There's a growing trend in car marketing for models to cheat. SUVs say they can go anywhere but wet themselves on a true wilderness trail. True offroaders claim flexibility but patently aren't, while superminis assert neat niftiness yet have mostly grown to the size of your postcode. Oh and four-door saloons say they are youthful and sporty when their true purpose is to see you out.
Of course, it'd be naive to expect the car "segments" to behave and remain static. And so it is with the new Peugeot 308, a model that has always picked fights with VW's Golf and Ford's Escort/Focus, that the family-hatchback sector is about to have its goalposts gently kicked.
On sale with five-doors from September and with just three from December, this is distinctly a car that, in the same vein as the recently renewed and smaller 207, wants to cut it with bigger machinery. The increased proportions are aspirationally voluminous, almost comically so, though from the driving seat it's hard not to be instantly seduced by the vista. It's got better views than a goldfish could wish for and there's even a scoop of T-junction side view gained by shoving the door mirror into a stand-alone position. And those increments of bodywork - more than two inches in width and a full three bumper to bumper - translate into more space where it was sorely needed - for your lanky teenagers' knees.
Peugeot is aiming at 40,000 UK customers in the first year and presumably these are nuclear family middle Englanders. Nice people, so will they get a nice deal?
While we all want practicality, the hatchback's dirty secret has always been sex. Ever since the Golf carved the niche out, hatchbacks have either been hot, or at least walked the walk. Even Volvo, with the gorgeously understated C30, has recognised this hugely profitable playground, offering a model that divorces practicality and legs it with cool design. And while Vauxhall's Astra has never quite got into the spirit, Ford's Focus has shown that you don't have to spend VW (or sillier still, Audi) money to look good. Best of all, SEAT's Leon trades on VW solidarity but serves it up in a sizzling outfit.
And that's where the 308 stutters. It's as if French makers have had their eye so glued to the quality ball they've forgotten the importance of style. As a result, the 308's bodywork, hampered to some extent by the EU's insistence on better pedestrian safety, is a bit of a missed opportunity. From the heavy jowl and choice of two front grilles, all the way to the broad bottom with choice of two rear ends, the 308 is a hefty and very busy design, as if someone took the template for the far simpler 307 predecessor, force-fed it some steroids and added an extra garnish of fuss - extra side lines, concave surfaces (a pet hate, I concede) and sculpting to the wheel arches.
Inside, I'm glad to report it's a far simpler story and the cabin, particularly when specced in two-tone, maximises on those gains in body measurement. Opt for the SE and GT spec's full glass roof for the full benefit. And with driver's seat height adjustment, reach-rake adjustable steering and the aforementioned visibility, the drive looks promising.
Three diesel engines await. The 2.0 136bhp, from ¯¿½17,245, is the strongest choice though on test I found that it's been tuned for sportiness and that translates into a peaky performance with distinct on-off results in terms of throttle response. Far smoother and more balanced is the 1.6 110 (from ¯¿½15,595), again an HDi design with Peugeot's top-notch particulate filter. This is a more honest match for the car - quiet and competent with bags of go from 0-30mph, where it counts. It also trounces the 2.0's average of 51mpg by breaking the 60mpg barrier with ease. A weaker 90bhp 1.6 (from ¯¿½13,895) will also be available though this has no particulate filter, which ironically helps it limbo under the 120g/km limit and spells likely free passage into London's planned congestion-charge tweaks.
Both smaller cars come fitted with Michelin energy-saving tyres, incidentally - they cut CO2 by 4g a kilometre and reduce rolling resistance by 20%, boosting mpg. And that's despite the fact that the new, safer 308, against old, weighs more than 60 kilos more.
Equipment-wise, to the old model's air con, ABS, six-speaker CD radio, illuminated glovebox, heated door mirrors, fogs and a trip computer we can now add MP3 compatibility for the radio, Bluetooth connection, seven airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control and a speed limiter.
Ah well, such is progress.
Tiscali verdict: 6/10 Latest Peugeot loses hatchback libido
