Peugeot 308 CC GT HDi 140 Review & Road Test (2010)

Peugeot 308 CC - a good looking car

This week we have the top of the range Peugeot 308 CC – the 308 CC GT HDi 140 – in for review and road test. Fluff or substance?

We as a nation have a very peculiar relationship with convertible cars.

The UK buys more convertibles per capita than almost any nation on earth. Which when you consider the negatives of owning a convertible – any convertible – in a country that not only has a fair chunk of precipitation – whatever the time of year – but loves nothing more than to make fun of the taste of others, you’d need the skin of a rhino – the waterproof skin of a rhino, at that – to be comfortable in your convertible.

The sort of people most of us accept as suiting a convertible is quite limited. No man over 40 should drive a convertible because passing vans and lorries will see there’s more skin atop his head than hair, and that he listens to Radio 2 and sings along to everything. Or is that just me?

Worse still, most of the population equates middle-age and convertibles with a mid-life crisis. Another cross for us downtrodden males to contend with. But never mind, if the car’s good enough we will happily ignore the slings and arrows.

But really, convertibles – especially those like the Peugeot 308 CC, which are more lifestyle statements than anything else – are the domain of the attractive woman. Somehow any good-looking woman looks better in a convertible – any convertible.

Paradoxically, almost any good looking man – yes, even one under 40 – looks like he’s trying a bit too hard, even in something like an Aperta or Grand Sport.

And if you’re not good looking then it’s probably time to do the decent think and buy an SUV, so passing children don’t get frightened – unless they happen to look up as you pass – and your face is out of the firing line of the beauty police.

“…really, convertibles – especially those like the Peugeot 308 CC, which are more lifestyle statements than anything else – are the domain of the attractive woman.”

So with a narrow potential buyer list, it’s quite important that the 308 CC appeals to the good looking ladies of the UK. Fortunately for us we have a couple on staff, so we’ve used their feedback to tell us what we need to know: Is the Peugeot 308 CC a car a good looking woman would buy?

But before we do that, let’s look at what the 308 CC has to offer.

The 308 CC claims to be a proper four-seater convertible. And it is. Just as long as those in the back remembered to leave their legs at home, or they’re children. Then it’s just fine; roomy even.

Front seat passengers get a much better deal. This top-of-the-range 308 CC is delightfully trimmed in vintage red leather with plenty of toys.; toys like the Airwave system which blows warm air down your neck when the weather’s cool, or the climate control for an extra blast of cool air when it’s warm.

And the interior isn’t just a nice place to be for a Peugeot, it’s a nice place to be full stop. It’s classy and ergonomic and refined and appealing in all the ways that matter; a first-class interior with good quality materials.

But it’s all very well having a great looking cabin, but what of how it drives?

The Peugeot 308 CC - a very classy interior

Amazingly, it manages to do without a lot of the shake, rattle and roll you might expect. True, you can find the 308 CC giving a little shimmy when the roof is down and you meet a particularly inhospitable bit of road, but it’s really not at all bad.

And talking of the roof, it’s a work of art. True, it won’t open and shut as you blast up the motorway, but you can be trickling along as the two motors do their stuff in 20 seconds. And with the roof up you would never know you’re in a convertible.

The handling of the 308 CC is – surprise, surprise – rather like the 308. It’s not a sports car, but it does have a decent amount of grip and is a long way from being a wallowy jelly. The steering is a bit lacking in feel, and rather light, but it does go where it’s pointed even if sometimes you wonder exactly where the wheels are.

The diesel engine we’ve got is probably not the pick of the bunch, although it is pretty frugal. But it struggles to row the – rather heavy – 308 CC along in anything remotely resembling a lively fashion. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not a sloth. It would just be nice if there was a little more power to compliment the looks and overcome the inertia the RSJs needed to keep the front and back together have imposed.

But a 0-60mph of 11.1 seconds is something you can live with in a car designed more to look the part than act the sports car. And an overall mpg of 47.8mpg (although we got just over 41mpg) allows you to forgive the slightly lethargic acceleration.

“…the 308 CC is a pretty cool, good-looking and well equipped. It drives perfectly well – although you won’t be winning the traffic light Grand Prix – and it’s an altogether decent package.”

So the 308 CC is a pretty cool, good-looking and well equipped. It drives perfectly well – although you won’t be winning the traffic light Grand Prix – and it’s an altogether decent package. But would a good looking woman buy it?

Astoundingly, because it doesn’t happen all the time, our very own good looking women are in agreement – they’d love the 308 CC as a daily drive.

Claire’s the petrolhead and confesses she’d like the 308 CC to be a little more rewarding on the driving front, but the somewhat lacklustre performance and average feedback were easily outweighed by the looks – inside and out – the equipment – and that trick roof.

Carla loved the 308 CC to bits; in fact we had trouble prising her out. And the praise was much the same as the rest of us – the 308 feels like a quality car, the cabin is a really nice place to be and she thought it looked good outside as well as inside.

We wouldn’t dare argue with these two, but there’s no reason to – we agree. The 308 CC has its faults, but it does what it sets out to do very well. If you go in with your eyes open – knowing this is a car to make a lifestyle statement – you really won’t be disappointed.

Just steer clear if you’re a man over 40.