RE: Peugeot 308 GTI: UK Review
Discussion
Helmut MacFrog said:
am no Peugeot fanboy, but I feel like the badge snobbery was strong on this piece.
This couldn't be further from the truth - the irony being that I genuinely am a fan boy and desperately wanted it to be fantastic... but the truth is that it just isn't. As I mention several times in the article, it is a good car and none of its shortcomings are that severe, but for people to overlook the poor form Peugeot have displayed over recent years they need to do better than simply "ok".JD
Ah so it was you in the 308 at Bruntingthorpe Sunday Service.
Being a local I know the roads around there are pretty much perfect hot hatch (well, most sporty things really) territory.
It is a shame that people are already bemoaning the price, £30k for a C segment hot hatch is the going rate. And like you say, the specs are seriously impressive. I think that Peugeot really could absolutely dominate hot hatches again if they could just figure out how to dial in some steering feel and on the limit adjustability. The ride/handling balance in their newest stuff really is clever, showing that harder isn't always a sure way to make something better, but without the steering and adjustability the chassis almost goes to waste.
It's also a shame that, as other people have mentioned, it will fall victim to the lease and finance companies refusing to give it a decent competitive rate. It's one of the main reasons I got Fiesta ST over the 208 GTI (apart from the fact that the ST is just hilarious really). It's the same reason the GT86 and BRZ aren't more popular (another option I couldn't stretch to).
Still, at least it'll definitely please someone, somewhere, just not as many people as it perhaps could, like it's older generations used to.
Being a local I know the roads around there are pretty much perfect hot hatch (well, most sporty things really) territory.
It is a shame that people are already bemoaning the price, £30k for a C segment hot hatch is the going rate. And like you say, the specs are seriously impressive. I think that Peugeot really could absolutely dominate hot hatches again if they could just figure out how to dial in some steering feel and on the limit adjustability. The ride/handling balance in their newest stuff really is clever, showing that harder isn't always a sure way to make something better, but without the steering and adjustability the chassis almost goes to waste.
It's also a shame that, as other people have mentioned, it will fall victim to the lease and finance companies refusing to give it a decent competitive rate. It's one of the main reasons I got Fiesta ST over the 208 GTI (apart from the fact that the ST is just hilarious really). It's the same reason the GT86 and BRZ aren't more popular (another option I couldn't stretch to).
Still, at least it'll definitely please someone, somewhere, just not as many people as it perhaps could, like it's older generations used to.
Sounds great, apart from the steering.
From my experience with the 2.0 diesel 308 (very torquey), I had no idea what the front wheels are doing. Its not a problem with the steering wheel itself, I mean its has very strange ergonomics, but you can get used to that. Its by far the most assisted steering i've ever felt (haven't driven that many 'new' cars mind you), and it just seems so artificial the way it weights up.
It makes for rather messy driving when trying to make swift progress, with lots of corrections necessary. My E34 should require far more 'work' round bends, having a larger ratio, quite a lot of play and of course a much larger diameter, but in reality it takes far less effort, due to actually being able to know in advance how much input i need.
Then again, could just be me.
From my experience with the 2.0 diesel 308 (very torquey), I had no idea what the front wheels are doing. Its not a problem with the steering wheel itself, I mean its has very strange ergonomics, but you can get used to that. Its by far the most assisted steering i've ever felt (haven't driven that many 'new' cars mind you), and it just seems so artificial the way it weights up.
It makes for rather messy driving when trying to make swift progress, with lots of corrections necessary. My E34 should require far more 'work' round bends, having a larger ratio, quite a lot of play and of course a much larger diameter, but in reality it takes far less effort, due to actually being able to know in advance how much input i need.
Then again, could just be me.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
And if Peugeot want to make money on this sort of car in 10 years, this is the financial hit they'll need to take now to make leases more attractive, and that in turn will make more metal leave showrooms.Have you seen the used stock on AutoTrader? It's all ex-dealer stock and mostly in that god-awful Coupe Franche scheme.
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