There are two things that you need to know about the Peugeot 308 CC: The first is that it rewards the brave. Second, it is totally different ownership experience to it’s family hatchback brother.
Let’s deal with the bravery first. If you take the top off any car, it creates a sense of freedom that on some subliminal level leads the driver to expect a more spunky, more involved, more thrilling driving sensation. Some such cars have a hunger for corners and an urgency can be detected in the steering wheel. The 308 CC accordingly feels distinctly different to drive when compared to it’s hatchback brother. But, the engineering under the skin is not fundamentally changed from the bog-standard family car, so when you turn into a corner, whether it is a sweeping A-road or a B-road kink, there is an unmistakable reluctance from the front of the car to turn in. But, be brave and do it anyway, and you find the chassis remains poised, the wheels deliver all the grip any sensible driver could need and the 308 CC adds another feather to it’s hood.
The other way the 308 CC rewards bravery is in colour choice. The test car was a metallic brown that the marketing gurus have called mocha. Ordering a new car in brown, no matter what they call it, requires courage of the highest order. But combined with the double-strut 5-spoke 17”alloys and cream hide interior this car turns heads. Friends who only consider BMWs and Audis were genuinely excited about going out in it.
Which brings us to the ownership experience. The leather seats have a Porsche bucket-seat look, but provide absolute comfort for all body shapes and sizes. They’re also a lot easier to get out of than a Porsche. They prove to be cosseting over long journeys and supportive through countryside bends. Again, the BMW and Audi lovers were impressed, gleefully exclaiming so as they sat.
Many of the ex-demonstrtors on the market also have the ‘airwave scarf’ which I strongly recommend. On a sunny but cool Autumn day, it is a great feeling to have the roof down. But as soon as you are on an open road, the wind chill can spoil everything. Peugeot’s solution is to provide a little vent in the back of the seat which at the touch of a button gently projects a warm breeze around the neck and head. Combined with the heated seats and dash vents it is possible to regulate the temperate to just how you want it and enjoy the sunny day for hours, even up all the way up the A11 to Newmarket as I did.
The final, but crucial thing to check before buying any ‘CC’ is that you can live with the boot space once the roof is down. I recently tested a new £40,000 sportscar and found the boot to be ridiculous. But the 308CC’s boot, even with the roof down (which means the roof panels take up a large part of the boot) could take a couple of bags, which is impressive for this segment.
What’s the market like?
It has not been a big fleet seller, so there are only small numbers in the market. But the Peugeot 308CC has a better chance of taking a slice of this competitive market than its predecessor, the 307CC.
Despite this, savings over the new list price can be found of nearly £5,000 without haggling and all the cars on dealer forecourts have very high equipment and trim levels.
What else can this budget buy?
A budget of £17,000 for a nearly new cabrio will buy you 1 year old 1.8t Saab 9-3, which is arguably a class above. But if you want a BMW or Mercedes, you are going to be looking for rare entry-level models that are 3 years or more old. Likewise with Volvo’s coupe cabrio C70.
So you need to focus on the other coupe-cabrios from Ford, Renault and Vauxhall. The Focus CC is ugly, was unreliable when first launched and has sold in small numbers. This means there are cheap deals to have on some. The Renaults and Vauxhalls can be found for almost identical money/mileage/condition. We expect this Peugeot to follow a similar depreciation trend to these two, which means a two year old car will be around £14,000.
Summary
Far from just another hatchback with the roof chopped off. This is a convertible sports car with a luxury feel that turns heads and delivers satisfaction for passenger and driver alike.
By: Matthew Tumbridge