A competent, well priced family hatch

What is it?

The cheapest way into a diesel Peugeot 308. As the name suggests, the 308 HDi 90 gets 90bhp from its 1.6-litre engine, with torque up at a reasonable 161 lb ft from just 1750rpm.

'S' trim is one-up from the base 'Urban' spec. Standard equipment includes six airbags, air conditioning and what's described as a 'sports front bumper' with fog lights.

What’s it like?

Very good. The lower powered diesel doesn’t feel lacking in power thanks to the readily available torque, and although it is noisier than the 308 110 HDi on a motorway run, the engine note is never really intrusive.

In truth the 1.6-litre unit gives away very little the more powerful version in everyday use. Given that it also has a claimed fuel figure of 62.8mpg and emits just 120g/km of CO2, it should also be very easy on the pocket.

This basic trim level doesn’t detract from the 308’s roomy cabin, either. It might look a bit bland without the satnav and infotainment screen, but it still feels like a very competent, grown-up family car.

Should I buy one?

If you want a 308 this is certainly one of the best value trim and engine variations to go for, and you won’t ever feel like you compromised comfort and ability for price.

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Samiur Rahman SHAH 21 November 2008

Re: Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi 90

silver_lining wrote:

I drive one of these and find the ride very good and the seats nice aswell. This is an S model with the 15" wheels. Perhaps you had a sport or the likes?

The interior is class and the engine very smooth and quiet.

I think that the rims were 15"s on the car I drove as well. It was very good on the motorway, but over rough roads it felt jittery. Maybe my reference of ride quality is a bit old-fashioned?

As for the interior, no doubt, it does the job while not looking offensive, and is much better looking than the one in a 207. The DV6 engine is very good as well. Minimal turbo-lag and strong mid-range punch. Not like a Yaris D4-D that needs quite a bit of stick to get up to boost.

Samiur Rahman SHAH 21 November 2008

Re: Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi 90


silver_lining 21 November 2008

Re: Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi 90

I drive one of these and find the ride very good and the seats nice aswell. This is an S model with the 15" wheels. Perhaps you had a sport or the likes?

The interior is class and the engine very smooth and quiet.