Peugeot slashes 308 prices

PEUGEOT has given its 308 small hatch and wagon line-up a mid-life update with increased safety technology, mild styling tweaks and a reduction in price, with the range now opening from $26,990 plus on-roads for the Active hatch.

The Active has dropped in price by $1000, as have the petrol and diesel Allure hatch ($31,990 and $35,990 respectively), while the Allure diesel wagon has been reduced by $1500 to $37,990.

Gone from the range is the diesel GT hatchback and wagon, while the range-topping GTi fire-breather has been chopped by $4000, to $45,990.

It now clearly undercuts its rivals including the Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, Subaru WRX STI and Volkswagen Golf R, all of which retail for more than $50,000.

The biggest change over the outgoing model is the inclusion of a number of driver assistance features recently unveiled on the 3008 medium SUV, which touched down locally in August.

Standard across the range is the driver attention warning system, which invites the driver to take a break after driving for more than two hours without stopping at speeds over 65km/h.

The rest of the safety features are reserved for the Allure and GTi models, and include active lane departure warning, which can alert or correct the trajectory of the vehicle if it starts to unintentionally drift outside of its lane.

Other new features include automatic headlight control, which can adjust between dipped and full-beam headlights, speed sign recognition and speed suggestion, active blind spot monitoring, and park assist.

Inside, the 308 gains an updated touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink compatibility and a new fabric trim for Active variants, while retaining its i-Cockpit layout with a small steering wheel positioned underneath the instrument cluster.

Exterior changes include an LED lighting signature incorporated into the headlights, two new bumper finishes, and darkened tail-lights on the hatch for a more sinister look.

Ten exterior paint hues will be available, including the new Pyrite Beige, which replaces Aluminium Grey.

No changes have been made to the powertrains in the 308 range, which consist of a 96kW/230Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit in the Active and Allure, and a 110kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel mill in the oil-burning Allure variants, with both engines mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The GTi retains its 200kW/330Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-pot, which again will come exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels.

To the end of October, Peugeot has sold 774 examples of the 308 range, representing a 30.7 per cent skid over the 1117 it managed to the same point last year.

It remains well off the pace of small car segment-leaders such as the Toyota Corolla (31,753), Mazda3 (27,419), Hyundai i30 (25,086) and Kia Cerato (15,977).

2017 Peugeot 308 pricing*

Active Petrol (a)	$26,990
Allure Petrol (a)	$31,990
Allure Diesel (a)	$35,990
Allure Touring Diesel (a)	$37,990
GTi	$45,990

*Excludes on-road costs