KEY POINTS:
Alsace is Peugeot's cradle. Its misty landscapes are the home of the Peugeot family and business. The first factory opened here in 1810 - no, not building cars. In its time, Peugeot has manufactured everything from pepper mills to rifles.
But it's the cars we're here for. Peugeot's new 308 is being introduced by one of the three Peugeot family members on the advisory board. Christian Peugeot is not the big man in a suit expected at the helm of an international brand. Quite apart from an apparently retiring persona, he's not above presenting his company's bread-and-butter car himself, even to relatively obscure markets like ours.
Mind you, New Zealand has risen within Peugeot's ranks thanks to its Australian cousin; the two countries wielding quite some buying clout. And this 308 is an important car for Peugeot. The 2002 307 launch alone resulted in 60 per cent growth for the brand in New Zealand in its first year. Peugeot holds 2 per cent of our market - and hopes for 3 per cent on the back of this 308.
Replacing the rather successful 307 - indeed, sharing its predecessor's base architecture - the roof is 12mm lower, the length 74mm up thanks to increased front and rear overhangs, and it's 53mm broader. Thus though the roofline is still fairly high - to boost interior space - the car's profile is more streamlined.
This more vigorous stance is heightened by the thrusting Gallic nose, best appreciated in the flesh. Its biggest effect is unseen - the lower, wider geometry offers dynamic advantages.
The Mac strut front, torsion beam rear and hydraulic suspension offer the same basic equation as the 307, but detail changes mean the car's a better road warrior. The centre of gravity is down 5mm, the car's more rigid track is wider and the suspension mounts were redesigned.
That suspension is impressively compliant; comfortable and even plush. There's a fair amount of body roll, but body control was good over a wide variety of surfaces - with motorway, patched and lumpy mountain roads, vineyard gravel and even a rocky orchard track all grist to our mill.
Driving through the golden morning of an Alsace autumn, we had time to appreciate this car's effective approach to the road. ESP operates at all times over about 50kph, its intervention so gradual you barely notice it.
The 308 won't be a keen driver's cup of tea - they want an involving, sporty drive not this blend of handling competence and comfort.
But those buyers wanting comfy effectiveness will be happy - particularly once they take a look at the cabin and spec list.
The interior is more spacious than before, partly due to trickery like the thinner front seats designed to offer more rear leg room, and to the proliferation of glass, which imparts an airy feel and a good all-round view out even without the glass roof.
Fit and finish, materials, choice of interior colours - all have taken a step up. Meanwhile, the tilted dash does what it's designed to, creating a more spacious feeling. But it does compromise the ergonomics a tad, with the upper controls a bit of a stretch at times.
Owners will like the proliferation of thoughtful design touches, like the storage tray under the rear parcel shelf, accessible from either the boot or the rear pews; the inbuilt scent diffuser; the 30GB hard drive that'll let them store their favourite music.
NZ will get the top-of-the-line models. That also means the bigger alloy wheels and ESP standard on all but the two entry-level cars. That's part of the 308's five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating - not to mention its four-star pedestrian and three-star child ratings.
The work required to achieve those ratings added 40kg to the car's weight, part of a 70kg increase.
The petrol variants were developed as part of a joint venture with BMW. We'll get the 1.6-litre VTi, 88kW/160Nm petrol and the 1.6-litre petrol twin-scroll turbo with 110kW in manual form and 250Nm.
Plus the diesel of course, the 2.0 variable geometry turbo, with 100kW and 320-340Nm of torque at 2000rpm, plus a particulate filter to keep your air clean. Though the 88kW 1.6 is nothing special, that petrol turbo engine is exceptional. The spread of torque means you can play on the throttle, leaving it in one gear - yes, these were manual cars, with autos not due until year-end.
As for the diesel, the 1.6 we tested in France was if anything better in country conditions than its bigger sibling - perhaps it was better matched to its manual gearbox. Unfortunately NZ won't see it as it's not available with the auto transmission, whereas the 2.0-litre car is.
It's the turbo petrol and diesel 308s Peugeot NZ expects will make 90 per cent of sales volume here - all fitted with ESP and seven airbags to take the safety high ground. The car waves the technology flag too, though we won't see the new, Michelin energy-saver tyres, which reduce rolling resistance by 20 per cent and therefore save 0.2l/100km of fuel over the conventional rubber.
But we will get the lane-departure system. It raises a buzz under your right or left thigh, depending on which line you're straying over. Where the 307 was a tad bland, this 308 offers a strong design that, love it or loathe it, will not blend into the road furniture as its predecessor did.
John Keenan, the new man at Peugeot's helm in New Zealand, thinks this 308 could challenge some of the volume sellers. "Our Government is talking five-star safety, carbon dioxide emissions - and Peugeot leads the field, our cars are consistently among the safest. There are a lot of good cars around, but many can't offer what these can.
"People cite style and handling when they buy - it's still a strong part of the message. Safety and environment is seen as boring, and that's where Peugeot is different - it's also got style, without costing the earth."
It better hadn't.
Whether the 308 really can compete may depend on one thing alone - its price, to be announced in December when the first ones arrive prior to the official February 1 on sale date.
