Peugeot 308 XSE Turbo 2008 Review

Road Test - Peugeot 308 XSE Turbo

About our ratings

Peugeot's 308 XSE Turbo, with its turbo-boosted small-capacity 1.6-litre petrol engine, reflects a growing trend that could yet deliver the petrol engine a reprieve against the diesel. Pioneered by Saab, this formula effectively replicates what is making the newest diesels so effective.

Like the Fiat Ritmo's hyper 1.4-litre petrol turbo with the same 110kW power output, Peugeot has skewed this application towards economy and a strong launch. It's ready to challenge the diesel as the default choice on both scores.

As diesel fuel brings such a significant price penalty in Australia, turning petrol engines into frugal, small capacity powerhouses might be more relevant -- especially in the premium small hatch class where buyers rate 'green' and performance at the same level. When the same engine also delivers a saving of $3000 compared to its diesel equivalent (before you even hit the road), this test is as much an assessment of this new approach as the 308 itself.

The 308 context needs to be addressed first. At many levels, it is a frivolous and indulgent design. Its front could finish at the front wheels. Everything beyond that is geared to making it look good -- including costly and vulnerable headlight units; a token black crash pad that sits level with the lower spoiler so it can't protect much; and a long front overhang that is guaranteed to bury itself into a kerb or driveway at least once a day.

Although the turning circle is good, that extra overhang will too easily catch a pillar or another car if a driver is distracted, despite Peugeot rounding off the corners.

This extravagance at the front dictates a truncated rear with limited boot space and stuff-all parking protection. Even with the rear seats folded, it can't offer the long luggage platform that is the norm in this class. It helps that the rear cushions easily unclip and can be removed but the load length is still limited.

The windscreen is so long and heavily canted that most of the front occupants are sitting directly under the Aussie sun. Even on crisp winter days, this dictates constant air-conditioning to counter the radiant heat -- not very green at all. It also presents an unusually large catchment area for errant rocks.

If you want evidence of why the VW Golf is so good at what it does, compare its side profile with the Peugeot 308 then just go out and buy the latest VW Golf GT Sport TSI petrol -- there's a frugal petrol hatch to lift your pulse while performing a big range of family duties. If you still want a lean lentil burger hatch sprinkled with sauce of Ferrari, keep reading. After all, it is a 308!

Despite the packaging compromises, it is obvious that Peugeot has spent many hours fine-tuning the driver interface (instead of just sending the CAD dimensions to production as seemed to have happened with the recently tested Fiat Ritmo -- and the VE Commodore). The 308's cabin architecture could have set up the worst front vision in the business except Peugeot has carefully opened up the base of the pillars with side glass and separated the mirrors so you can see between them. Coupled with the neat dip in the front side glass (as Ford did with the FG Falcon) exactly where the driver needs it, the driver can confidently claim a gap in traffic.

The legibility and layout of the gauges are masterful as is the air vent design and central control panel -- especially the dual-zone climate controls. Hiding the bonnet release inside a locked left front door is a clever security move even if it works better in left-hand drive. There is no hint of cost-cutting about the magnificent in-door grab handles and integrated power window switches, except perhaps the fact the rear doors lose the grab handles. The door bins front and rear are welcome but cupholders and storage around the dash are typically Euro-miserly.

The height and reach adjustable steering column smacks of the same driver priorities, even if the driver's seat cushion has height but no tilt adjustment. Mirrors that fold out of the way as soon as the car is locked are a welcome recognition that Australian city streets are becoming as crowded as European ones. They are also an essential feature when they are mounted well clear of the body.

This all sets up some big expectations and the 308 XSE Turbo only gets better on the move. The engine is the turbocharged version of the shared BMW-design that powers the MINI Cooper S and feels more BMW than any wheezy, low-torque Peugeot petrol engine of the past.

It is eerily smooth, not surprising given that 1.6 is an optimum size for a four-cylinder. The refinement is also a stark and timely reminder of how quickly we have got used to the (relative) clatter and breathlessness of diesels.

The turbo arrives subtly and there's a wonderful surge of power that extends to 6000rpm and beyond, when it's all over in the diesel by 4000. Although the convincing 240Nm is rather less than the diesel's 320Nm at 2000rpm, its peak starts at just 1400rpm so subjectively it can feel meatier.

When this engine also brings a weight loss of 94kg and only drinks 1.6L/100km more than the diesel, it's fair to conclude that the diesel buyer is going to incur extra brake and tyre costs as well as take at least 40,000km to recoup the extra purchase price in fuel savings. Because this petrol engine develops its torque earlier and can hold the indirect gears up to 2000rpm longer, Peugeot figures confirm that it is significantly quicker as well.

Alas as Peugeot only offers a four-speed auto option in the petrol 308, and not the diesel's (or MINI's!) six speed, it's the five-speed manual that presents this combination in the best possible light.

Peugeot has returned to its roots of suspension excellence with the 308. Its ride and handling balance is sublime. Nice and neutral through the corners and the ability to absorb the worst mid-corner bumps without disturbing the passengers or frightening the driver is the order of the day.

However, the standard 16-inch wheels and their low-profile tyres are on the limit of acceptability in Australia in terms of transferring initial road shock into the car. The 17 and 18-inch inch wheel packages could very easily reverse any advantage in ride refinement.

If the French chic and its big snoz appeals and you can live with the compromises that it generates, there is not much else that lets the 308 XSE Turbo down. It is a car that can soon grow on you as its depth of ability emerges.

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