REVIEW: Peugeot 308 Turbo – 6-speed Auto Makes Us Grin! (RM118,888 OTR)

The Peugeot 308 Turbo is back with a new improvement to its attitude, and that improvement is the inclusion of a 6-speed automatic transmission that thankfully brings about a marked improvement in terms of fuel economy and has also managed to slap us silly with greater driver engagement.

When Naza introduced the Peugeot 308 Turbo to the Malaysian market, it got snapped up as fast as a “rotiboy” fresh from the oven. Undoubtedly, the initial 308 Turbo had a small nick in its paint job and that was its 4-speed Porsche gearbox. But it still remains the most affordable continental 4-banger turbo hatch on the market.

At current, the 308 Turbo has managed to ‘touch up its paint work’, so to speak, which now includes a 6-speed automatic transmission for this hot selling 308 Turbo hatch. It thankfully brings with it a marked improvement in terms of fuel economy from the get go and is still more than capable of slapping you silly with greater driving engagement.

The Prince engine’s power rating gets a 16bhp bump upwards to 156bhp but torque still remains at 240Nm, which will whisk you right past 200kmh in relative comfort. The bump up on power also comes with a RM5,000 bump up on price from the earlier 308 Turbo, and arrives you at RM118,888 On The Road price.

Our first experience with the 308 Turbo came with an Aisin AL4, 4-speed auto transmission (with Tiptronic System Porsche), and whilst it did the job, it felt relatively clunky especially on a slow uphill crawl. Instead, a new provision has been made which replaces the AL4 gearbox with the AT6 (with Tiptronic System Porsche) also from Aisin with a tolerance of 300Nm of torque.

As for the previous 308 Turbo, we late found out that its fuel consumption was relatively high for the first 10,000km, which yielded around 350kilometres per RON95 tank, but thankfully beyond that mileage, you should be arriving at a petrol station after amassing around 500 kilometres for every 65 litre tank (roughly RM95 based on RON95′s RM1.90/litre).

We felt that the 156bhp 308 Turbo is now able to provide new owners with the latter sort of mileage per tank upon delivery, instead of having to wait till you’ve done such an obese amount of mileage, and after having lived with it for two weeks, we found the mileage to be rather consistent having done a mix of urban and extra urban runs. The mileage per tank increases if you find yourself cruising along highways most of the time, so don’t be gob-smacked when your eyes come across the trip counter passing the 600km mark.

From the exterior, you’d find that there is little to distinguish the new from the old, but for a pair of trapezoidal bling on the lower section of the Pug’s “derrier”, which arguably adds a little more ‘character’ to its already bland styling.

If you’re familiar with the older 308 Turbo, then you’ll find its cabin to be very much similar, with seating comfort a welcome delight, but your nose will notice something amiss. In fact, the aroma therapeutic package that was found in the middle air conditioning vent on the dash board is missing, which would usually have you smelling wonderfully the same as your cabin after a short journey, allowing you to save on some of your expensive EDT. Love it or hate it, you decide.

The 156bhp 308 Turbo that was provided to us also came with a heavily tinted panoramic roof, which adds a tad more sky light effect into the cabin, not that the already elongated front windscreen didn’t, but the cabin does light up nonetheless.

However, it does provide you with a tickle of warmth above your head thanks to the roof.

Whilst still in the cabin, you’d also notice a rather small circular-looking vent, just rear-ward of the forward cabin lights. Its no proximity sensor or air ioniser of that sort, in fact its a microphone that happens to be hooked up to the car’s bluetooth enabled headunit.

So once you’ve successfully paired your handphone to the headunit via bluetooth, you’ll be able to talk to people who aren’t in the car and garner a few curious onlookers while you’re stuck in a jam, having a boisterous conversation.

We found that power delivery via the Aisin AT6 gearbox to be one of pleasant surprises because the power band has been shifted further towards the shallow end of the rev, with power being felt somewhere just below 2,000rpm, making its abruptness seem more uniformly leaned throughout the rev counter. Thankfully, the Pug’s handling characteristics hasn’t gone anywhere, and still feels every bit planted as before with a touch of roll. At non tyre-blistering speeds, the Pug’s suspension does feel a little firmer than usual, but its really when you’re cruising below Mach 1 on the highway that you realize how you should appreciate its comfort levels as you waft over uneven surfaces.

So even if you do get some change for your RM120,000 there really isn’t anything else out there that makes you run out of breath when others ask what sort of amenities come with this particular 308 Turbo Pug. All you have to do is squeeze in the same amount of air as a cetacean can hold into your own lungs and hope you don’t turn blue when mentioning: A panoramic glass roof, automatic dual-zone air-conditioning, electric folding side-mirrors, “follow-me-home” lights, daytime running lights, automated headlights, and automated wipers, six airbags, ABS, electronic brake distribution, emergency brake assist, electronic stability program, traction control, dynamic stability control, a rolling code transponder immobilizer security system and two ISOFIX points for child seat installation. Now breathe.

Since the 308 Turbo comes with such a long and distinguished list of goodies, we can’t begin to imagine if the upcoming 2012 308 Turbo could be offered at a similar price point as well. In fact we’d be surprised if it were anywhere near it. But in any case, here’s a teaser below.