Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,995 to £20,045
Comfortable, practical, good value.
Windscreen pillars can block your view, and it's no looker.
More of the same, but much better.
Six engines are available at first, of which we've driven four, and we're happy to recommend three of them. Our favourite is the remarkably accomplished 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel. It's strong, willing, reasonably refined, and £750 cheaper than the 2.0 diesel in the same spec. It's also 8.7mpg more economical, while only being 10mph slower at the top end and 1.2 seconds less rapid to 62mph. What you save on the engine you could spend on an audio upgrade.
There's nothing at all wrong with the 2.0 diesel, which is lazy but strong, and happy to crack on when you ask it to. But the 1.6 is so well suited to the car that you really don't need the bigger engine's extra ability.
The 308 that's quickest to 62mph is the 2.0-litre diesel, at 10.1 seconds, but the highest top speed is the 133mph clocked up by the 1.6 turbocharged petrol engine, which is another fine bit of kit: willing and quick, if occasionally deterred by steeper climbs. The non-turbo version is, however, less happy with the job of hauling around a relatively big, heavy car. It gets noisy when pushed hard and sometimes struggles to maintain momentum up hills.
Steering is by a rack-and-pinion system with hydro-electric assistance. The heaviest engine, the 2.0 diesel, is accompanied by a beefed-up power steering pump, which succeeds in giving that car the same steering feel as the rest of the range. And it's pretty good: the car goes where you point it, eagerly and precisely, and gives you enough feedback to let you know what's happening where the wheels meet the road. The suspension is also adjusted to take account of different engine weights.
We'd urge you to avoid the 17" wheels fitted as standard on Sport models. They make the steering feel awkward when you're switching between right and left in a way that it doesn't with the 16 and 15-inchers.
It's not helped by the steering wheel, the vast diameter of which dictates the driving position, cancelling out much of the adjustability offered by the seat and the steering wheel. The handbrake, meanwhile, looks a bit gimmicky, but feels just right, and doesn't take up much space, leaving room for cupholders and an armrest between the driver and front passenger.
The ride quality is very good, soaking up all but the worst bumps, while keeping the car stable through bends. It doesn't have the sharpness of sportier hatchbacks, and that's just fine with the family and fleet buyers who account for the majority of 308 customers.
