Why are estate cars so cool? Estates offer superb practicality. While they tend to have large boots, many drivers are drawn to the estate’s shape and low loading lip which makes it easier to load large items into the car. The combination of a low loading lip and flat floors make it ideal to change your muddy boots after a fun family day out. And you may find this surprising but many manufacturers are still selling diesel cars. Peugeot have always had a great affinity with diesel and have sold many of them throughout the years. In this latest version of the 308 lineup, the 308 SW comes with one diesel engine and it’s this 1.5 diesel.
Special mention : Looks great as an estate, extra space (obvs), lovely drive, stylish, screen is responsive, comfortable in the front.
Needs work : The heating controls only adjust one degree at a time, there’s no switch/roll for adjustments and it doesn’t automatically set the handbrake when you set the gear lever to Park.
| BHP 130 BHP | Diesel / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 10.6 seconds | Road Tax €200 |
| Price: €32,765 As Spec’d : €38,330 | Boot space 608/1,634 litres |
The Peugeot 308 SW is a compelling alternative to other family estate cars, with the addition of an extended boot, it has the same pleasant interior as the 308 hatchback, with this diesel has plenty of pulling power and is frugal. The 308 has been turning heads since its launch, but the 308 SW has its bar set high with rivals offering competitive rear seat space (at 1634 litres) and refinement.
Speaking of rear space, there’s plenty of storage in the rear. The seats split 40/20/40 and they’ve included handy grab handles in the boot from which you can drop the seats quickly, cutting down the amount of time faffing about opening and closing rear doors to pull down each seat individually. They’ve also included a 12v power socket, shopping bag hooks and storage nets on both sides. With the adjustable floor set to its highest setting, it makes loading awkward items in and out much easier.
As for the rear passenger space, it’s comfortable with more storage with wide door bins and cubbies. You get two cup holders in the rear centre armrest and a tray for small bits and pieces. The space for feet & knees behind rear passengers is a little tight, don’t forget it’s still based on a small hatchback. So tall adults will probably start twitching during long trips but young adults should be fine.
Up front the passengers also have plenty of storage options including wide door bins, phone storage at the front of the centre console and storage underneath the arm rest. There’s also the option of a wireless charging pad on higher trims but don’t leave your phone on these for too long as no one has yet managed to keep the phones from getting too hot using them. The driver has plenty of options available in order to get comfortable. The pedals are slightly offset from the seat which can lead to a few adjustments to the steering wheel on longer journeys.
The Allure trims come with a stylish infotainment screen which includes large touch-sensitive icons for shortcuts to your favourite radio stations or sat-nav functions. You can set it up so that one shortcut disengages lane-keep assist, one which sets the heating to your preferred temps etc and is a useful addition to a modern interior. For the rest of it you can still use the piano key, physical buttons on the dashboard, these toggle to let you adjust the air con settings without having to deep dive into too many menus. It gets the same 10-inch infotainment system as the hatch.
The 308 SW takes on most surfaces with ease and larger bumps melt away unless you’re fully loaded. If you’re looking for a sportier drive, the Seat Leon Estate and the Ford Focus Estate have the edge for handling. To ensure a more comfortable ride, the smaller alloy wheels do a great job of smoothing out the roughest of roads. This is the 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit with 130hp and 300Nm of torque, it’s great on motorways and long distances, however can be noisy only when you ask for full throttle and any extra weight will dull responses a little.
The 308 estate isn’t even that much more expensive than the standard car. Prices start from €32,765, which is €1,000 more than the hatchback, however spec it up and the prices can rise. This Allure version in Avatar Blue has an on the road price (including delivery) of €38,330. And in 2023, Peugeot will release an electric version of the car with a maximum range of around 400 kms.
Despite being bigger and heavier, it improves on the benchmark set by the hatch. You still have to contend with the strange steering wheel placement but, because it has a slightly longer wheelbase, it’s a little more practical and it rides a lot better.