After Max’s quick spin earlier in the week, the Peugeot 308 got a spot of town duty, just the way it was designed to be used.

I struggle to think of a sexier family hatch, even one for gay families. Even so, Peugeot sales have continued to languish, and the Australian amalgamation with sister brand Citroen has done little to help. What a shame, because the offerings are dead gorgeous! There are one or two that actually look like the original concept drawings. Sadly, most brands have men with pocket protectors who take daring drawings and turn them into horrid bowls of porridge.

Part of the problem is the abandonment of the frisky drivetrains that had a bit of get up and go. Europe has all but gone green, whereas Australia had conservative governments who sat of the fence for so long, they became one! OK, enough of the jokes.

Our 308 gets a rather portly 9.7 seconds 0-100kph, and that’s with 1-up. We didn’t count with 4 up because there was no point. The gay boys who love a hot hatch by now, but the rest of you will still find a frolicking fillies full of frippery and fun.

The look is stunning, and the sexy-AF matrix headlights can be switched to manual function. We know some of you are sans the technology appreciation gene, turning off all the safety and driver, as stupid as that is. All those super-car crashes are because the drop-kick at the wheel turned shit off.

Like or loathe it, Olivine Green is the standard colour, with a half-dozen others to be had at a price. Personally, the green is right up my avenue.

Inside, as with most brands, the front seaters get most of the love.

The neat 3D driver i-Cockpit is managed with 2 LCD screens at 900 with a sheet of reflective material in-between. It works much as head Up Displays do, and although the effect is hypnotic, it does not negate the need for an HUD. Come on Peugeot, trying to reinvent the wheel is never a good idea.

The large centre screen is configurable, even the large one-touch buttons along the bottom of the screen. Under those is another row of fixed physical buttons. The asymmetric centre console completes the cockpit feeling. Despite Peugeot’s claim of premium materials only, the gear toggle has a cheap grey-plakky surround that ruins the otherwise-classy ambience.

The cosy feel is particularly obvious in the rear bench where 2 friends won’t have a lot of space to move, in fact, it is downright cramped. The driver would have to deactivate the” easy access” feature that makes the seat slide back, for fear of trapping punters’ feet.

Download the specifications HERE: MY23 PEUGEOT 308 Spec Sheet-e46bcb241d77488783768ca088c50274

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Driving:

Peugeot 308 Premium Hatch’s 96kw makes city driving a lovely, leisurely affair, so do not try to beat other cars at lights. Peugeot’s 8-speed automatic has a delightfully smooth operation that is more akin to a DCT-style shifter.

All 4 boys managed a weekend steer, and the most mentioned comment was about the deliciously raspy tone of the 3-cylinder. It kept up with traffic and felt far nipper than the figures might suggest, but is still too soft a stint for some.

Look, you’re going to have misgivings, and if a spin around the block is your only exposure, you will not be moved to rampant hand waving. You need lots of lovely twisty roads for the 308 to emerge from its chrysalis, where it becomes a big blousy barnstormer, banging out those bends like a Scud on acid.

Highway driving makes best use of auto steering and smart cruise control. You could sit in the comfy seats for hours, but getting in and out is a bit of a task for larger gents. Those front doors aren’t as capacious as one might hope.

In the end, we split the weekend between 2 cars, treating the 308 like a nippy sports coupé. It then became reminiscent of those cute little open top tourers of the 60’s. You’re transported to a world of driving gloves, cocktails and late-night glasses of port over a game of billiards. You can imagine sweeping panoramas, ancient roads clinging to clifftops, and villages of whitewashed cottages, all passing like postcards flung into the air.

“Hey Peugeot” was a surprise and worked well, but it is the wireless apple CarPlay/Android Auto that bests suits modern life. Unlike BMW, Peugeot won’t be renting it to you, you get it included.

Finally, the Peugeot 308 Premium Hatch tight chassis was gym-fit and ready to go. In short, Peugeot 308 is a joy to drive, if you can overlook the modest power plant.

Conclusion:

We loved the looks, the technology, the feel, and the drive. While the soft-squidgy acceleration could do with some pep in its step, we can expect no further development in internal combustion models.

Like all other car makers, Peugeot is looking forward to electrification, not backward to the end of the 19th century. Burning bits of old dinosaur is seen as unpalatable by most, with some stalwarts holding out for the last light to go out. Until it does, the Peugeot 308 Premium Hatch got a decent 6.1l/100k average for us, and even less on the highway.

2023 Peugeot 308 Premium Hatch

Price: $48,990

Engine: 1.2L turbo 3cyl Petrol

Power: 96kw/230Nm

Trans: 8-speed automatic

Econ: 5.3l/100k

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