06 Jun 07
There's a bit of a bustle-back to the tail, like a Renault Megane's, and Ryder says the large, wrapover rear lights are the most complex tail-light mouldings Peugeot has ever made. They don't contain LEDs but at night they look distinctive with two parallel lit strips angling across the 308's corners. A mock aerodynamic diffuser cuts into the base of the rear bumper.
At the front we see an evolutionary exaggeration of the now-familiar Peugeot face, with the chin beneath the mouth jutting forward like that of the Ferrari-aping, V12-engined 907 concept car of a couple of years ago. The front foglights' reflectors follow the contours of their scooped-out mounting apertures so you don't notice the clear, bubble-shaped lenses. The front tip of the bonnet is more proboscis-like than ever, a shape echoed on the seats' upholstery panels and various other pieces of cabin architecture. The windscreen is vast, wiped - as in the 307 - by MPV-like clap-hands wipers.
There's new technology in the 308, but it's in the detail. That low-set, fall-away dashboard is made possible by a new, smaller, air-con unit, for example.
The aerodynamic drag coefficient is an impressive 0.29, which helps towards fuel consumption typically 10-15% better than the 307's despite a weight rise around 70kg brought about by extra safety equipment (including up to nine airbags). Energy-saving tyres developed with Michelin also play a part, and the most economical 308, with the company's usual 1.6-litre turbodiesel, will emit less than 120g/km of carbon dioxide on average.
