Refreshed Peugeot 308 hatch ready to pounce

Published: 01 June 2017

► Facelifted Peugeot 308
► Revised engines and design
► Available from September 

Peugeot has pulled out the crayons and drawn some new lines all over its 308 hatchback, and introduced fresh powertrain and tech options. The company says the facelifted car will be available from September 2017 in the UK.

Well, we say facelift – it’s more a case of a light touch-up from a design point of view. There’s a new bumper, tweaked headlights and… that’s about it. Allure-spec cars and above now benefit from a panoramic glass roof as standard, too.

News on the GTi front includes the killing off of the lesser-powered ‘250’ model (meaning the 266bhp ‘270’ is now your only choice) and a new Coupe Franche paint scheme with ‘Magnetic Blue’, rather than the usual red.

Peugeot 308 GTI 2017 rear quarter

That’s not a big difference, is it…

No, not really – but there are bigger changes under the skin.

A brand-new 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 diesel engine will become part of the 308 range, which Peugeot rather tenuously claims has a patented combustion chamber design that saw use in the 24-hour Le Mans race.

There’s also a new six-speed manual gearbox in the range as well as an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission available for the top-spec diesel seen on the 308 GT.

Peugeot 308 SW rear cornering

Does the facelifted 2017 Peugeot 308 still have the tiny steering wheel?

Yep – the iCockpit interior remains unchanged, but the infotainment system has been given a thorough going over. Peugeot’s Mirror Screen has Mirrorlink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities as standard, while the latest TomTom-based sat-nav system has 3D mapping and real-time traffic monitoring.

Peugeot also promises that the revised 308’s safety assistance kit, including its lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control systems, have also benefitted from slight improvements.

Read all of our Peugeot reviews right here

By Jake Groves

CAR's deputy news editor, gamer, serial Lego-ist, lover of hot hatches

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