Peugeot 308 SW review

Right, let’s get the traditional internal combustion engines out the way first, beginning with the 1.2-litre petrol. It gets 130bhp and 170lb ft of torque, good for 0-62mph in a somewhat leisurely 9.9secs, but still plenty quick enough. The three-cylinder engine is surprisingly vocal, but the eight-speed auto is impressively smooth and responsive. Peugeot claims fuel consumption of 43.5mpg, real world fuel economy should be around 40mpg.

The 1.5-litre diesel offers 130bhp and 221lb ft of torque, 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds, and 56.9mpg, but is ultimately best suited to high mileage motorway drivers.

And the hybrids?

We’ve spent most time in the 180, powered by a 148bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine paired with a (109bhp) electric motor and 12kWh battery. It’s noticeably quicker off the line – Peugeot claims a 0-62mph time of 7.7 seconds – and is a quiet cruiser around town in EV mode. That said, the engagement of the combustion engine is barely noticeable either, the biggest clue being the gear indicator on the dash.

Through the touchscreen you can handily ‘save’ a certain amount of electric range – your options being six miles, 12 miles or ‘maximum’ – for driving through, for example, emission free zones. On a near 40-mile loop, we stayed in electric mode for about half of it, resulting in fuel consumption equivalent to about 80mpg. Peugeot obviously claims a ridiculous 213.7mpg on the official test cycle, but that has zero relevance to your driving.

The 225, which pairs a slightly more powerful 178bhp petrol engine with the same electric motor, is slightly punchier, knocking 0.1 seconds off the 0-62mph time. But both mask their extra mass well (the 180 weighing 314kg more than the petrol 130, the 225 an extra 342kg) – the steering is nicely weighted, the ride is slightly on the firm side but comfortable enough, and it handles nicely around corners.

We’d wager that the 180 is more than good enough in most circumstances, as well as being notably more affordable. Win win.

What's that on the centre console?

Peugeot calls it the ‘e-Toggle’ switch – in layman’s terms it’s the gearbox control, allowing you to switch between drive, park and reverse. The eagle eyed will have also spotted the drive mode selector, which allows you to switch between electric, hybrid, eco, normal and sport modes (depending on the powertrain). All fairly self-explanatory, that is, except sport mode, which firms up the power steering, improves torque response, and shortens the gearshift time.

Needless to say, the 308 SW is fitted with the full suite of driver aids, though we found the obstacle detection particularly over-zealous, warning you every time someone pulled into your lane on the motorway. Peugeot also offers a £200 Drive Assist Plus pack which includes all manner of semi-autonomous tech, including semi-automatic lane change, anticipated speed recommendation and curve speed adaptation, the latter ‘optimising the car’s speed according to the severity of the bend’. Watch out, Elon.