, just ahead of the SEAT Leon.
We're sure Peugeot is aware of how important this is, as customer satisfaction was a big target for the newer 508 and 3008 models. And you can tell the new model is less of a boring fleet car built to a budget, and more of a personal statement. The prototype shows keen lines and angry-looking feline features.
Because of new regulations, the 308 will have fewer diesel engines, which is not exactly bad news as those are usually less reliable and more expensive to fix. Both the wagon and the hatchback are probably going to use two displacements almost exclusively, the 1.5 BlueHDi diesel with up to about 130 hp and the 1.2 PureTech petrol that can push 150 ponies.
In addition, we've been promised a PSE-badged hot hatch-type powertrain. This likely combines a 1.6-liter turbo with electricity to give you up to 300 horsepower, just like in other Peugeots, Citroëns, and even an Opel. Many automakers have developed such a car, but unlike a Golf GTE, for example, the 308 PSE will be AWD with the electric motor powering the rear axle. However, this model will likely debut way after the 2022 launch of the series.
The current 308, which debuted in 2013, suffers from a number of problems. First, it doesn't have sufficient legroom in the back, which isn't as much of a problem on the SW. Also, while Peugeot does make some of the best small diesel engines, customers haven't exactly been happy. According to the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey for family cars, the 308 is almost the second least-reliable car, just ahead of the SEAT Leon.
We're sure Peugeot is aware of how important this is, as customer satisfaction was a big target for the newer 508 and 3008 models. And you can tell the new model is less of a boring fleet car built to a budget, and more of a personal statement. The prototype shows keen lines and angry-looking feline features.
Because of new regulations, the 308 will have fewer diesel engines, which is not exactly bad news as those are usually less reliable and more expensive to fix. Both the wagon and the hatchback are probably going to use two displacements almost exclusively, the 1.5 BlueHDi diesel with up to about 130 hp and the 1.2 PureTech petrol that can push 150 ponies.
In addition, we've been promised a PSE-badged hot hatch-type powertrain. This likely combines a 1.6-liter turbo with electricity to give you up to 300 horsepower, just like in other Peugeots, Citroëns, and even an Opel. Many automakers have developed such a car, but unlike a Golf GTE, for example, the 308 PSE will be AWD with the electric motor powering the rear axle. However, this model will likely debut way after the 2022 launch of the series.
Google News