Peugeot might have won the European Car of the Year award with the 308, but you shouldn't care about such bullshit. Take a look at the new 308 GT instead.
It'a hard to explain why Peugeot exists. I know Renault makes fast and Citroën makes funky, but have no clue about Peugeot's role. I do get the 308 GT though.
Available in both hatchback and wagon body styles with either a 205 hp/210 ft lb 1.6 turbo or a 180 hp/296 ft lb 2.0 turbo diesel, the 308 GT has all the right ingredients.
It's starts with the Peugeot Lion moving from the bonnet's leading edge to the front grill. Super important stuff. It also has new, dynamic sequential indicators placed above the new air scoops that help cooling. Cooling - as we all know - is good. Just like LEDs. It has 62 of those, plus black lacquered door mirrors that "merge" with the tinted windows.
Now, the real deal:
It's lower. 0.27 inches up front, 0.39 inches at the rear, sitting on 18-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 3s and hiding 330/30 mm discs with floating calipers and 60mm pistons. At the rear, it's 268mm on the hatchback and 290mm on the wagon. The steering is variable, the pseudo MacPherson front/deformable beam rear suspension got 10/20% stiffer with hydraulic bump stop.
The gas engine has a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection, variable valve lift on inlet and variable valve timing on both inlet and exhaust. It's mated to a six-speed manual. Proper stuff.
The diesel only comes with a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, but features 3rd generation common-rail operating at up to 29,000 psi, a new combustion chamber, seven-hole injectors and a compression ratio raised to 16:7:1. Peugeot knows how to build both powerful and efficient diesels.
The Magnetic Blue paint and the dual exhausts seal the deal, while on the inside, it's anthracite headlining, red stitching, aluminum pedals, stainless steel everything else and red illumination as always.
There's also more engine noise in the cabin, while the center console displays everything from torque output to turbo pressure and g figures hitting your body.
As far as safety goes, the 308 GT also packs dynamic cruise control, collision alert and automatic braking, blind spot monitoring and parking assist. Although if you can't park, just buy a slower car for the sake of humanity.
From all the cars America can't have due to the cruel nature of our world, would you go for this or a Skoda Octavia RS (wagon)?