Peugeot put us on a plane and took us to Touquet, in northern France, so that we could get to know the new Peugeot 308 SW. In between, we still ride our bicycles, to burn the foie gras and the cheeses that we eat heartily.
We had already been to French lands during the presentation of the Peugeot 308. This time, the chosen place was Touquet, a small French commune and a favorite bathing destination for the English (after the Algarve, of course).
At the airport, a 130hp Allure version Peugeot 308 SW 1.2 PureTech was waiting for us (€27,660). “Stuffed” with everything the lion brand has to offer, we hit the road. The GPS pointed the Française de Mécanique Production Center in Douvrin as the destination for a visit to the engine assembly line that we were taking under the hood. Ahead we had about 140 km, on a mix of secondary roads and highway.
Significantly larger than the saloon, the Peugeot 308 SW retains its dynamic spirit and does not lose its focused posture. The smaller steering wheel, kart style, gives a lot of freedom and control, allowing a confident approach to the challenges that the road presents us, a characteristic that is not lost in relation to the saloon.
Engines
Responsive, the 1.2 Puretech 130hp engine sees 230nm torque available as early as 1750rpm. Here the driving experience takes high marks, it's a small 3-cylinder engine with a giant breath. When we accelerate to the bottom, it shouts “Vive La France!” with an American accent, or not the turbo “made in the USA”.
Despite the French brand claiming consumption of 4.6 liters per 100 km, this will have its position compromised against diesel engines, whose demand is much higher in this segment.
At the Production Center for a guided tour of the facilities, a lady forced us to wear a reflective vest and special shoes, the latest fashion in those parts.
The Française de Mécanique Production Center is responsible for the assembly process of the 1.2L Puretech engine. You can see in the photographs the various stages of the process, right up to the final product. With quality control dominating the Production Center's daily schedule, our guide points to several piles of components marked in red and says: “this is expensive rubbish, but it has to be that way.”
We left the factory in the direction of Touquet, where the traditional press conference was waiting for us at the hotel. However, we now had in our hands the Peugeot 308 SW 2.0 BlueHDI (Allure) with 150hp and the new 6-speed automatic transmission from the French brand EAT6 (€36,340), here in an absolute debut.
Consumption in the Peugeot 308 SW 2.0 BlueHDI was always around 5/6 litres, which was to be expected, given that the faster pace was a constant. The soundproofing and the general quality of the materials is quite high, which gives us a feeling of well-being on board. The baquet-style sports front seats give us the freedom to accelerate through corners, giving us good lateral support.
On the last day we had the opportunity to try out the new 1.6 BlueHDI engine with 120hp in the saloon and SW version, which will only be available in Portugal in a few months. This engine emits only 85 g/km of CO2 and has an advertised consumption of 3.1 liters per 100 km, positioning itself to be the most requested in Portuguese land. With 300 nm torque available at 1750 rpm, it can move the Peugeot 308 SW quite easily.
New automatic transmission (EAT6)
The new ATM is much better than the previous one and, without a doubt, adds the icing on the cake. It's true that we haven't tested it properly yet, but this first contact, it was possible to understand that what separates it from any other automatic 6-speed gearbox is imperceptible for the common driver.
With “Quick Shift” technology, known as “S-mode”, the EAT6 is able to digest the requests of our right foot well, without being “grinding” the answer.
Consumption in the Peugeot 308 SW 2.0 BlueHDI was always around 5/6 litres, which was to be expected, given that the faster pace was a constant. The soundproofing and the general quality of the materials is quite high, which gives us a feeling of well-being on board.
Design and Dimensions
Evaluating the design is a bit like entering the land where everyone rules and there is no boss, here I just leave you my unbiased opinion. The overall look is “out of the box”, a bit in counter-cycle with the competition's design, which tries to be true to the past.
Inside, which won the most beautiful interior award in the world at the latest edition of the Paris International Automobile Festival, the image is kept clean and in line with the latest design trends. It's pleasant to run your hand through the cabin and feel the fluid lines without major interruptions, although here opinions are divided, with some who think that “avant-garde” can lead the model to a faster aging process.
As for the exterior, Peugeot's Director of Style, Gilles Vidal, says that the biggest challenge was to reconcile the rear with the front, with the rear LEDs reminiscent of jewelry. According to Vidal, we were able to identify a Peugeot 308 SW at night 500 meters away.
Compared to the previous generation, the new Peugeot 308 SW has grown 84 cm in length, 11 cm in width and loses 48 cm in height. In addition to these numbers contributing to superior performance, there is now more space in the luggage compartment (+90 liters), whose capacity is 610 liters.
The “Magic Flat” system allows the rear seats to be folded down automatically, transforming the trunk into a flat surface with a capacity of 1765 liters.
The EMP2 platform also contributed a significant reduction in weight (70kg), a total of 140 kg less compared to the previous generation Peugeot 308 SW.
Technology
There's a lot of technology on board and we get to experience almost everything. Within the range of technological options there are two new entries: the Park Assist with diagonal parking and the Driver Sport Pack.
The Driver Sport Pack was installed on the first Peugeot 308 SW we tested. A “sport” button located next to the “start” button, once activated, changes the driving settings, imparting a sportier posture to the Peugeot 308 SW.
Sport power steering, reactive accelerator pedal mapping, increased engine and gearbox responsiveness, red dashboard information and power delivery display, boost pressure, longitudinal and transverse acceleration and amplified engine sound (via of the speakers) are the modifications it causes.
Peugeot everywhere
“Link My Peugeot” is an app that allows you to view route statistics, autonomy, continue navigation to a location on foot, locate the vehicle and receive maintenance alerts.
Another new application is Scan My Peugeot, which, through image recognition technology, allows us to point to a part of the car and receive information about it.
And for Portugal?
In Portugal, 3 equipment levels will be available: Access, Active and Allure. As in the hatchback, there will be a Pack Business for the Access version, aimed at the fleet market.
Peugeot expects to sell between 1500 and 1700 Peugeot 308 SW this year in the Portuguese market. The Peugeot 308 SW will reach dealers in early summer.
Access
1.2 PureTech 110 hp (23,400 €)
1.6 HDi 92 hp (24,550 €)
1.6 e-HDi 115 hp (25,650 €)
Active
1.2 PureTech 110 hp (24,700 €)
1.2 PureTech 130 hp (25,460 €)
1.6 HDi 92 hp (25,850 €)
1.6 e-HDi 115 hp (26,950 €)
Allure
1.2 PureTech 130 hp (27,660 €)
1.6 HDi 92 (28,050 €)
1.6 e-HDi 115 (€29,150)
2.0 BlueHDi 150 hp (€35,140)
2.0 BlueHDi 150 hp Auto (36,340 €)
