Peugeot 308/308 SW

HANDOVER REPORT We’ll see if 308 estate makes more sense as a family car than the hatch

Practicality

THE term ‘family hatchback’ applies to a lot of cars, with almost every manufacturer having a contender in this sector There’s the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Kia Ceed, Honda Civic, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and many, many more Included in that list is the Peugeot 308 that we ’ re currently running on the Auto Express fleet, and the more time I spend with it, the more I’m starting to realise that whoever coined this term probably doesn’t have a family

I have two children aged five and two, and it can be a real struggle to fit everybody inside, along with the sheer amount of kit that needs to be crammed into the boot

Because my kids still need car seats, the rear legroom is extremely compromised, meaning both myself and my wife have to move our seats forward more than we would like I can cope with it when driving, but whoever sits in the front passenger seat inevitably ends up with their legs jammed into the glovebox area, which protrudes quite a long way in the 308

But the even bigger issue is the size of the boot Once my daughter’s buggy is inside,

Performance

0-62mph/top speed 76 seconds/139mph there isn’t really much room for anything else Add a few coats and bags and you can forget it Now this is partly down to the 308 that we ’ re running being a plug-in hybrid, so the battery reduces boot space from 412 litres to 361 litres But regardless of the model, this is way down on what many typical SUVs can accommodate

We really found this out over the Christmas period, when making multiple long trips to Oxford to spend time with my family Each journey was a struggle, and we often had to resort to packing bags between the children in the rear seats

Thankfully help is at hand, though, because Peugeot has sent out a 308 SW estate for us to test over the next three months It replaces the hatch on our fleet, and both my wife and I are delighted We’re really looking forward to seeing how it will cope with family life It’s unlikely to have much of an impact on legroom, but it boasts a whopping 548 litres of space at the back Bring on the long family trips, I say!

Our new 308 SW features the punchy 222bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain (the same set-up as you’ll find in the Vauxhall Astra GSe), so it should be pretty quick on the move as well It’s also a top-spec GT Premium, so comes packed with standard kit, including electric and heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic roof – all things I usually make good use of Other than the amount of space, which isn’t exactly a Peugeot-specific issue, the 308 has been a great performer, irrespective of bodystyle I racked up a decent distance in the hatch, covering 6,306 miles before it was replaced, and I really enjoyed driving it You sit quite low, so at times it almost feels like a go-kart, and you can have some proper fun on a good B-road, thanks to the precise steering

The design of the interior looks smart, bordering on premium, and the large central

WE LIKE I’m able to pre-heat the plug-in 308 in cold weather I just open the Peugeot app, click a few buttons and let the car do the work Adding a schedule means it’s always nice and toasty when I take my son to school screen is crystal clear Wireless Apple CarPlay is normally connected within seconds of starting the car, so I have everything I need at my fingertips There are no physical climate controls, but there’s a switch to quickly access it on the screen and it always comes up quickly whenever I press it

The driving position means that it can be hard to see the dials, though, since Peugeot’s insistence on having the screen above the steering wheel means it often just gets in the way I find it less of an issue than my wife does, but it’s definitely not for everybody

Running in pure-electric mode regularly means I’ve managed to achieve 72 4mpg However, I’ve had to charge it up daily because the range remains disappointing at just under 20 miles I was expecting the cold weather to make things worse, but thankfully it’s stayed relatively unchanged

Having previously written about this, I have since received E-mails from 308 and 3008 owners quoting similar problems

One reader stated he couldn’t get above 11 miles and has now stopped bothering to charge it altogether I’ll be interesting to see if things are any better with the 308 SW

WE DON’T The fuel tank is tiny, with just a 40-litre capacity, so when I’m not running in pureelectric mode, I’m making regular trips to fuel up Also, while the pearlescent white paint looks great, it really shows the dirt