Peugeot 308

Peugeot has long since been the vehicle of choice in France, but with updating it is now being noticed everywhere; and the Peugeot-308 is no exception. The exterior design remains conservative, but will stand the test of time and deserves its place among its rivals, especially with prices ranging from £14,495 to £24,045

The overall weight has been reduced and there is a great little steering wheel which gives the car good responsiveness and agility. The ride is smooth and cornering is sharp and effortless. There is a wide range of engines, both diesel and petrol, although probably the pick of the bunch is the 1.6-litre diesel and the 1.2-litre e-THP petrol with 92bhp and 110bhp respectively. The chassis is lightweight which allows these small turbocharged engines to be very efficient. However if you do a lot of motorway driving and want something with a bit more acceleration and speed, then consider one of the more powerful versions.

The interior will satisfy most drivers and the dashboard is located around a 9.7-inch touchscreen which is very user-friendly. The instruments have been placed on top of the dashboard, putting them right into your line of vision, but this does mean that the steering wheel has to be relatively low so that it does not obstruct them. The car has a nice, quality interior and technology is good even on the standard models.

The Peugeot-308 is a classy car that is trying to take the brand upmarket and succeeds.