Peugeot 308

On the inside of the 308, things have become a bit more space age and minimalist, making the overall interior cabin looks quite youthful.

The flat bottomed steering wheel looks nice to hold and look at, and increasing the funkiness of the driver’s cockpit, even more, is the high mounted twin-pod instrument console with a large MID screen in between.

The central portion of the dashboard looks quite unique with a distinctive, tapered from the edges housing for the touchscreen infotainment system. The rest of the center console downwards looks quite minimalist with a very limited number of buttons embedded on a large panel.

The Peugeot 308, for a premium hatchback is well adorned with comfort and convenience features like a panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, push-button start with keyless entry, 9.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple Carplay, reverse camera and navigation, premium six-speaker Arkamys sound system, electrically powered driver’s seat and outside rear view mirrors and many more.

With this new second-generation model, the new Peugeot 308 puts the cutesy appeal of the previous generation model aside for a more mature stance. In the process, it has gained a slight amount of futuristic appeal as well.

At the front, the grille design has been toned down for a more sober looking sleek and trapezoidal design, which makes the 308 much more mature in terms of look. The curvy headlamps source inspiration from those of the 3008, and come integrated with full LED lighting and daytime running LEDs.

The 308 looks quite sleek and elongated from the sides, thanks to the increased wheelbase. The sharp character lines flowing from the front fender and door towards the rear give it an athletic feel to the otherwise a soberly designed side silhouette. To add some sporty appeal to this side profile, Peugeot has given a swanky design for the alloy wheels.

At the rear, the 308 has a redesigned boot lid, which looks quite cool due to the boomerang-shaped full LED tail lamps and the number plate housing has moved up on the boot lid.

The Peugeot 308 is one of the longest and widest hatchbacks in its class, which translates into immense levels of interior cabin space as well as boot space on the inside. The 308 is underpinned with Macpherson struts at the front and a twisted torsion beam at the rear, which are tuned on a softer side in order to make the overall ride quality plush and comfortable.

Powering the Peugeot 308 is a 1.6-litre turbo high pressure (THP) petrol engine, which is the only engine option for this model in the Malaysian market. The engine is capable enough to produce a maximum power output of 167 PS and a peak torque output of 240 Nm. Mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, Peugeot claims a fuel economy of 6.5 litre for 100 kms for this engine, which is quite commendable, given the performance on tap.

The Peugeot 308 is armed with a number of appreciable safety features, which includes front, side and curtain airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Anti-skid Regulation (ASR) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).

The Peugeot 308, in this second generation version, shows that practicality and funkiness can go hand in hand. The design is youthful and mature at the same time, while the interiors feel pleasant due to its different layout. With the high levels of space and terrific performance on tap, the Peugeot 308 is a good blend of practicality and zestfulness in one single package.