Long-term report: The Peugeot 308 GT SW PHEV aims to combine good looks with practicality

It’s time to welcome a new long-termer to our fleet, and as the video department waves goodbye to one large French family hatchback in the Citroen C5 X, we say bonjour to another French five-door in the shape of the Peugeot 308 SW plug-in hybrid.

While both cars tackle the business of offering hybrid motoring in a stylish, spacious five-door family wagon, they both go about it in very different ways. Although the C5 X was larger, its design philosophy was a bit more form over function. It was aimed at being more of a head-turner, something that would make people question what it actually was, and that was something I became used to over my time with it. That sloping roofline gave it a stylish, coupe-esque feel which made it stand out from the crowd, but it did limit practicality.

The Peugeot 308 SW, on the other hand, is a no-nonsense family estate car that’s designed to carry up to five people in comfort, with a usable space in the boot. I know someone who’ll be happy about the boot space, and that’s my dog, Marley, who for the last six months has been a constant backseat passenger in the C5 X. Why? largely because of its boot. While it’s wide and deep, it wasn’t very tall because of that roofline. So now, at least he’s got some space in the boot to stand up, sit down or even stretch out.

Now I’m no stranger to Peugeot ownership. I might be showing my age here but I used to own a Peugeot 309 many years ago, also red. That was a three-door, and while that game has moved on, significantly, I do look back at it with some affection, despite its obvious flaws.

The one thing that immediately stands out for me though is the styling. The last few generations of Peugeot’s mid-sized family hatchbacks and estates have been somewhat boring. The 307 felt quite overweight to drive and certainly not something you’d call enjoyable, especially when compared to the likes of the 306 or even sportier 309. Then there was the looks, where the 307 tried to be more cutting edge, but it really wasn’t as cutting edge as the French firm would have hoped.

However, the brand is going through something of a revival under the Stellantis group and not only are we seeing cars that are more engaging to drive, but they’re jam-packed with the latest technology and the styling has taken a huge leap in the right direction. It looks far more futuristic than many of its rivals with sleek headlamps and tail lights and those distinctive daytime running lights that look like fangs in the dark, and I really do love this deep red body colour, that looks so nice when the sun does make an appearance.

So far in the first few weeks of living with the PHEV I’ve found it unsurprisingly comfortable. Anyone familiar with the long-term vehicles that are used by the video department will know they’re probably the hardest working cars on the fleet, usually racking up a lot of motorway miles heading from the North West to the South Coast for shoots.

What I really like about the 308 already is that on the motorway it is really comfortable – not as cushioned as the C5 X, but I can easily do a 250-mile drive in one sitting without too many old man groans when I get out of the car when I reach my destination. The other thing that I’ve really grown to like is the cabin and equipment. It’s very well specced, with extras including heated and massage seats, which have multiple settings and make those longer journeys even more relaxing. We’ll delve into the interior features in a later report, but it’s safe to say I definitely approve.

The seats are snug and comfortable and the large infotainment screen which stretches from in front of the driver across to the central dash is clear and relatively straightforward to use. Some of the features are a little niggly though, but on the whole anyone new to a modern Peugeot will take a little bit of time to get to grips with it all.

The one thing I do struggle with though is that steering wheel. Peugeot… WHY? If I have the seat and steering wheel set to my driving position the top of the wheel covers the screen, so I can’t see information like the speed, which won’t hold up in a court of law should I find my heavy right foot getting me in a spot of bother. This isn’t something new for Peugeot though, we’ve seen it since the 208 was launched. I really wish they’d revert to a ‘normal’ sized steering wheel.

The boot is a great size and shape and easily swallows all of the video equipment when I’m heading out to shoots. The tailgate isn’t powered though, which in all honesty isn’t the end of the world, and at least it means you’re not standing there in the rain waiting for it to open with two handfuls of shopping.

So far though, on the whole, it’s all very positive with the 308 SW PHEV.