Peugeot 308 SW

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

04 March 2008 20:03

So what's new on Peugeot's Geneva Motor Show stand?Not a gala show by Peugeot's standards, if we're being honest. The biggest news on the stand today was the arrival of the 308 SW - a single replacement for two models. This time around, Peugeot isn't distinguishing between the estate and the SW people carrier. Instead, it's launching just the single SW variant you see here and due in showrooms by June 2008. Boggo base models will come with a steel roof and a conventional split bench seat; higher spec models get a panoramic glass sunroof and removable seats for that quasi-MPV feel.

There are few surprises on the car - it looks and feels exactly as a Peugeot 308 estate should. Miles better than the 307, in other words, with an especially noticeable jump in interior quality and a familiar range of engines and specs.
CAR highlightThis was a quiet Geneva for Peugeot, so it's telling that the most exciting occurrence on the stand was the arrival - mid press conference - of a large and rather lost pigeon. A small army of car cleaners and polishers was on hand to scrub away any potential droppings.
What were they thinking?Whoever is behind the names of Peugeot's vans needs some remedial attention, we'd say. We're still strangely amused every time we hear about the - otherwise practical and appealingly durable - Bipper and Partner Teepee.
In a nutshell
Roll on Paris, Peugeot's domestic motor show in October 2008. We can expect a tranche of new product this autumn and you get the sense that Peugeot has a lull in its new-product plan this spring.
2/5

By Tim Pollard