Welcome to the latest Peugeot 308 SW—the perfect antidote to all those baby crossovers we often moan about on these pages.
For the new 308 hatchback (unveiled a few months back), Peugeot added 55mm into the wheelbase compared to the previous generation. And now, for the SW, it has stretched that extended wheelbase by yet another 55mm to allow for more cargo space and more legroom for rear passengers. Lovely.
It’s simple stuff, really. As is the removal of the hatch’s black strip between the claw-like rear lights, which “increases the amount of perceived bodywork,” according to Peugeot. The front end is extremely similar to the hatch, too, with LED lights on all trim levels, that new family grille, and the now-familiar DRL fangs.
Being a wagon, it’s fairly aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.277, and the all-important cargo space stands at 608 liters with the rear seats up and 1,634 liters if you fold them flat.
On the inside, Peugeot’s i-Cockpit is back once again with another attempt to convince buyers that they should be looking over a steering wheel at the dials rather than through it. The screen for the dials is a 10-inch display here, as is the central infotainment touchscreen. The touch-sensitive shortcut buttons below the touchscreen can be customized to link to different functions.
Now, we best get onto the engines. Both the 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline and the 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel make just 128hp, but the plug-in hybrids can be had with a combined output of either 178hp or 222hp.
Both get a 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery and manage around 60km of all-electric range, although said battery will eat slightly into your cargo space.
“Although directly challenged by SUVs, this segment has remained constant since 2010, demand in Europe remains strong and sales forecasts are stable for the years to come,” says Peugeot.
“Long live the wagon,” says TG.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
