Driven: Peugeot 308 VTi

There's a lot you can tell of a car just by its seats. Firstly, you can differentiate whether you are made to sit on one or to properly sit in one. While one of the most famous Japanese marque seem to dictate that you plant your gluteus maximus muscle on one of their car 'stools', the Pug that you see above has simply one the most cossseting and supportive item around - for its class or even one segment up. Paired with a suspension pliancy that reeks of Conti finesee - French to be specific - it's truly very pleasant to drive around in one. Case in point, even when you have failed to brake in time for one of those free-for-all-tall-supersized speed bump, the 308 dampers seem to have taken it all in stride. No bottoming out, no jarring thump, no post hump wallow.

While this base 308 may roll a little more than desired around corners, the whole package seem to work very well with the naturally aspirated 1.6L engine. Power is mostly adequate and definitely not underpowered, what's with the 4-speed Titronic Porsche gearbox working well across the sweep of engine speed. Of course, there's that Turbo sibling with much more verve and with what higher bookings probably translating to a notion of better value-for-money. However, all is not lost on this VTi. At sub-RM100k for a C-segment Conti hatch, I doubt you will be able to find anything with ride, seats and body control better than this, brand new with warranty et al. Heck! You can't get even a brand-new Honda Jazz i-VTEC for that kind of money. Go figure.

Peugeot Lion Save Package for 308VTi & 407

Nasim Sdn Bhd (NSB) introduces its new Peugeot Lion Save Package for buyers of the stylish new Peugeot 407 or the sporty Peugeot 308VTi.

New Peugeot 407 and Peugeot 308VTi owners will be able to enjoy a 70% mark down on their respective scheduled service maintenance charges for the first 60,000 km or 36 months, whichever comes first.

In addition to the Lion Save Package, NSB is also providing FREE V-Kool and Solar Gard tint vouchers for the Peugeot 407 and the 308VTi respectively.

The Peugeot Lion Save Package runs from 15 May 2009 to 15 June 2009 at all Nasim branches and authorised dealers. For more information, please call Peugeot Careline toll free at 1-800-88-6292, or log on to www.peugeot.com.my.

Peugeot 308 VTi & 308 Turbo available in Malaysia now

Nasim, the official franchise holder of Peugeot automobiles in Malaysia, has launched the Peugeot 308 and pricing it competitively at RM96,500 for the 308 VTi and RM111,000 for the 308 Turbo, (on-the-road with insurance) in an event officiated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak.

The new 308 which was the winner of the �Golden Lenkrad� award in 2007 in Germany in its category and also recently the AMI NZ Autocar Car of the Year 2008 in its class. It is set to offer Malaysian car buyers more choice apart from the current mainly Japanese offerings available in the market.

Being locally assembled at the Naza Automotive Manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah, the gorgeous 308 will be available in 5 door form and has the new EP6 series of 1.6 L engines. The EP6 engines have won the International Engine of the Year Award twice, in 2007 and 2008 and are a result of a technical collaboration between Automobiles Peugeot and BMW.

Malaysians will be offered 2 variants of the new Peugeot 308; the Peugeot 308 VTi and the Peugeot 308 Turbo. Both are available with only automatic transmissions with System Tiptronic Porsche; a feature that allows drivers to select manual gear selection or fully automatic. En SM Nasarudin said that these two models reflect the growing taste of Malaysian buyers for European automobiles. He added that the cars have been very well specified and are being positioned as premium offerings within their respective segments.

�The performance of the 308 Turbo is already as good as some 2.0 litre competitors and in some cases even better. The 308 offers a combination of strong engine performance, with top-notch creature comforts, space and safety for both the VTi and Turbo and these alone, are strong points for anyone considering the new 308. Our theme �Naturally Efficient� for the launch shows just how far the automobile has progressed and in the 308�s case, it represents efficiency in all areas; performance, spaciousness, fuel economy, safety and also towards the environment.� He added that customers should get into the car and feel the difference when compared to the car�s competitors.

The Peugeot 308 VTi and Peugeot 308 Turbo models are Nasim�s spearhead into the hotly contested C-segment, at near premium Japanese B-segment hatch (CBU) price levels. With the Peugeot 407 as a testimony to the marque�s acceptance into Malaysian mainstream automotive market, Nasim Sdn Bhd is confident of the 308 repeating the success. En SM Nasarudin hinted that Nasim Sdn Bhd will continue to introduce new and exciting Peugeot models into the Malaysian market that are very competitive in their price and size segments as part of Nasim�s strategy for Peugeot in Malaysia.

Peugeot 308 promo trucks spotted on highways

In a refreshing departure from the usual black-masking-taped vehicular spy shots, Nasim has been very bold with the 308 emblem of its upcoming Pug C-segment hatch. Estimated to be priced circa RM90k for the base version 308VTi 5-door hatch.

The new 308 will be launched on 29th January 2009 by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister (and Prime Minister to-be), YAB Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak at 8.30am. Official details to follow only thereafter...

Related post:

Peugeot 308 coming soon to Malaysia

You may want to read this:

Driven: Peugeot 308GT