With the new 308, Peugeot is standing up to fight the competition and overcome past mistakes, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring editor
The Peugeot lion has seen better days. Back in the early 1980s it was light, nimble and clawing at the top echelons of each of its market segments. Cars like the 205 were great fun to drive and the Gti versions were real icons.
Others, like the 405, seemed to go on for ever.
Then, as time went on, the cat got fat. It started to pile on the pounds and before you knew it, Peugeot's latest supermini was bigger than it's family hatchback of old. The 306 was light and nimble, the 307 was a bit big and numb. It managed to win favour with the motoring pundits, but before long it started to suffer from some electronic foibles.
It's not just cars that have lifecycles, so too does a model's reputation.
Get it right and you can piggyback on a previous edition for years to come.
Get it wrong and it's a long hard struggle out of the mire.
The problem is that the two cycles are rarely in sync. Peugeot's range in the late 1990s and early this century benefited from the goodwill generated back in the 1980s. However, when a car suffers from poor reliability, it's not something that current owners are going to broadcast to the masses.
Instead they keep their ire with model and manufacturer bottled up, at least until their prized lemon is sold. Once shot of the car, the full tumult of their hatred and frustration is unleashed. This is invariably despite the fact that the car-maker has corrected the early problems and is probably producing the best version of the car possible by the time the owners go public.
Peugeot knows this tale all too well. The 307 started life as something of a star, winning prizes and plaudits when it was launched. It was a big family hatchback with some stylish features, if a little frumpy compared to the previous 306.
Then things went awry. Within the first year or so there were complaints and recalls over electrical faults and other issues. The bad word spread, but mostly when the owners had got shot of the cars.
By then Peugeot had rectified many of the problems, but the model still had to carry the stigma of earlier errors.
Having undergone the pain and suffering of that launch, Peugeot has opted to save money and time and take the strengths of the old model - with its tried and well-tested parts - and enhance them this time.
The latest model underwent some of the toughest pre-launch testing of any model in this class. The French brand know that a problem with the 308 could be terminal for its reputation in one of the most important car buying segments.
In effect this is less of the all-new 308, but rather a seriously revamped 307. Confused? Well, you need not be. The best effects of the 307 were undoubtedly its roominess and a decent set of diesel engines.
What it had against it was a rather poor ride quality, those recalls and some rather flimsy interior features.
What we have here with the 308 is much better ride quality, more confidence that they won't have those quality problems and most of those interior trim issues have been corrected.
That's not to say the 308 is now perfect. It is a much better version of the 307, with more modern styling. But it is not a car that beats the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, the Ford Focus, the Honda Civic or even the Kia C'eed.
The competition in this market is cut-throat and to excel you really need to have brought something special to the game.
When we drove it several weeks ago at a European car of the year event, the 308 stood out for its ride, handling and peppy diesel engine.
We were also taken by its fit and finish inside, most notably the sizeable glass area that made the cabin even more airy and spacious. All in all it was a good package.
However, back on Irish roads there were a few niggling issues starting to take the sheen off our early praise.
These were minor, but annoying. For example on right-hand-drive models, the pedals are offset to the left, leaving little room for your left foot beside the clutch.
Even if you don't have inordinately large feet, the pedals in a Peugeot have always been awkward and it's often easier to drive in socks, for fear of hitting both brake and accelerator at the same time. It's a similar story with the 308.
Then there is the fascination of Peugeot and sister brand Citroën with small, fiddly central console buttons. Perhaps it's a little trick to force buyers to opt for steering wheel controls, but it is driving us to dementia.
Aside from these flaws, there was a little rattle in the dash that we wouldn't remark upon in most instances, but it did raise an odd heckle in the back of our mind about those initial problems with the 307.
On a more positive note, the driving position in all 308s we've driven has always been ideal, and for that they have to be commended.
The biggest plaudits are, however, reserved for the handling and ride. Where Peugeots of old used to excel, the 307 seemed to drop the ball and the recent 207 was similarly disappointing, though not at GT level.
Here, the engineers have taken the basic frame of the 307 and revamped it.
Cornering is much better, as is the ability to conquer undulating potholed roads. It may not have the same responsiveness as the Ford Focus when it comes to steering, but it makes up for that in terms of comfort.
For all the praise, engineers could have done more to mark the 308 as something new to market, not least by putting this Peugeot on a diet.
Weight is becoming an increasingly important element in the environmental debate. It feeds directly into fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
The dilemma facing engineers is that, while consumers demand more features, gadgets and safety equipment, they are also demanding lower fuel consumption. Some of that can be addressed in engine development, but much of it also comes down to weight saving.
Unfortunately the 308 was a little late for the fat fighters programme and comes to market nearly 100kgs heavier than the outgoing 307.
In terms of specification, there is a decent comfort level and safety trim, although you have to get to the SX range - starting at €26,065 - before you get features like rear side airbags and a driver's knee airbag.
There's the usual plethora of airbags and air-conditioning is available on all models from the ST range and up.
Sadly, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is not available on volume versions of the 308 and is a pricey €1,400 option on the SV and SX models and only standard on the GT. As our colleague Paddy Comyn pointed out some week's ago, the reason given for this is that our ST version is a modified version of the SE version and that ESP is a "price issue". ESP is a €500 option on the Ford Focus, but will be standard when a new model launches in 2008. It's an €842 option on all VW Golf models.
There's plenty of bootspace, even if the rear seats don't fold fully flat.
The first test car we drove had 16-inch alloys, and those are the preferred wheels for owners in Ireland. Once we moved into models with 17-inch or 18' wheels the plaudits for ride quality went out the window.
Given that this car is not going to knock the Ford Focus off its pedestal, then Peugeot should be playing up its comfort attributes. That means 16-inch alloys are the most owners should consider.
Potential buyers will want to know the answers to two questions: will it be reliable; and has Peugeot regained its reputation as a player alongside the big boys of Ford, Toyota and VW in this market? The answer to the first is a qualified yes; the answer to the second is probably no, but it does come close.
This market is rampant with quality offerings and buyers will have a tough choice making up their minds. The Focus and Golf have some headway over the rest in terms of ability, but models like the Toyota Auris, Kia C'eed, Honda Civic and Mazda3 all bring something to the table. It's into this secondary group that Peugeot's new 308 will find itself competing.
It's much improved and the diesels, - particularly the 110bhp 1.6-litre HDI - are well worth a look. Prices, however, are not as competitive as we would have liked.
It's not as much fun as the Ford Focus, as fashionable as the VW Golf, as good value as the Kia C'eed, or as good-looking as the Seat Leon.
It does, however, offer a good mix of comfort, interior quality and functionality that puts it in the mix. Better than before, but not quite top marks to the lion just yet.
Factfile - Peugeot 308
ENGINE:1560cc turbodiesel engine offering 110bhp @ 4,000rpm and 260Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm
SPECIFICATION:dual front, side and curtain airbags; central locking; radio/CD are standard on S version.
SE adds:front foglights and manual air-conditioning.
ST adds:bluetooth phone system; armrests; rear electric windows. SX adds: rear side airbags; driver knee airbags; 17" alloys; cruise control.
SV adds:electric foldable mirrors; auto lights; panoramic sunroof; perfume diffuser; climate control; 16" alloys.
GT adds:rear parking sensors; half-leather trim; tyre pressure sensors; 18" alloys.
L/100KM (MPG):
Urban: 6.2 (45.6)
Extra urban: 4.1 (68.9)
Combined: 4.9 (57.6)
CO2 EMISSIONS:
125g/km
ANNUAL MOTOR TAX:€391
PRICE:€28,300
(€20,395 to €32,282)