Why we’re running it: To see if an electrified estate like the Peugeot 308 SW has a place in a world of crossover competitors
Month 1 - Specs
Life with a Peugeot 308 SW: Month 1
Welcoming the 308 SW to the fleet - 4 January 2022
Such is the ever-growing number of SUVs on UK roads that an estate is no longer a conventional choice. But given all the inherent qualities of an estate, it's hard to see why this should be.
Estates are sleek, spacious and hugely practical, and they usually offer vastly better driving dynamics than their crossover or SUV counterparts.
These are just some of the reasons why I'm excited for the next few months with the Autocar fleet's latest addition, a new Peugeot 308 SW.
Based on the third-generation 308 family hatchback, which was launched last May, the 308 SW (for station wagon) measures 4635mm long and 1475mm tall. That's 270mm longer and 10mm taller than the hatchback, but it has the same line-up of powertrain choices: petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid.
Our car pairs a 147bhp 1.6-litre four-pot with a 108bhp electric motor and a 12.4kWh battery. Maximum power stands at 177bhp when using the engine and motor in tandem, which enables a punchy 0-62mph time of 7.7sec, and the top speed is 139mph.
Its electric range is officially 37 miles (more on that later) while fuel consumption is rated at between 213.7mpg and 281mpg. The charging port, meanwhile, is located on just above the left rear wheel, a mirrored placement of the petrol filler.
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1. Heated seats. No one uses heated seats on a battery powered car. They warm the car up from the charger.
2. 18 miles? Try selecting generation braking and try warming the car while it's plugged in, as above. That'll give you a lot more miles.
3. Has anyone from Autocar ever measured the consumption of an ICE car on winter mornings. It might balance the conversation a bit.
1. yes they do because it has advantages over using the heater. Oh this isn't a pure battery car by the way.
2. 18 miles is rubbish, a car cools down so quickly warming it up beforehand makes little difference, couple of miles maybe on such a poorly performing car.
3. ICE cars warmup within a few miles then become more efficient. After 18 miles some people would have finished their journey.
Autocar!!!
If you allow your precious space to be used for advertisement that waste our time, people may fill in more comments regarding sports, politics, fashion, housing etc.
are you prepared for that or please erase anything that is not purely automotive.
It never mattered what the official mpg figures were. We always relied on magazine tests for a truer picture. It will be interesting to see what this car does in the real world.
The truth about hybrids and BEVs is now coming out which is good.
Long queues to charge a BEV. High purchase price. Fast public chargers costing more to run than a petrol car.
I've driven hybrids and have seen 60-65 mpg in urban areas, but only 30mpg on the motorway.
The story of the Peugeot being tested seems familiar. What is the point of the hybrid element? 108 bhp of electric power, which can only add 20 bhp to the petrol's output. Perhaps Peugeot should strip down a hybrid Ferrari and see how they manage it. Only 18 miles of pure electric range. Fairly pointless now when a single journey bus fare is capped at £2, so you just park outside a ULEZ zone and take the bus.