Peugeot 308 Turbo retested (6-speed)

Time flies. I could still recall that I was somehow smitten by an early version of this Pug 308 turbo some two years ago. Though it had only 4-speed auto, the road holding and handling were sweet, albeit ride was a little firm. The value-for-money buy (at RM112k) had even gone on to handsomely win the 2009 Car of the Year title from New Straits Times (NST) .




All manufacturers improvise on their cars as years go by. The 'new' 308 turbo is no exception. The sampler that you see in white here has gained a Japanese slush 'box good for six forward ratios. All for the better, lower emissions and more importantly, better fuel economy. Admittedly, it is very smooth on the go now and the car tested licked 190 km/h with ease and the twin-scrolled blower found in this 1.6 engine is quite the lag-free deal, in the vein of BMW turbocharging these days . After all, it is a J-V offspring from BMW-Peugeot union.




However, in its quest for a more fancy panoramic roof (read: heavy), this Pug seems to have a more jello-wobbly suspension setting now, perhaps to offset the added higher mass, suspended above. This warm hatch now rolls, pitch and get busily wobbly with almost every bit of your steering input. Grip levels from those pricey Conti rubbers are still admirably good. Even the rack itself is overtly sensitive, even with input just that wee-bit off-centre.




In short, somehow, the whole package just don't gel. Not anymore. Not when even the driver gets carsick easily. And what's with the noisy A/C blower at full blast and neither hot-nor-cold mostly, climate control? Maybe I am being a bit harsh here with the steeply rake huge front windscreen and glass panoramic roof being untinted yet, in a new car. But it gets uncomfortably hot easily in this 308 with the A/C being stuffy or overwhelmingly noisy most of the time.

Hey, where's the nice good 'ol white face meters? The new "mono-chromed" amber on black is just cheaper-looking and a bore to look at. A lame attempt to mimic BMW items if that was the true intention.

After a few days with it, I have to admit that the latest 308 turbo isn't as desirable as before, not in this latest guise anyway. But it cannot be denied that the sticker price of RM118k is indeed still very tempting against the similarly-classed (RM156k) VW Golf 1.4 TSI. Such is the reality. A cheaper and slightly smaller VW Polo perhaps...anyone?




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Peugeot 308 Turbo tested (2009)

Peugeot 308 Turbo is NST-Maybank Car of The Year 2009

Giant automotive group Naza's (Nasim) Peugeot 308 Turbo got stamping approval of the New Straits Times/Maybank COTY panel by clinching the prestigious �Overall Car of the Year 2009� Award. Incidentally, the 308 Turbo was also the winner of the Family Car COTY 2009 Award.

The winners for the New Straits Times/Maybank 2009 Awards were announced at a gala dinner at The Saujana Kuala Lumpur, hosted by the New Straits Times and title sponsor Maybank Berhad.

A panel of 10 judges, comprising motoring editors, an automotive blogger and other distinguished personalities unanimously voted for the Peugeot 308 Turbo as winner of the coveted �Overall Car of The Year� based on its impressive handling, powerful performance, comfort, safety and value-for-money.

Judges were impressed by the car�s fuel efficiency, and the performance of the 1.6-litre direct injection turbo petrol engine, already an award winner internationally - but it was the 308 Turbo�s competitive price point and build quality that was the key factor in its win. The car also has a full-length panoramic glass roof, the only car in its class to offer such a feature.

The 308 Turbo is completely knocked down (CKD) and consists of imported parts from France. It is distributed by the official franchise holder of Peugeot Automobiles in Malaysia, Nasim Sdn Bhd (NSB), a member of the Naza Group of Companies.





The winner of the Good Design Award is the Toyota Prius. Already the number one selling hybrid car in the world, The Prius was selected not just for its beautifully sculpted shape, but also how much of its styling have been made to help its aerodynamic efficiency. Judges were also won over by the flowing lines of the car�s interior, the overall �cockpit� feel of the cabin, right down to the innovative use of storage space in the car.

The Volvo XC60, winner of the Luxury SUV award, added another feather to its cap by winning the Safety Award for its impressive list of safety features, which include the laser-based City Safety feature, Lane Departure Warning System and Collision Warning with Auto Brake, which uses radar technology for vehicle tracking.

The winners were selected from 68 new models introduced between December 2008 and October 2009, and judges took into account criteria such as exterior and interior design, comfort and ergonomics, performance, safety, emotional appeal, and after sales service including the comprehensiveness of its warranty. Points were awarded to the cars, and the vehicle with the most points wins the category. The overall Car of The Year winner was then selected from the list of 15 winners.

The night also saw history in the making when two distinguished names in motoring were selected as the �Automotive Men of The Year 2009� Award, Dato� Dr Ang Bon Beng and Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar.

Dato� Dr Ang is the Executive Director of Edaran Tan Chong Motor, Nissan distributor and franchise holder in Malaysia. He was selected for his efforts in keeping the Tan Chong business thriving and making it the icon it is today, all this in spite of internal turmoil and pressure from its Japanese principal.

Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz is the outgoing Managing Director of Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua). He was recognised for presenting a product loved by Malaysians for its quality, reliability and styling, notably the Perodua Myvi.

The Car of the Year Awards is the country�s first motoring award, and was launched in 2002 by Cars, Bikes and Trucks, the motoring section of the New Sunday Times, as a means to acknowledge achievements within the motoring industry.

The guest-of-honour for the night was Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy Prime Minister. Also gracing the occassion was Datuk Aishah Ahmad, President of the Malaysian Automotive Association.

The event is endorsed by the Malaysian Automotive Association.

Peugeot 308 (5-door) test part deux: the Turbo version

Apparently, the Malaysian car market is at dearth of proper (officially sold) turbo cars that this Pug seemed heaven sent. More so at quite unbelievable prices of RM112k (initially) to RM114k now. With larger and better looking 17" 5-spoke alloys shod with expensive ContiSportContact3 tyres, climate control A/C, a nice exhaust-gas driven compressor to complement direct injection, plus recently added panoramic glass roof, this Peugeot with a "BMW engine" or "Mini Cooper engine" (BMW-PSA to be precise) must be the default choice for many, seeing that it is the middle child, sandwiched between the sub-RM100k VTi and near-RM160k GT THP175.



I have always been a sucker for soft-touch dashboards, whatever the class or segment. The slab found in the 308 range has hit my (equally) soft spot, albeit a bit too clinical in design i.e. typical Frenchie style. Ditto the chronometer like instruments. Some say it's a bit too old fashioned in the face of LEDs, Optitrons and the likes. I absolutely love the glow behind the instrument needles and those fine fonts embedded within fully illuminated face et al.





Countlessly , I have mentioned how much I dig those soft yet comfy and supportive seats in the VTi n GT. Strangely, the Turbo' ones get a little bigger but too spineless especially around the edges aka lateral flanks. More shapely versus the VTi's but not as comfortable or hugging, though just a tad so.




There's no mistaking the turbo boost here, since you can actually hear the turbine whine upon quickly lifting off the gas pedal after some amount of revving. With a torque of 240Nm lugging the hatch along, it was definitely a better get-up and go. Gaining mid band speed was also a breeze, thereby hastening overtaking manouvres and delivering spades of confidence along with good body control. But somehow, the overall drive experience came across as being busier than the VTi. Likely due to a missing 5th ratio on the gearbox which was more perceptible here, in the sea of higher and wider torque band.




Ride comfort and suspension pliancy seemed lost too in the crowd of the cheaper VTi and even the GT. Being a little too firm and harsh at times, which even the 18" shod GT don't seem to be bothered with. However, the upside to this is excellent tracking composure, nice incisive lane changing and feeling of axles plantedness (due to excellent rubbers?) exhibited by the 308 Turbo. In fact, on two trips up to Bukit Tinggi and back, the 308 Turbo seemed to have aced even my '07 Colt Turbo with original Ralliart "hard-setting" suspension. That's Peugeot suspension tuning wizardry working for you, I guess.




Slightly biggish steering wheel aside and a wee-bit synthetic light feel, the overall performance of this modern-engined 308 cannot be faulted. And yes, my kids love it on other outings too, they didn't get flung around unnecessarily or got nauseated on even longer interstate jaunts. So those with a young family, you don't need to assasinate the boy-racer in you. Boot space is pretty decent too, but of course the ubiquitous Vios/City or Civic/Altis for that matter have rumps that can carry more cadavers. Still personally, I wish this Turbo had that manual 6-speed auto from the GT or the latest 6-speed auto 'box from the upcoming 308CC. And perhaps a little more of that Lion's magic sprinkling on the suspension damping for more suppleness.





Related posts:

Driven: Peugeot 308 VTi
Peugeot 308 VTi & Turbo launch in Malaysia
Peugeot 308 GT in Malaysia now
All-new Peugeot 308