Peugeot 308HDi Touring – Long term update
July 9, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
2009 Peugeot 308HDi Touring – Long term update
“After two months as our family chariot, Peugeot’s 308 HDi Touring is a car we could easily live with permanently”
Right from week one, I was impressed with the sheer versatility of the Peugeot 308 Touring, particularly for a car that is just 225mm longer than the 308 Hatchback.
With over 50 seating configurations (yes, I have checked every last one of them) it wouldn’t matter whether you’re in the photocopy repair business or surfboard manufacturing, the 308 Touring would be a wise choice for small business owners requiring a moderate load capacity without the need to go the commercial van route.
Essentially, you can remove all five-rear seats in less than two minutes flat, and what’s more, each individual pew can be removed independently of any other seat. It’s very clever and brilliantly simple.
Don’t think for one minute that you need to start jettisoning seats out of the 308 Touring, just to carry your new three-metre (9 foot in surf speak) Malibu home to the garage.
It’s much, much easier than that, simply fold the middle rear seat forward and you can comfortably load up to a ten-footer in what must be a contender for the Swiss Army Knife of the automobile world.
Although, we have used the optional third row seats only twice over the two month period we have had the car, I would strongly recommend ticking that box if you have young kids, who of course have lots of young friends who will need to be dropped home after a play at the park.
I suppose the best thing about them is you can squeeze your mother in law into one of these, where she’ll be well out of the way, and less able to interfere in family affairs.
I wasn’t so sure about the full-length glass roof until some of those sunny but bitterly cold mornings arrived and with the blind fully retracted, the sun brings some natural warmth into the car.
You also get that large space feeling and in a relatively compact wagon, and when it’s crammed full of people or sports gear it still feels spacious.
Another thing that drives me around the bend are the number of personal grooming objects (I’m the only male in our family of four), a variety of hair brushes, moisture crèmes and lippies that usually litter our family vehicle, which is just not an issue with the 308 Touring, as the side door pockets alone, can swallow all this junk.
There’s also a tonne of storage space for the largest of drink bottles, wallets, E-Tags, and almost any other personal item you would need to store in a car.
For those of you hoping for an economy report this time around, my apologies, but I just can’t get enough of that 340Nm ‘with overboost’ and the way this diminutive little family wagon devours any incline that gets in its way.
You do sit quite high up though, at least in the driver’s seat, and that’s a good thing as far as all round visibility goes.
However, don’t think for one minute that this high seating position will affect the car’s handling, because I can assure you, it doesn’t, not one iota.
Just to prove it to myself, I took the 308 HDi Touring to my favourite set of bends in New South Wales and put the car through its paces, as I have done so in many a performance car.
Now, while the Peugeot wagon will never claim performance characteristics to match the purpose built Lotus Elise S, it can claim to be the best handling lifestyle wagon in its class, and by some considerable margin.
One thing you will notice going into corners is the complete lack of body roll due to excellent torsional rigidity built into chassis.
Moreover the ride during these fast moving bends is sufficiently compliant, almost leaning towards soft but not quite, that you could rest several platters of gourmet sandwiches on the rear seats without any damage to the Fromager D’Affinois. That’s despite the fact this particular stretch of road is of a deplorable surface condition.
How those Frenchmen are able to set-up, what is essentially, an economically friendly lifestyle wagon to turn into corners at pace, without so much as a hint of tyre squeal from the not so wide, but perfectly chosen Bridgestone Turanza 205/55R 16 tyres, is remarkable.
You can put some of that down to the steering set-up, of which Peugeot is a master. It uses a high output hydraulic electro-pump unit, which varies the level of power assistance depending on a range of factors including, the speed of the car, and temperature of the power steering fluid.
The result is perfectly calibrated steering, no matter how fast you go or how bad is the road surface. The full leather three-spoke sports steering wheel is also an excellent piece of kit.
That’s been my experience with every Peugeot model I’ve driven in the past three years, they all handle superbly, only with the 308 Touring, you also get that incredible versatility.
The 308’s 2.0-litre, turbo diesel engine seems to be even quieter now, with just over 4000kms on the odometer, all parts are bedding in nicely.
While you can still pick this unit as a diesel on start up, once you’re on the move and in cruising mode, the characteristic diesel clatter is no longer audible.
George, one of my colleagues from CarAdvice mentioned to me the other day that he noticed the particularly large brakes on the Peugeot. Good thing that, as you can never quite predict what a Sydney taxi is going to do in front of you.
This particular driver decided to hit the anchors midway through a green light on Pitt Street, which caused me to drill the brake pedal towards the firewall to avoid a collision, and the verdict – they work damn well.
After two months in the 308 Touring, it’s hard to find fault and the silly two-pronged RCA lead for the iPod connection remains my only complaint.
Stay tuned for a proper economy run in the 308 HDi Touring shortly.
Print it: 
A very tempting review, this has to be my ideal car … Any idea how the glass roof would cope with some light Sydney hail?
Just read the NRMA rate the i30cw CRDi above the diesel Golf, for all-round value and practicality … May have been a different story up against the Pug! I think I can only afford the Korean though …
Pitty the rear end looks like one of those back yard
kit cars made from fibreglass. The window is not
intergrated into the shape and the lights are just downright amateurish. They only look good in Rouge Lucifer (Devil Red) as it hides the lights, leaving only the window to grate on the senses.
Should be accepted by the Aussie public much easier based on its fantastic practicality which the French do so well.
There has been a car on the market for some years that does all this car does and more. Thr Renault Scenic II which CA tested a year or so back.
Too left field and French for most Aussie trogladites though.
Did they give you the 6 speed manual or auto? Is the overboost function available in both transmission? What about a particulate filter? Any hint of turbo lag? There aren’t any buttons on the steering wheel for adjust radio volume etc. Is that a good or bad thing?
i’m with nemisis, you have so sense of style, it’s an ugly car
I love the look of these cars. No manufacturer would have the guts to copy it full-strength.
Hans, I think you’ll find that cruise and radio controls are located on stubby column-mounted stalks quite close to the steering wheel.
Anthony, I am seriously looking at a 308 Touring. The only thing that concerns me is the long term reliability. The Peugeot’s have been a bit un-reliable over the past few years and I was interested if anybody at CA has heard if the reliability has lifted with these newer models. Other than that, I like the look, versatility the Touring offers and the performance from these HDI engines.
I’m with you guys, the wide-mouth front end design is ugly.
Audi have this but break it up with the number plate sitting in the middle of it. Unfortunately Mazda 3 has gone the same way as this Peugeot.
Mad Max, check out the Mazda 6 wagon first. Diesel six speed manual is a good thing. Just bought one, petrol though, as the wife is sick of changing gears. Loads of kit for the price and great to drive, plus Mazda reliability and resale.
drove my friends mazda 6 wagon down mt hotham last year in snow and it was scary, driven in the snow many times but were never taking that car again, it just couldnt cope. full of cheap plastic too.
driven the 308 in question and the glass roof and comfort levels for the price are great. would be an easy choice car to live with, if your happy with the looks that are a bit to forward for most aussie tastes.
Mad Max, The “unreliablility” of Peugeot isn’t that big an issue. The lack of qualified (ie people who know the cars) service people could be. If you can live with the styling, front is trying to draw from their F1 cars and live nearish to a dealer, then these aren’t a bad choice, Peugeot is one of the Four European mainstream brands that didn’t pack up and go home last time it got tough in Australia, they stuck it out during the 80’s so deserve a look in. Another alternative (petrol & five seat only) but due to hit the market at a comnpetitive price is Mondeo…
!I am with everybody else, this type of wide-mouth front end design is just plain FUGLY
audi started it, others have followed, hope its just a passing short-lived fad?
Cheers
F-0
PS/ Whats with all the NON-AUTO anti-spam words>?
Still looks awkward, esp. from the front and rear quarter view.
The superglass large roof rocks!
Plastics quality, fit and finish not up to similar priced premium Japanese/Euro brands.
Looks like floor could do with a bit of vacume-clean, not a rental car you know! :-)
Cheers
F-0
I would much prefer a lovely set of rectangular headlights (like on my sister’s 323) with a proper black plastic grille comprised of 3 neat black slats and the word “Peugeot” so I could tell what kind of car it is.
Below the grille, I think it would be nice that there be a body coloured bumper with a central indent that the number plate goes into. Below that, furthermore, an air intake comprised of 3 neat sections, the outer 2 being narrower than the wider one in the middle, would also be quite nice.
Now, that’s my kinda car!
Only kidding.
Booter, are you sure it was the current 6 wagon with DSC? We have no problems in the dirt which is similar to snow. How do you know the Pug wouldn’t be the same? Looking at the interior shots, I would prefer the Mazda anyday. At least the plastic bits of trim will still be in place after the 4 year warranty runs out!
I like this vehicle due to the incredible versatilty it has. A non-SUV 7 seater would always be my preference. However as a potential family car it’s a shame that the curtain airbags don’t extend all the way to the third row. Nor are there air con vents for the third row. I found the cupholder to be unusable in the front due to the weird centre console setup. For those reasons I’d choose the Odyssey or Citroen Picasso.
I’d like to know how Peugeot’s styling will go in a couple of years. I mean they looked good from 1999-2003ish they looked alright. But now they look restrained and are becoming more and more UGLY.
Fantastic car, we’ve clocked up almost 24,000KM so far. Eats the corners, my only complaint is the rear can feel a little heavy when switching directions at a fast pace – you’ll only pick this when you come from and try to drive it like a hot hatch! The front tyres are ready for replacement, but I think this is due to a poor wheel alignment; they have worn unevenly.
First gear is a little short and lets the car down off the mark. There is no point trying to drag, but it’s difficult timing the lights so you don’t have to come to a stop!
The diesel engine doesn’t like to run at low revs, so you’ll find yourself often changing to first or gently balancing the clutch in shopping centre car parks.
These gripes are minor compared to the overall driving enjoyment.
3 adults, a full load of luggage and one tank of diesel from Melbourne to Sydney via some fun driving roads. 4.3L/100KM when cruising on the Hume. What more could you want? This is with 340Nm of torque too!
Beautiful car.
Hi, Josh,
Thanks for the comments
Just came back from a test-drive . I liked the 308 touring. My only concern is the glass roof. Does it make the car hotter than a metal roof? I could feel the inside curtain was getting really warm inside (and its not the hottest weather)
Also, is it true about increased prices for service and parts? Also, I heard that Insurance cost more for European cars?
Thanks, would appriciate your feedback
Larissa,
European cars are generally more expensive, in terms of maintenance and parts. I know a workmate of mine has recently bought a renault scenic and he had to buy a special type of tyre just to fit on his renault, apparently it’s a different width size. He even mentioned on his first price quote that 1 tyre would cost him $400.
I’m not too sure about insurance cost, but a quick call to nrma for a quote should tell you what you will be facing.
Nice car. Practical and stylish (to some eyes). Pity the handbrake is still in the LHD position, as it is with many Euro cars.
Regarding “the complete lack of body roll due to excellent torsional rigidity built into chassis”: body rigidity, though admirable, has far less impact on body roll than the roll-stiffness of the suspension. Also, if there really was a “complete lack of body roll” the author must have been cornering awfully slowly. Even a Ferrari has some body roll.