AN EIGHT THAT'S GREAT? (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 62

Peugeot's 308 family hatch got far more polish in this third generation guise, with smarter packaging, extra engineering options and a bit more useful technology. The result was a more desirable product than many expected from this familiar Gallic brand. You might be surprised at how much you'd like it. Here, we look at the 2021-2025-era versions of this MK3 P5-era design.

Modelsword count: 16

5dr Hatch, SW estate (1.2, 1.2 Hybrid, 1.6 PHEV petrol / 1.5 diesel / E-308 EV)

Historyword count: 220

Mid-sized compact Peugeots with a '3' designation actually go all the way back to the 301 of 1932, progressing through the pre-war 302 and the post-war 304 to the 305 and 306 models of the Eighties and Nineties. At the turn of the century, volume sales continued to be chased with the forgettable 307 of 2001, the underpinnings of which also formed the basis for its less popular successor, the first generation 308 of 2007, which was replaced by the MK2 308 in 2014. That second generation 308 wasn't really a car many customers would have chosen in preference to a Golf, let alone anything premium, but this MK3 version, launched in 2021 wanted to be. Everything was different - even the front Peugeot grille badge. And, whether you choose the hatch body shape or the alternative SW estate version, the sharky looks clothe a cabin that was the segment's most sophisticated in its era. Peugeot expanded the powertrain line-up considerably after launch, in 2023 introducing a petrol Hybrid 136hp model - and the all-electric E-308. In 2025, the Hybrid was uprated to 145hp and the flagship PHEV powertrain got re-engineered, gaining a new gearbox and a larger battery. Late 2025 brought a mid-term facelift, but it's the pre-facelift 2021-2025-period versions of this P5-era 308 that we look at here.

What You Getword count: 585

By 2021, Peugeot's designers were reinterpreting what compact hatchbacks could look like. With its second generation 208, the company had redefined modern supermini styling and much the same was achieved here with this third generation 308 family hatch, that model's larger showroom stablemate. It's perhaps not quite as visually appealing, but it certainly makes a pavement statement. As usual with a 308, there are hatch and SW estate body styles, both of which have plenty of overtaking presence. This P5 MK3 design gained a longer-looking bonnet than before with a prominent bulge and a lower-looking nose bearing a rather different Peugeot badge on its grille, which reinterpreted the company's 1960s iconography and was large enough to cover the radar needed for the autonomous driving aids. In profile, owners of the previous generation model might notice the extra 11mm of length of this P5 design; and the prominent creases that appeared over the wheel arches, which sat below a stronger shoulder line. At the rear, the LED tail lamps seem almost impossibly thin, decorated on the 'GT' models with a distinctive 'three claw' lighting signature and above base trim linked by a glossy centre strip. At the wheel, everything's very in-your-face and angular. Virtually everything you touch feels tactile and of high quality. And, as with this model's direct predecessor, the first thing you're going to have to decide is whether you can get on with the distinctive 'i-Cockpit' dash design with its tiny steering wheel, above which (rather than through which) you're supposed to view the instruments. The little gauges you view, of the virtual variety displayed on a 10-inch screen, are unusual too, but all the information shown is clear and easy to assimilate and the screen layout gets clever 3D graphics. The central monitor is also 10-inches in size, but is deeper and more informative, underscored by a row of 'i-toggle' switches which usually operate the climate features but can be re-programmed for other functions if you wish. Normally, you'd expect the central screen layout to flow down into the lower part of the centre stack, but the designers clearly felt more storage space could be freed up by separating out the angular lower console with its diminutive little 'impulse selector' gear shifting switch. Lumbar adjustment was standard for the beautifully-upholstered seats and, with the exception of restricted rear three-quarter vision, the ergonomics are fine and build quality from the French Mulhouse factory was difficult to fault. In the rear, it's certainly not what you'd call spacious - or at least it won't be if you've front seat folk of at least average height sitting ahead of you - but with the exception of Skoda's Octavia, no obvious rival in this class from this era does much better. As at the front though, classy finishing makes up for much: the way the interior part of the centre armrest is trimmed for instance, is a far cry from the mediocre class norm. Conventionally-engined 308s offer a 412-litre boot. That falls to 361-litres with the PHEV and the all-electric E-308. Obviously, because of its slightly higher roof line, the SW estate version has a larger boot, 608-litres in size in conventional variants or 548-litres if you opt for the PHEV or the E-308. Fold everything flat and a conventional 308 hatch will offer you 1,323-litres of capacity (1,271-litres in the PHEV or the E-308). For the SW estate, the seats-folded figures are 1,634-litres with a conventional model or 1,574-litres with the PHEV or the E-308.

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