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Peugeot Launches 308 with 1.2 PureTech e-THP Three-Cylinder Turbo

Everybody who's looked at buying a supermini in the past few years knows the 1.2 VTi is the mainstay of both Peugeot and Citroen's lineups. It's also included with the cheapest versions of larger cars like the C4 or the 301 sedan. Economy is on this engine's side, but with only 118 Nm of torque, it's not exactly punchy.
Peugeot 308 1.2 e-THP 1 photo
Photo: Peugeot
But following the lead set by Renault's 1.2 TCe and Ford's 1.0 EcoBoost, Peugeot has also developed its own small turbo 1.2-liter engine. It's called the 1.2 PureTech e-THP and is becoming available with the 308 family of compacts.

This mill will not be cheap to order, so we think the performance is perhaps a little bit more important. With 130 horsepower at its disposal, the 308's 1.2-liter is 20 hp more powerful than the equivalent VW Golf and 10+ over the Renault Megane.

Yes, economy isn't bad either. Officially, it's supposed to do 61.4 mpg UK or 4.6 L/100km. However, Peugeot wanted to show it's capable of so much more than that and set it on a journey of eco self-discovery. Under the supervision of the UTAC (Union Technique de l'Automobile, Motocycle et Cycle), the car returned a much more impressive score of 99.1 mpg UK or 2.8 L/100km.

It took a whole 32 hours to empty the 51.4-liter tank of fuel, by which time the 308 had averaged 1,125 miles or 1,810 kilometers.

Still, even completely empty streets at 3 o'clock in the morning have traffic signs and lights you have to stop for, which a track track doesn't. This turbo Peugeot 308 sounds like a cool car, but the test they subjected it to is kind of pointless.

Besides making 130 hp, the 1.2 e-THP also delivers 230 Nm (172 lb-ft) of torque, again more than its competitors. With its standard six-speed manual gearbox, the 308 takes 9.6 seconds to reach 100 km/h and tops out at 127 mph.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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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.
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