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our test drives or view them all

Peugeot 308SW Sport 1.6 HDi six-speed manual

CAR manufacturers are determined to confuse us. Take Peugeot’s fine 308 family hatch range.

A week or so ago I tested an excellent five-door hatch that proved itself a cracking family holdall powered by one of the best small-capacity turbodiesels on the market – the 1.6 litre 110 HDi.

But Peugeot has another 308 which, on the face of it, looks like the same car – but the 308SW is an entirely different beast to the hatch. This family-sized estate is a far more able machine in terms of what it can carry and pulls off the clever trick of looking pretty too, despite its bulk.

It helped that the 308SW I had here for test drive was powered by the same 1.6 HDi as I had in its smaller 308S hatch. It’s a brilliant little engine that’s lively thanks to its 110bhp delivery, pulls well with a useful 180lb.ft of torque available from 1750rpm and spins away contentedly to itself without making undue noise.

But while the 308S HDi returned an easy 60mpg overall after hundreds of miles on Highland roads, the heavier 308SW (Station Wagon) struggled to keep up. The extra 100kg of weight, its longer wheelbase and body and the SW’s huge internal volume took its toll.

I managed just 52mpg overall in the estate model over a very similar route.

But given the SW’s functionality and practical load carrying I’m prepared to let that go. It’s still a frugal family machine and fills a different role to its roomy hatchback sister.

The SW’s 1.5 tonne kerbweight and increased aerodynamic drag has another penalty. Not only does it force down economy, but it makes the exhaust emissions dirtier adding 10g/km to the hatch’s figure. Mind you, from a Road Tax Band point of view the SW’s 139g/km makes no difference – both are in Band C and currently cost £120 a year to put on the road.

But let’s look at the SW’s plus points – and there are many.

Luggage capacity is vast, even with five seats in use. Fold away or remove (an easy task) the pokey £484 optional occasional pair of third row seats and there’s 674 litres of capacity – almost double the hatchback. Better still once you’ve folded the middle row of three seats the SW turns into a van with 2149 litres of space – virtually a barn on wheels in this sector. The rear seats are interchangeable and reasonably light to move and very easy to fold using simple fabric loop pull catches. If you opt for the extra rear seats it means all five seats in the back are individual and easy to remove from the car thanks to a red fabric loop pull under each chair that releases them from spring-loaded catches. Replacing them is just a matter of snapping them back into place.

The load floor is low, wide, long and well trimmed so should be able to take family wear and tear in its stride while leaving the family dog with plenty of room.

The tailgate is big and comes as standard with an opening glass section for those awkward car park moments when space is restricted.

As a family estate that drives almost as well as the hatch the SW is a winner. If it has a fault it is that extra bulk. It robs the chassis on the hatch’s litheness and introduces marginally more roll and a tendency to oversteer a little more noticeably. It’s a long car too at 4.5 metres – more than 22cm longer than the hatch. That, and a small increase in width and height, make it feel less handy in traffic and around town. But I quickly got used to its foibles and overall the SW Sport turned out to be a comfortable distance cruiser.

So as a cargo-carrying family holdall that can accommodate five in comfort and seven at a push, provided the rearmost pair are very small, it comes top of the class.

And there’s more. The 308SW, like its hatch cousin, is one of the most underestimated models on the family car market today. That might have something to do with Peugeot’s rather dull image and the pug-fronted appearance on the huge grille that makes it look like a basking shark on wheels.

In Sport guise the 308SW is generously equipped. Two features stand out – 17-inch alloys in place of the standard 15-inch wheels and an impressive Cielo panoramic glass roof that lets loads of light into the car and can be covered up in seconds with a one-touch power screen.

Sport trim is additional to the already well-appointed S and SR levels and gives you cruise control with a speed limiter, leather trim steering wheel, four electric windows, the seven-seat modular seating fit, electronic stability programme, a steering column airbag, front centre armrest and the split glass tailgate.

But that’s in addition to air conditioning, column-mounted radio controls, trip computer, six airbags, ABS, a boot net, deadlocks and remote central locking, RDS radio with CD and MP3 playback, sports grille and front fogs. There’s no denying the 308SW Sport leaves you wanting for little.

The 308 is part of Peugeot’s new breed of family cars. Fit and finish is far better than in the past as a quick tour of the dashboard and its materials proves. OK, there are still large areas of grey plastic mouldings and trim around the cabin, but in the maker’s defence they are all easy-maintenance and simple to wipe clean – important in a family holdall.

No matter how you cut it the 1.6 110HDi 308SW makes a lot of sense as a family estate. The Sport trim level may not be the best option though.

The 17-inch alloy wheels fritter away the 308’s otherwise gentle ride quality and really only add style. On the open road the Sport’s composure is not at all bad, but round town and on rougher surfaces the firmness is noticeable.

For value the cheaper SR model delivers a good estate. At £17,470 it costs more than £700 less than the Sport and rides on 16-inch alloys – and believe me that one inch reduction makes a world of difference.

But if you like the equipment levels of the Sport you can still get the best of both worlds by moving up a model to the SE.

The SE trim level has the SR’s 16-inch alloys and comes with even more equipment than the Sport. The bad news is that at £19,476 it costs around £1270 more than the Sport but comes with all of the former’s gear plus seven seats as standard. It also gets rear tinted glass, extra comfort equipment, electric folding mirrors, dual-zone air conditioning, tyre pressure sensor, auto dip rear mirror and auto headlamps and wipers.

Rating: 8.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT: With this lively and frugal 110bhp turbodiesel the 308 is a great car in any guise – but with the added practicality of the SW estate it makes outstanding sense for the family driver. I’m not convinced the third row of two seats is worth the extra cost, unless you have small children who will fit in the confined space, but the concept as a family cargo-carrier is excellent. The 308 Sport 1.6 HDi I had on test has dropped in price by some £390 since the VAT reduction – but it’s still worth haggling with your dealer for an even better deal in these challenging financial times.

Peugeot 308SW Sport 1.6 HDi six-speed manual

• Price: £18,204
• Capacity: 1560cc
• Power: 110bhp
• 0-62mph: 12.5 seconds
• Maximum speed: 115mph
• Economy: Combined 53.2mpg; Urban 41.5mpg
• CO2 emissions: 139g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 7