Peugeot 308 2022 Review

The new 2022 Peugeot 308 starts at $43,990 plus on-road costs for the 308 GT hatch, $48,990 plus ORCs for the 308 GT Premium hatch and $50,490 plus ORCs for the 308 GT Premium wagon.

A 308 GT Sport PHEV hatch is slated for arrival in the first half of 2023, with pricing for the plug-in hybrid to be announced closer to launch. A full-electric version has also been revealed, but isn’t yet confirmed for Australia.

This is a clear move upmarket from the previous T9-series 308, which topped out at only $34,990 plus ORCs for the 1.2-litre auto GT-Line hatch.

Peugeot Australia managing director Kate Gillis made it clear at the new 308 launch last week that the brand strategy for the small car is “premium”.

Two trim levels across hatch and wagon body styles kick off the launch of the new-generation 2022 Peugeot 308 – the GT hatch, the more upmarket GT Premium hatch and similarly-specced GT Premium wagon.

The 2022 Peugeot 308 GT hatch comes with Alcantara/leatherette upholstery, a leather-clad and heated steering wheel with paddle shifters, privacy glass, electro-chromatic rear-vision mirror, dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, one-touch power windows front and rear and power-adjustable, power-fold and heated side mirrors.

Also on the standard features menu are 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/40R18 tyres – Michelin Primacy 4, in the case of the cars we drove at launch – as well as keyless entry and push-button start.

The 308 GT Premium hatch and wagon add an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (with two-position memory), heated driver and front passenger seat with massage function, Nappa leather seat trim, a panoramic-opening glass sunroof and matte-black alloy wheels.

The wagon, in addition, features a powered tailgate with gesture control and pedestrian detection.

No spare tyre is fitted to any new 308; you get a tyre repair kit instead. Also missing is any underbody aero or even an under-engine splash guard (which was standard on the previous model).

All models have the option of $690 metallic paint or $1060 premium paint: Olivine Green is the no-cost colour in hatch, and Avatar Blue for the wagon.

Warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres, with five years’ roadside assist included.

There’s also five years of capped-price servicing available. Prices are $2489 over five years for pay as you go, or $1800 if you pre-pay. The pre-paid service offer is also available over three years, for $1000.

All 2022 Peugeot 308 models come with front, side and side curtain airbags, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection but not intersection assist.

There’s also long-range blind spot detection (up to 70 metres), lane keep assist, driver attention warning, adaptive cruise control with auto stop, speed limit recognition and recommendation, full Matrix LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, a 180-degree rear-view camera, rear cross traffic alert and tyre pressure monitoring.

The higher-spec Premium hatch and wagon add active lane positioning assist and a 360-degree surround-view camera to the safety features list.

The new 308 is as yet unrated by local safety body ANCAP, however its European affiliate has awarded it a four-star rating – one down from the expected five-star maximum.

In Euro NCAP testing, the 308 achieved 76 per cent for adult occupant protection, 84 per cent for child occupant protection, 68 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 65 per cent for safety assist.

The new 2022 Peugeot 308 takes a big step up in technology over the previous model, not only with a higher level of specification, but in quicker and smarter execution.

The key take-aways are a new 10-inch 3D dash cluster (i-Cockpit in Peugeot-speak) and 10-inch centre infotainment screen, with wireless internet connectivity for sat-nav features.

Supplied by TomTom, these features include nearest fuel station and fuel pricing, car park space availability, live traffic updates, live route updates and so on.

This live access is free for three years, and can be topped up for a further one or three years after that – although Peugeot would not give the costings for those subscription extensions at launch.

Other key improvements to the higher-definition infotainment screen include customisable screens for colours, widgets, shortcut order, a drag-and-drop delete function, swap pages and so on.

The same applies to the configurable 3D instrument cluster, which gives primary information up front and secondary in the background.

Then there’s the two USB-A and two USB-C ports (one of each front and back), a 12V socket (front), voice recognition, a wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (but wired for screen mirroring), AM/FM/DAB radio and six speakers in the GT hatch.

Meanwhile, the GT Premium hatch has a premium 10-speaker Focal sound system.

Anyone familiar with the previous T9’s clunky and slow infotainment screen will be very happy to see Peugeot’s effort with new 308. The system works with surprising speed and clarity.

The physical buttons for key functions at the bottom of the centre screen (as per other recent Peugeots, such as 508) is a useful measure to help avoid driver distraction.

For now, all 2022 Peugeot 308 models in Australia come with the same 96kW/230Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, dubbed Puretech 130, as was used in the previous-generation T9 308.

It continues to drive the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.2 turbo triple sounds even more throaty in this latest version, as if it were acoustically enhanced. It is a smooth, torquey, free-revving and willing engine, but don’t let the ‘GT’ label lead you to think it’s fast…

This isn’t a performance hatch, but the engaging powertrain does make it fun, flexible or relaxing as needed, if not actually all that quick.

Peugeot claims the 308 hatch will reach 100km/h from standstill in 9.7sec, the wagon in 9.9sec. In 1985, that really was getting hot-hatch-quick. In 2022, not nearly so much…

How fuel efficient is the Peugeot 308?

The 2022 Peugeot 308 hatch and wagon both carry an official combined-cycle fuel economy rating of 5.3L/100km, with a corresponding CO2 emissions figure of 120g/km.

On launch, we saw an average of 6.9L/100km showing over a day’s driving that varied from highway cruising to winding through mountain passes.

Claimed fuel tank capacity is 52 litres, down one litre on the T9 308.

The 2022 Peugeot 308 EMP2 platform and suspension set-up looks very familiar, in principle if not in exact execution, to the T9 308.

Both hatch and wagon models use MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam configuration at the rear (with coil springs at each end).

The new 308 has a similarly lively and responsive steering feel as the T9 and turns in just as nicely. The suspension is quite firm, but it’s never jittery or uncomfortable, although it can become unsettled over the rough stuff.

It is a fun, engaging car to loop through a series of twists and turns.

The one issue – and this is a carryover problem from the T9 – is that the rear torsion beam thumps over sharp-edged bumps, the impact felt and heard in the cabin so much that it makes you wince.

You may drive 100km before hitting such a bump, but when you do, you’ll know all about it. This is where a ‘premium’ hatch might instead have a more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension.

While it has an eye-catching silhouette, the 2022 Peugeot 308 interior is just as inviting to the eye.

It carries over certain themes from its predecessor (such as the i-Cockpit), but the higher dash makes it feel as though you’re sitting lower in this new model.

Fit and finish seems very good overall, except two hatches we drove had a rattle coming from somewhere behind the infotainment screen driving over rough roads.

Sunlight reflection from below the infotainment screen was also a bit distracting.

Yet the quality of materials seems to be a step up from the T9 308, and almost Volkswagen Golf-like in presentation.

The seats offer plenty of under-thigh and lateral support, and all the instruments are easy to find and use, although the infotainment options would take a while to learn.

Slightly bigger in all key dimensions, the 308 is still roomy up front and a little tight on rear legroom for adults.

Boot space is down on the previous model, to as little as 384 litres (seats up) in the GT Premium hatch or 605 litres in the wagon.

Folding down the 60/40-split (hatch) or 40/20/40-split (wagon) rear seats increases the cargo volume for these two models to 1295L and 1634L respectively.

The GT hatch is a little more generous than the GT Premium with a 412/1323L luggage capacity.

The new 2022 Peugeot 308 is, on a technology level, so much better in available features and their application than the previous T9 308, and even some competitors.

On aesthetics (which, of course, are entirely subjective), the 308 manages to be incredibly distinctive. It looks sharp, and not many people will mistake it for something else.

Yet using what appears to be the same old torsion bar rear suspension is a misstep in what otherwise is a very accomplished vehicle dynamically, while the lack of an engine splash guard would seem like unnecessary cost-cutting.

And while on the matter of cost, the new 308 starts at a premium price without really being entirely a cohesive, premium offering.

It is certainly a good car, but a great, class-leading car? Let’s wait and see…

2022 Peugeot 308 GT hatch at a glance:
Price: $43,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 96kW/230Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 120g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Four-star (Euro NCAP 2022)