Peugeot 308: Elegant but pricey mover

The Peugeot 308 wagon is a handy carpooler. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

What is it?
Peugeot's updated 308 in wagon format is powered by a 120kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel, and is fitted with seven seats and a glass roof.

After 850km of country roads, I softened my reservations about the suspension, which absorbs big hits but transmits jiggles to the cabin. The car handled the roads well, the jiggles rarely noticed, but the car's ability to shrug off the sometimes lurid bumps was appreciated.

We like
The more elegant, less exaggerated, look for this facelift.

The extremely versatile interior, with three second-row seats that fold down or swivel out of the way; the two second-row picnic tables; and two third-row seats that supply minimal foot room for the school carpool run, or can be removed for 675 litres of boot space.

And we like this engine's frugal thirst, with 6.7l/100km (the official claim) dropping to 6.5l/100km average after our stint at the wheel.

Goats on the road proved the brakes' efficiency, too.

We loathe
The price, our test car's $45,990 over-generously boosted by the $4000 heated leather seats, the $1500 Xenon directional lights and the $1500 18-inch alloys in place of the standard 17s, plus the $3000 satnav - excessive when a decent portable unit can be bought for a tenth that. Jacqui Madelin