A few months back I was in the driving seat of the Peugeot 308 GT-Line Manual. I really enjoyed that vehicle, it looked great with the GT-Line styling, the interior was simplistic with extremely comfortable massaging seats (Even my wife mentioned them ). My only issue with this car was that infotainment system is finicky. Through this digital screen is also the only way to control A/C, which can be a hack to control when driving. Apart from that and the fact that the Tachometer needle travels in the wrong direction, all was good.
Last week wasn’t much different, apart from that this time I had the Automatic model, in Ruby Red. Please don’t buy this car in Ruby Red, it looks awful and does not accentuate the exterior styling of the GT-Line at all, which I think looks great on the car. I was intrigued to drive the Automatic model, for one main reason. A few months back I drove the 208 Automatic was deeply disappointed, (you can find that article in 04 of our Digital Mag) The Automatic box was not up to standard in that vehicle, and I had a slight worry I would experience the same in the 308. I acknowledged that the 308 is a much more expensive car and all should be okay. Indeed, it was, the Auto box is pretty decent on this vehicle, its smooth and works well with the 96kw/230Nm 1.2 Turbo, an engine I am very fond of and has also just won International Engine of the Year, for the second year running. Do note that if you opt for the 308 Active line, power in this model is reduced to 81kw/205Nm.
If I am picky I would say that there needs to be more resistance between Park and Reverse to stop little mishaps happening, it is very easy to push right through. Below the gear lever you will even find a little Sports button, but like all sports buttons on most nonperformance based cars, the difference Is hardly noticeable. John Whittle has a full in-depth review in the November edition of our Digital Magazine.
Peugeot 308 GT-Line 1.2 3 Cylinder PureTech Turbo 96 kw/230Nm 4.8l/100km Starting from R357,900