Peugeot 308 upgraded with new family face and fresh engines for 2017
Mid-life upgrade brings Le Mans-inspired tech plus a mild facelift
The Peugeot 308 has been on sale for four years now in its current form, so it's time for Peugeot to give it a mid-life facelift. A light styling upgrade is on the cards, but more importantly is a set of new and upgraded engines, which should give the family hatchback a new lease of life to go along with its fresher face.
Up front, the 308 has been blessed with the latest version of Peugeot's corporate grille, which is slightly more upright and features chrome strakes to break up the black centre portion. It sits above a reprofiled front bumper, while head and tail-lights have been redesigned to give the 308 a new lighting signature. The changes align the 308 more closely with recent Peugeot models.
Efficiency upgrades to the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine include the utilisation of a new passive-regeneration particulate filter. The use of particulate filters in petrol-powered cars is still fairly uncommon, but expect this technology to spread into the mainstream over the next few years - especially with increasing public awareness of vehicle emissions.
>Click here to read our review of the Peugeot 308 GTi
An all-new 128bhp 1.6-litre diesel will also be rolled out, with a patented combustion chamber design that has been developed from Peugeot’s Le Mans racing cars of a few years ago. Changes to the more powerful 2.0-litre unit in the GT model are limited to a new Aisin 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Inside, changes have been less substantial, and the 308 does without the i-Cockpit 2.0 system seen in the new 3008. It does receive an upgraded infotainment system, though, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring as standard. Peugeot has not released images of the interior or the rear of the car, but we suspect 3008 inspired trim updates to also go alongside the infotainment upgrades.
These changes will be available across the range, including the hot 266bhp GTi, from September. The 308 has hot competition in the family hatchback sector, with Volkswagen's recently facelifted Golf, the Vauxhall Astra and the aging but excellent Ford Focus to name but a few.
