PEUGEOT 308 SW

Hatchback has impressed with its dynamism, so can the estate version follow suit?

- MATT SAUNDERS

TESTED 4.5.22, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ON SALE NOW

Peugeot has rediscovered its touch for sweet-handling family cars with the subject of this week's road test (see p34), the new 308 hatchback. However, much of its dynamic success seems to depend on its lightness and relative compactness, with which a heavier powertrain and an extra-practical estate body might seem incompatible.

So is a 308 with a bigger boot and an unfashionable diesel engine still a car with a particular driver appeal? Just as with the previous two 308 generations, the SW gets a longer wheelbase, although this time it's only 55mm longer, which is about half the extra that it used to enjoy.