New Peugeot 308 Against Volkswagen Golf 7

A little shorter and lower than its predecessor,
the second generation of Peugeot 308
is mostly much lighter

Facies more sober look less typical minivan, increased technological content ... No doubt, the new 308 has the Golf in its sights. But until these two rivals compete on the road, it is already possible to compare their respective strengths.
A little shorter and lower than its predecessor, the second generation of ...

In France, sales of compact star is called Renault Megane. But the second generation, which was unveiled in Frankfurt and marketed in the fall, the 308 rather squarely address the European bestseller: the Volkswagen Golf. This is reflected immediately in style. Initiated by the 307, the MPV profile was abandoned, as the big mouth and the tapered look. Like its German rival, compact Peugeot returns to a fairly flat cap, a thin shell and small headlights. However, inside, it turns out much less conventional than its competitor, its instrumentation located above the steering wheel, so 208 and 2008. Placed higher than Volkswagen, the touchscreen should also be easy to use without too distracting. An important because unlike Volkswagen point, the Lion has even removed the knobs for climate control. It remains to discover the quality of manufacture, an area where the Golf 7 hits hard.

From the front, the relationship with the Polo is enhanced.

From the front, the relationship
with the Polo is enhanced

The dashboard shares nothing with that of
the previous generation

Technical question, the two competing chose to start with a blank page, adopting unique platforms. The EMP2 PSA replica of the VW MQB. With the same objective: to reduce weight without compromising on equipment and livability. A regime that would have to lose a hundred pounds between two generations of Golf, and downright up to 140 kg in Peugeot. Add worked very well as reduced, especially for the 308, and its rival able to announce an exemplary sobriety aerodynamic height: their less demanding diesel version simply reject 85 g of CO2 per kilometer on average, which corresponds to about 3.2 l/100 km, and is entitled to a bonus of € 550 in 2013.

The dashboard shares nothing with that of the previous generation.

If Golf is entitled to a multilink rear axle from 122 hp, the most widespread versions are satisfied with a torsion beam. Technology that will be imposed for Peugeot ... where it seems better controlled: the current 308 continues to reference the compromise between comfort and performance, and the Lion promises even better for the new, while the German suffers from many vibrations, including highway. To remedy this, the ideal is to turn to the controlled suspensions, unavailable in the French manufacturer ... and the entry-level Golf.

The interior portion rather sharply with
the previous generation

Although compact in Lion will now receive electric parking brake, cruise control active or automatic parking aid, it remains a less high-tech than its competitor tad. Less verbose in body too, since it would simply be broken down into five-door and wagon: Remember convertible variants, "four-door coupe" or three-doors offered by the German, not to mention the pseudo-MPV Golf Plus . The most glaring gap is however the lack of dual-clutch gearbox at launch. Although revamped and renamed ETG, transmission automated single clutch PSA will be hard to erase its major flaws. The interior portion rather sharply with the previous generation.