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Whether it's fine cuisine or foreign policy Germany and France rarely seem to agree on
anything. But with the new 308 Peugeot certainly seems to have taken a few notes from its friends
across the border when it comes to building a five-door family hatchback. The new 308
arrives with promises of greater fuel efficiency, a new scalable platform and more onboard technology
than ever before. But will it pass the VWGolf test? Well we're here - in a neutral land
in Switzerland - to find out. The conservative new exterior design is perhaps the biggest
clue that Peugeot has set its sights high. Clean, simple lines and unfussy details mean
that the 308 looks smart and modern. But it lacks the head turning appeal of some rivals
like the SEATLeon for instance. And all traces of traditional French flare have been thoroughly
sanitised. Even so, the standard LED headlights are really striking as are the alloy wheels
fitted to our top-spec test car. It sits on the same platform as the Citroen C4 picasso
which means it's wider and lower than before and it has shorter overhangs for a more compact
look. It also means that it's 140 kilo lighter than the old car. The boot is 470 litres nearly
getting on at 100 litres more than a VW Golf. There are some sacrifices to be made in the rear seats. It's quite snuggy
in here, even for me, and I'm only at average height. There's just about enough legroom
even with the big boot but if I sit up straight as you can see my head is pretty much bent
against the roof. That might be to do with the panaramic sunroof we've got in this high-spec
model but even so it's certainly not great and it's not as good as class leaders like
the VW Golf and the Skoda Octavia. Things do improve upfront and I'll show you the cabin
now. Here in the front drivers are in for a real treat. The cockpit is really clean,
clinical, simply laid out and easy to use. The materials are high quality as well and
all cars come with this 9.7inch touch screen display which controls all the major functions
including climate control sat-nav and the infotainment system. Uses the same steering
wheel from the 208. Lets take it for a drive to see what it's like. The 308 goes on sale
in January next year and from then they'll be a Blue HDi version with a claimed 82g/km
and 91mpg if you can believe it. And also a range of three-cylinder turbocharged petrols
which should help to improve the overall range's economy and emissions. However the model we're
driving today is the top of the range turbocharged petrol 1.6 with 153bhp and it's an engine
we know well from the DS3 and other cars in the range. It's nice and keen, responsive
and when I push the throttle there's a good amount of thrust. However it doesn't take
long to tell that this car has been set up with comfort in mind - the suspension feels
very soft and although the steering makes it feel darty and agile at first the body
control is not too great if you turn too sharply into a corner the car rolls and leans a little
bit more than you'd like. We've been on smooth roads today but every time you do hit a bump
you can tell that the ride's a little bit uneven. The driving environment is very nice
and on the move this touchscreen works very well you don't have to concentrate too hard
and it's fairly easy to control all the major functions. However some of the plastics in
here do feel like a bit of a let down lower down it's really hard and scratchy plastic
and just makes the cabin feel a little bit cheap. When it looks this good you want it
to feel good as well and I think the 308 probably lacks that feel good factor that makes you
think maybe it won't feel as well screwed together a couple of months after you've bought
it which is a shame because overall we like the design. The new Peugeot 308 betters its
predecessor in almost every way. So it's just a shame that that's not enough to transform
it into a true class contender. Although the modern stylish cabin certainly has its plus
points and the massive boot makes it practical there's cramped rear seats a bland design
and sadly some patchy driving dynamics mean its no that good in a highly competitive class.