Why the Peugeot 308SW PHEV didn't do it for me ! | 4K

Why is it the Peugeot 308SW PHEV just didn't do it for me. I learned to drive in Peugeot cars and have a lot of love for the brand. I spent a week with the 308SW plug-in hybrid and really enjoyed the car to drive but there were a couple of things that really challenged me. This is one of the most difficult to balance reviews I have made so far.

Follow Petrol Ped

Watch more videos!

Welcome to the official Petrol Ped YouTube channel! On this channel you will find a variety of content like high quality car reviews, launch events, press drives, event coverage from Goodwood and other awesome automotive experiences! Make sure to subscribe, turn on ALL notifications and join me on my petrol fuelled journey!

Video Contents
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - Why I love Peugeot
02-45 - Front and Rear
03:48 - Joining the front to the back !
05:05 - Boot and rear space
07:01 - That steering wheel !
13:59 - Early morning start
15:22 - Great to drive
18:04 - The challenge with the PHEV !
19:34 - Final thoughts

#PetrolPed #Automotive #Peugeot308SW

[BenJ]

Good looking car. Peugeot have a great design team. Wish they would make a 300 bhp + version.

[happyguy]

I’m not sure where on earth you’re coming from with regards the exterior looks of the car as it’s beautiful. As for the rear leg room, you have pushed the front seats as far back as they will go and with your long legs any any car would not have enough space. So that’s an utterly ridiculous point you’re making. The leg room in this 308 estate is excellent!

[James-cjrx]

Took me awhile to figure it out but e-save is the energy recharge mode that recharges the car to ether 10 miles, 20 miles or max so the fuel will charge the battery....in all honesty I had the phev xc60 and it has a similar option but it 100% destroys the fuel economy and they can say it only uses the excess energy created by the engine but these are only 3 cylinder engines that are tuned to its max to support the weight of these batteries. Essentially there is no excess energy it's running leaner to create that charge and don't be fooled. I am a BE level 8 mechanical engineer from UCD with 8 years of industry experience (a qualified person)

[stevencampbell]

I now have a Toyota Corolla Trek hybrid estate having sold my diesel Renault Kadjar and the thing is I did consider one of these as possibility when looking for my next car. The problem I saw with it apart from the cost of the car to buy and insure was the shortness of the EV range and the mpg wasn't any better than my diesel Renault, bottom line despite the fact that I did like the look of it I was a definite no. I find with my Corolla hybrid that if I feather the throttle on the motorway and don't use the adaptive cruise I get roughly 47-49 mpg and if I use the adaptive cruise I get around 45mpg and whilst I know my hybrid isn't a plug in I think that's reasonably good especially as it only costs around £40-£45 in Northern Ireland here where I live to fill the relatively small 43 litre tank.

[tonyb]

Ok, this basically uses the same setup as my old 3008 Hybrid4, and that also was a lovely car but doing any sort of range over 50 miles per day sort of defeated the object of having a phev.

Just to point out a few inaccuracies, you need to set the car battery use in e save, if you don't then it will just use it all up.
You can charge the batteries off the engine whilst driving but it will put a bug dent in your fuel economy.

In the end I just changed my hybrid4 for a 408 1.2 GT, better overall fuel economy (55-60mpg) and sub 40k price bracket so wasnt costing me over £500 a year for VED.

[DjNikGnashers]

Great video Pete, and thank you for being honest.
The only Peugeot I would ever own, is a very cheap, shed, for tip runs etc.
The main reason for this, is because they are not cheap to buy new, and they depreciate much more quickly than almost any other brand. You lose so much money on them, and that has to be factored into the over all running costs.
Other reasons are, the styling of any Pug over the past 15 years, is just not appealing at all for me, they try too hard in some ways, but nothing really works together for any model, so I absolutely agree with your opinion of this particular 308SW.
Then there is the unreliability, and they ARE unreliable.
They are never class leading in any one area. I mean, you can forgive Dacia for looking a bit challenging, when you factor in the low initial purchase price, and the reliability and efficiency. They are actually pretty damn good.
Peugeot and Citroen are both really missing the mark in so many area's. I think along with Vauxhall (who finished 30th out of a list of 32 brands sold in the UK, for reliability AWFUL), they are lagging behind in all area's.
Peugeot were 21st out of 32 brands for reliability. This was the what car 2024 reliability survey.
BMW for example, who the German car hate gang always bang on about how unreliable they are, were 12th out of 32 for reliability, and above all other German brands.
I just do not understand why anyone would buy a Peugeot, Citroen, or Renault, or Vauxhall to be honest. There are so many much better cars in every way, which do not actually cost any significant amount more, yet are more efficient, more reliable, better looking, and you won't lose so much on depreciation ?

[johngoodwin]

That steering wheel summarises the whole car

[johnwhite]

Crazy how little range for a plug in hybrid and only 44.7 mpg plus very tight in the rear too, very weird looking from the side lol, to me it looks like as if someones put doors from another vehicle on it, just don't know why Peugeot would put nice lines either side at front an back an nothing on doors, great honest review Pete, shame about the wet weather, hope you got out on track 👌👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[PaulHadlow-og]

Back in the day, I had a 205, 309 and 405, and I especially loved the latter. But it seemed to me that Peugeot lost its way after that. More recently, their cars have caught my eye with their sharper styling, and I liked the styling more than you did; as you say, aesthetics are subjective. That said, I couldn't accept the rear legroom. I don't remember that being an issue with your EV Astra estate, which is essentially the same car.

[ST-uroh]

Started off with a parents 309 too. The current 508 is a hatch and not a saloon. The 308 is great as a hatch but in a world of Octavia estates, the SW is weak.

[tomashley]

Couldn’t agree more with you Pete! Not my cup of tea either for the same reasons. Peugeot are lucky to sell most of them to company car or rental fleets here in France. Likewise, I also have great souvenirs regarding the old models you mentioned. I learned to drive on a 205 also, but unlike others in most cases, I was lucky to drive a 205 GTI, with the monitor telling me to rev the engine a little more, brilliant! 😊 So lucky! Needless to say, it cost them too much in petrol, and those great cars were replaced by the diesel versions a few months after.
Back in the days when cars didn’t need 2 or 3 hundred bhp to put a smile on your face! 😉
Cheers, Tom.

[stevecarter]

Great review, looking for a PHEV, don’t think it will be this one!

[simonrobson]

If you didn't charge it for the journal home, what was the MPG please? Thanks

[brutusoftroy]

I agree, i like the outside, the proton thundercat badge rebrand is a massive fail and they will not admit defeat with that silly steering wheel dash panel setup. I'm 5'11" so I've got even less chance of getting a good position, I have to have the wheel down in my lap to avoid rim block on the cluster.

[breseler]

Had a 305 GLD estate and have to say it was a great car - while the front seats didn't look the most comfortable a lot of long distance journeys proved me wrong.
Estates seem to becoming an endangered species with this mindless obsession with everything SUV so my next car, when I am ready, looks like it could be as rare as hens teeth...

[stippolyte]

Im 5'6, last 3 Peugeots I've driven had this ridiculous gaming wheel and when comfortable couldn't see good half the dash. Last Pug id consider was the RCZ.

[andrewjohnston]

205 GTI 309 GTI 406 diesel SW 308 Mk1 diesel and now 308 Mk 2 2l diesel GT which rivals the 205 GTi for sheer throw it around fun... Waiting for fully electric 308 SW but as I cruise through 117000 miles on my faultless 308GT I wonder if the Mk2 isn't the best 308. Czech wife would love me to go Skoda - as we do a lot of trans continental Europe driving I do wonder if I will ever leave the diesel field - so many seem to be abandoning EV revolution. Shame the 2l diesel has gone from the 308 SW mk 3 range - may just step up to the 508SW 2l GT whilst there are still plenty of low mileage models around. Or a 2l Skoda Octavia vRS Estate? What would you choose?

[vasilidesign]

I appreciate all your videos, but when YouTubers and reviewers have a design opinion it just turns me off, this is a personal preference and especially when the critic is absolute, for example the front end do not match to the rear it is not a nice thing to say, because it is not true… This car is one of the most gorgeous estates out there, aerodynamics has an important role to the lines of the car, sometimes you don’t like it but from engineering perspective is potentially correct. I did 65km with this car in electric mode. Drives really good and is extremely quiet. The only problem I would mention which is important after personal experience is the electronics. Rear camera, drivers massage seat and folding mirror mechanism, all stop working. Who knows what else could come up. But the engine and the transition from electric to combustion engine is smooth and quiet. The interior is gorgeous and do not buy it without the sunroof and the focal sound system. Thanks again for your review.

[Valisimal]

You stay like a BMW driver...leaned back. You need to have a more straight posture and suddenly the steering wheel makes sense.

[eveythingthatsadam]

The rear seat space is an absolute joke for an estate car.