Peugeot 308CCIt’s been said before, but needs repeating in a review such as this, that British weather and a coupé cabriolet go together like guys and dolls, cheese and chutney or any other positive pair you care to name. The sheer logic of having a roof that can be opened or closed in a matter of seconds is undeniable when you think how quickly the clouds can gather and drop their load in this part of the world. Like me, you may have owned a convertible in younger years, when the prospect of folding up the hood, with associated trapped fingers and colourful language, was not something to be taken lightly. We tended to ignore the wet head, shoulders and carpet, and pressed on in the hope that the deluge would pass.Peugeot’s new CC is, like the best of the genre, in another world. When the rain starts, push a button in your cabriolet and wait for the motors to do their work; 20 seconds later you’re sitting in an attractive coupé, and you can even do this on the move, provided that movement is no more than 7mph or so (seems to me you might as well stop). As for water tightness of the cabin, Peugeot have developed U-shaped seals which should do the job for many years to come, and if you’re wondering how the doors open when their windows are trapped in a U-shaped seal, it’s achieved by automatic lowering of the windows by 2cm when a hand approaches the exterior door handle; clever stuff.There are no less than six engines, though two of them – one diesel and one petrol – are there merely to suit the auto gearboxes to which they’re attached. So what Peugeot currently offer with the manual boxes are 1.6 petrol engines (jointly developed with BMW) of 120 and 150PS, plus 1.6 and 2.0 diesels with 112 and 140PS respectively. Our first drive was in the higher powered petrol car, which immediately surprised me with its low down tractability; this after all is a fairly heavy (1512kg) car. It’s also got a lot of power for a 1.6, and the press-on driver will be able to revel in the engine’s capabilities. The 2-litre HDi diesel – a long-lived member of the PSA engine family – is naturally a shade more relaxed; performance is pretty similar to the petrol engine, but as ever there’s an urge of low-down torque that makes for an easy drive.Peugeot’s reputation for building cars with spirited roadholding coupled to a ride that won’t break the eggs in the boot is an enviable one. In the 308CC that handling is again evident, but the ride is remarkably firm (though the eggs will probably still be safe). Suspension is actually to the same design as that of the 308 hatch, but settings are different and the ride a tad lower.Open-top cars are prone to facia wobble as they negotiate our crumbling roads, but the 308 displayed very few signs of flexing. Having said which, the roads used on our Dorset drive were in far better condition than those of the home counties. It’s a pretty easy car to drive, with light controls and reasonable visibility in all directions; even the rearward view is not too obstructed as the C-pillars are surprisingly small, though thanks to the necessarily tall boot you’ve quite a lot to be looking over. With roof down your view is of course obstructed by very little at all.At 4.4 metres long the 308CC is roughly Ford Focus sized (within 3 inches anyway), so one might expect the rear seat to offer tolerable room for adult passengers, which it does manage if you’re talking small adults. Six-footers will find the shortage of leg and head room not entirely to their taste, though if the roof’s down head room is limited only by the sky, or that next bridge. Boot volume is expressed two ways – one for roof up, and one for roof down when that roof occupies about half of the boot. The figures are 465 and 266 litres, so if you’re planning on fiddling with the roof button during your journey, those figures ought to pop into your brain before you set off.Peugeot is the market leader in the CC world, and they’ve been at it for three-quarters of a century, making no less than 650,000 of the things. Starting in the 1930s with the 401 Eclipse model, they’ve slotted in numerous others across the years, and currently offer the smaller 207CC alongside this 308 model. The 308 is longer, wider, lower and more expensive than the car it replaces (307CC), and has noticeably larger front and rear tracks to improve the handling. In the cabin you’re blessed with a quality of interior design and fitments that’s up to what you’d expect at this price band. Equipment is pretty generous even at the bottom of the scale (ESP is standard on all), and up at the top you have Peugeot’s ‘Airwave’ neck heating system (little vents in the back of the seat) which might well persuade you to lower that roof on one of those all too rare sunny winter days.Size: 4.40m x 1.82mEngines: Petrol: 1.6 litre – 120PS 1.6 litre – 150PS Diesel: 1.6 litre – 112PS 2.0 litre – 140PSGearbox: 5/6-speed front driveBest consumption: 1.6 diesel – TBC 2.0 diesel – 47.9mpg official combinedPrice at March ’09: £19,495 to £24,295Full details of the 308CC available on the manufacturer’s website: www.peugeot.co.ukPeter Cracknell - March 2009
Peugeot 308CC
It’s been said before, but needs repeating in a review
such as this, that British weather and a coupé cabriolet
go together like guys and dolls, cheese and chutney or
any other positive pair you care to name. The sheer logic
of having a roof that can be opened or closed in a matter
of seconds is undeniable when you think how quickly the
clouds can gather and drop their load in this part of the
world. Like me, you may have owned a convertible in
younger years, when the prospect of folding up the hood,
with associated trapped fingers and colourful language,
was not something to be taken lightly. We tended to
ignore the wet head,
shoulders and carpet,
and pressed on in the
hope that the deluge
would pass.
Peugeot’s new CC is,
like the best of the
genre, in another world.
When the rain starts,
push a button in your
cabriolet and wait for
the motors to do their
work; 20 seconds later
you’re sitting in an
attractive coupé, and
you can even do this on
the move, provided that
movement is no more
than 7mph or so (seems to me you might as well stop).
As for water tightness of the cabin, Peugeot have
developed U-shaped seals which should do the job for
many years to come, and if you’re wondering how the
doors open when their windows are trapped in a U-
shaped seal, it’s achieved by automatic lowering of the
windows by 2cm when a hand approaches the exterior
door handle; clever stuff.
There are no less than six engines, though two of them –
one diesel and one petrol – are there merely to suit the
auto gearboxes to which they’re attached. So what
Peugeot currently offer with the manual boxes are 1.6
petrol engines (jointly developed with BMW) of 120 and
150PS, plus 1.6 and 2.0 diesels with 112 and 140PS
respectively. Our first drive was in the higher powered
petrol car, which immediately surprised me with its low
down tractability; this after all is a fairly heavy (1512kg)
car. It’s also got a lot of power for a 1.6, and the press-on
driver will be able to revel in the engine’s capabilities.
The 2-litre HDi diesel – a long-lived member of the PSA
engine family – is naturally a shade more relaxed;
performance is pretty similar to the petrol engine, but as
ever there’s an urge of low-down torque that makes for
an easy drive.
Peugeot’s reputation for building cars with spirited
roadholding coupled to a ride that won’t break the eggs
in the boot is an enviable one. In the 308CC that
handling is again evident, but the ride is remarkably firm
(though the eggs will probably still be safe). Suspension
is actually to the same design as that of the 308 hatch,
but settings are different and the ride a tad lower.
Open-top cars are prone to facia wobble as they
negotiate our crumbling roads, but the 308 displayed
very few signs of flexing. Having said which, the roads
used on our Dorset drive were in far better condition than
those of the home counties. It’s a pretty easy car to
drive, with light controls and reasonable visibility in all
directions; even the rearward view is not too obstructed
as the C-pillars are surprisingly small, though thanks to
the necessarily tall boot you’ve quite a lot to be looking
over. With roof down your view is of course obstructed by
very little at all.
At 4.4 metres long the 308CC is roughly Ford Focus
sized (within 3 inches anyway), so one might expect the
rear seat to offer tolerable room for adult passengers,
which it does manage if you’re talking small adults. Six-
footers will find the shortage of leg and head room not
entirely to their taste, though if the roof’s down head
room is limited only by the sky, or that next bridge. Boot
volume is expressed two
ways – one for roof up,
and one for roof down
when that roof occupies
about half of the boot. The
figures are 465 and 266
litres, so if you’re planning
on fiddling with the roof
button during your journey,
those figures ought to pop
into your brain before you
set off.
Peugeot is the market
leader in the CC world,
and they’ve been at it for
three-quarters of a century,
making no less than
650,000 of the things.
Starting in the 1930s with the 401 Eclipse model, they’ve
slotted in numerous others across the years, and
currently offer the smaller 207CC alongside this 308
model. The 308 is longer, wider, lower and more
expensive than the car it replaces (307CC), and has
noticeably larger front and rear tracks to improve the
handling. In the cabin you’re blessed with a quality of
interior design and fitments that’s up to what you’d
expect at this price band. Equipment is pretty generous
even at the bottom of the scale (ESP is standard on all),
and up at the top you have Peugeot’s ‘Airwave’ neck
heating system (little vents in the back of the seat) which
might well persuade you to lower that roof on one of
those all too rare sunny winter days.
Size: 4.40m x 1.82m
Engines: Petrol: 1.6 litre – 120PS
1.6 litre – 150PS
Diesel: 1.6 litre – 112PS
2.0 litre – 140PS
Gearbox: 5/6-speed front drive
Best consumption: 1.6 diesel – TBC
2.0 diesel – 47.9mpg official
combined
Price at March ’09: £19,495 to £24,295
Full details of the 308CC available on the manufacturer’s
website: www.peugeot.co.uk
Peter Cracknell - March 2009
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