New Peugeot 308 SW wagon revealed

The new Peugeot 308 SW has been revealed online ahead of the sleek five-door wagon’s launch in Australia next year.

Following the new-generation 2022 Peugeot 308 hatch unveiled in March that’s due for release here in the first quarter of next year, the new Peugeot 308 SW (Peugeot-speak for estate) has been confirmed for an Australian launch “later in 2022”, according to Peugeot Australia general manager Kate Gillis.

The SW stretches the hatch’s wheelbase by 55mm and rear overhang by 210mm, a move which liberates 196 litres more boot space (608 litres overall) with the 40/20/40-split folding rear seats upright.

Stowing the seats is said to open up a 1634L space that is capable of carrying objects exceeding 1.85 metres in length.

Compared with the outgoing Peugeot 308 Touring wagon, there’s an additional 129mm in second-row legroom.

Like the 308 hatch, the Peugeot 308 SW takes on the French car-maker’s newest design language and adopts the latest safety, technology and drivelines.

There’s also the latest generation of Peugeot’s ubiquitous I-Cockpit infotainment system comprising a 10.0-inch infotainment touch-screen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat-nav and Bluetooth, together with a 10.0-inch digital instrument cluster display.

Peugeot is sticking with its shrunken steering wheel and high-set dashboard arrangement, firm in the belief it reduces driver distraction.

New semi-autonomous driver assist tech has also been introduced that includes long-range blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert, a self-cleaning reversing camera and 360-degree park assist.

Peugeot’s Drive Assist cruise control is also now capable of stop-and-go driving, lane keeping and automatically adapting the vehicle’s speed around corners. It also now operates at speeds up to 180km/h.

With that said, the headline act in the updated 308 SW range is set to be the introduction of new plug-in hybrid powertrains courtesy of the use of Peugeot’s EMP2 architecture, which has been developed for electrification.

In Europe, a new Hybrid 180 e-EAT8 combines a 110kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an 81kW electric motor to produce 132kW combined.

Thanks to a 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery-pack, the efficient plug-in hatch can cover up to a WLTP-verified 60km on pure-electric power alone while emitting just 25g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle.

A second, more powerful Hybrid 225 e-EAT8 variants blends a more powerful 132kW version of the petrol engine and the same electric motor to produce a punchier 166kW.

Emitting a claimed 26g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle, the more powerful plug-in can still cover 59km on a full charge without burning any fuel.

Topping up using an optional 7.4kW charger takes just under two hours, says Peugeot.

Both hybrids are front-drive but later on an additional all-wheel drive hybrid will be introduced.

As well as the advanced hybrids that are still to be confirmed for Australia, Peugeot will offer two conventional combustion engines – a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo PureTech petrol with either 81kW or 96kW and a single 1.5-litre four-cylinder BlueHDi turbo-diesel that produces 96kW.

The lower-powered petrol is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the higher-power engines are available with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic.

Full details of performance and fuel consumption of the 308 range will come later, including whether we will see the EV version of the new Peugeot 308 confirmed overseas.

We can also expect more details on pricing and Australian specification closer to the 308 SW’s local arrival.