But maybe the answer is even simpler. A performance car brings a smile to your face when you’re attacking corners down a windy road or enjoying the rush of speed it gives while powering down a long straight. It may not be the fastest car around, but if the performance of the car can give you that certain high, I would assume that the car does fulfill the performance car criteria in a certain sort of way.

This brings me to the Peugeot 308 1.6 THP Turbo Automatic I drove recently. It has almost the same ingredients as a Golf GTI with the exception that it has a smaller engine. Something like a Golf GT with its smaller engine but with the uprated suspension. The 308 has the badging – ‘turbo’ on its rear, large alloys, a stiff suspension and a curvy bulbous body. It looks its part, but is it a performance car OR a car that can give you that smile on your face because of its performance?

In order to answer that question, we start with dull bits first. The 308 has got pedestrian safety covered with the long overhang up front as well as a bulbous JLo styled butt. Some argue that the 308 is over styled and I have to agree with it. It is a 307 that had been elongated up front and at the rear. It does look pretty cutting edge, but I do feel that it is slightly over styled because of certain things like that ridiculous overhang upfront. It finishes its looks by sporting 225/45/17 sized tires on 17 inch five spoke rims that bring out the sporty pretensions of this Pug even more.

The 308 1.6 THP has the usualy slew of features like ABS, EBD, a 5 star NCAP rating and the clean Euro 4 -5 engine covered as the engine is a collaboration between PSA and BMW. So it is economical, reliable and powerful. But all the safety features stated above as well as modern day soundproofing has made this purportedly sporty hatchback into something disappointing. As for those who think that a hatchback with a turbo can make anything into a ‘performance car’ or a hot hatch, think again. This 308 made 140bhp, 240Nm of torque made from a turbocharged 1.6 that is also used in the smaller 207GT and the current BMW Mini.

The power delivery of this engine is pretty good as you can find that the engine picks up steam at an early 1800rpm in the 308. While it feels strong even with the archaic four speed automatic (with manual tiptronic + and – function) transmission that the car had. The torque the turbocharged engine makes fills up the gaps in the gearing that a four speed autobox usually has. It takes a pedestrian 9.2 seconds to reach 100km/h but this does not reflect on the somewhat ample mid-range performance that the 308 has when you shift down a gear manually either to overtake or to pull yourself out of a bend. I practically used the car in manual mode throughout the duration of the time I drove the 308. I prefer the control it gives.

However, if you compared the acceleration with the BMW Mini, which shares the same engine, this engine makes the Mini reach 60 at least two seconds sooner than the 308. Two seconds could be a lifetime to some single-celled organisms. This is because the Mini weighs nearly 200kgs less than the 308. Therefore the 308 is a warm hatch because of the weight.

Now the other thing that the extra weight does is affect handling. The torquey engine cannot mask all of the problems brought up by the weight. The 308 feels heavy handed when taking corners at higher than usual speeds. Take a tight corner at around 90km/h it will show understeer quite early into a corner. You can tell that it is somewhat porky when you’re wrestling with the steering wheel mid corner. Its like a boxer with some flab around his waist, jumping up and down, trying to jab and punch but its responses are slightly out of sync with his real intentions.

Another thing wrong with the 308 is that even with its slightly firm ride it is not able to handle mid corner bumps and undulations well. A mid-corner bump taken in this car would make the car feel unsettled where you have to adjust and make extra corrections with the steering. The steering feel on this Pug is only average and when you add all the extra work you have to do trying to wrestle it all into shape it adds up to something less fulfilling to do.

Furthermore, the car rides on the firm side for a 5 door hatch. Cars that ride as firm as the 308 should be able to handle well. But give the 308 a road with more than one pothole, rut, or bump and it’ll bounce and lurch uncontrollably like the French Army admitting defeat right after being Blitzkrieged by the Germans. The dampers seem to have decent bounce and truly rubbish rebound settings.

I have to also add the fact that Peugeot has lost its touch to make cars ride comfortably as well as handle. It s ride is nothing like the 405s or 406s people I knew had. The 308 does not have the magic carpet ride like Peugeots of old. It is not sports car firm but it isn’t all that comfortable too.

The thing is, this was the 2010 version of the 308 and this car has been around since end-2007 in most markets. Peugeot have not changed any aspect of the handling to this date as I remember reading about this flawed handling characteristic in magazines before.

I think if you drive it as a means of transport the 308 is fine, but asking this car to be a performance car is asking too much from it even though it has a good engine and nice fat tires on 17 inch alloys that look its part. This is a French hot hatch that basically ate too much Hors D’oeuvers, lots of Foie Gras, croissants, and then washed it all down with lots of Chardonnay thereby turning something hot into something warm. Writing this has suddenly made me hungry.

Disclaimer: This test vehicle was provided to CarThrottle by the manufacturer for purposes of evaluation

Peugeot 308 1.6THP Picture Gallery

Peugeot 308 1.6THP Specifications

Base Price: £18,000 (approx)– 308 THP 1.6 150bhp 6sp manual (THP auto may not be available in the UK but is very available in Malaysia)

Body: 5-door Hatch
Mechanical Orientation: Front Wheel Drive

Engine: 4 cylinder 1.6 Turbocharged
Power: 140 bhp (down 10bhp from the manual)
Torque: 240 Nm
Transmission: 4 Speed Automatic Transmission (with + and – “manual” function)

Weight: 1440 kg
Wheelbase: 2610 mm
Length: 4276 mm
Width: 1821 mm
0-62 mph: 9.2 seconds
Top Speed: 203 km/h

For: Looks, high speed refinement, decent interior
Against: Looks, weight, weight, handling, weight
Conclusion: A warm porky hatch

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3. Geneva 2010: 5 by Peugeot

The car has an eye-catching design that is hunkered down and sleek – one of the cars we wish was sold in the United States. The RCZ remained surprisingly true to the concept that came before it in 2008.

We love the double-bubble roof and the unique proportions. If you do too, check out some of the new pictures of the car released by Peugeot.

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Could the company be moving away from that with its latest new vehicles? It certainly seems so.

The last concept by Peugeot, the SR1 showed a far more sedate, and dare we say a bit bland new Peugeot styling language. The 5 by Peugeot continues that. Peugeot still has to show its different side in the name though – 5 by Peugeot?

You can bet that won’t be sticking around for the production model. This concept looks to be a pretty close preview to the production model replacement for the 508.

The car looks upscale, clean and good looking, particularly from certain angles, but doesn’t seem to bring anything new to the table.

It is also a bit bland from a brand that has traditionally been anything but. Considering that this is the concept model, that can’t bode well for what is likely to be an even more tame production car.

The detail we like is the taillights out back – they have a unique design and layout, with two elongated sections and three central pieces connecting them.

Like most concepts lately, the car is a hybrid. In this case the primary engine is a 163 horsepower 2.0-liter HDi FAP diesel engine along with a 37-horsepower electric unit.

Peugeot calls the system Hybrid4 (for all-wheel drive) and says that the system will have the ability for an electric-only range. It likely will be a small figure, but it is good to see the availability of running on electric-only power spreading to more hybrid systems.

We’ll have to wait to see more official images and details to be able to judge completely. In the meantime, what do you think? Is this the direction Peugeot should be going in?

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The Lion emblem was first conceived in 1847 by Julien Blazer, a jeweler and engraver, when he was asked by Jules and Emile Peugeot, founder of Peugeot Frères, to produce a logo for identifying all Peugeot products. The Peugeot lion could be found on such diverse products as saw blades, coffee grinders in 1881, bicycles in 1882 and, from 1898, on motorcycles. In 1906 that the emblem first appeared on a production car.

But all this started 200 years ago and to commemorate the anniversary of a French concern that went from being cereal mill into a steel foundry and eventually, to a motorcycle and automobile manufacturer Peugeot announced a new look for its cars – such as the upcoming SR1 Concept that will be debuted at the Geneva Show – and a new reading of its well known Lion emblem.

Now appearing much more three dimensional, the updated Lion looks more forceful and sinuous. It will make its official unveiling on the upcoming Peugeot RCZ sports coupe that will be launched in the spring of 2010, and will be seen across the entire range after that.

There are worse emblems to choose than a lion, that’s for sure. I remember reading back during the Group B era of the World Rally Championship that Peugeot went with the hollow lion logo, the one that was just an outline, because it would allow more airflow into the engine compartment, giving both better cooling and more air into the intake. Yeah, probably apocryphal, but it also shows you the lengths these guys will go to, to get just a little bit more.

Source: CarScoop

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First things first: while the RCZ is a striking 2+2 coupe, underneath it’s really mostly a Peugeot 308, which is the French firm’s bread-and-butter Golf competitor.  Which makes sense, considering the Audi TT is a Golf underneath.  The production version of the RCZ stays faithful to the gorgeous concept car which debuted in late 2008.  That means that the Zagato-style double-bubble roof is still there, the shapely haunches are still there, and it still looks like a concept car with tags on it.

I especially like the up-sweeping belt line past the door shut line; it prevents the RCZ from looking like a current Mitsubishi Eclipse (urgh) from the side.  There are little hints of everything here and there: taillights that look cribbed from the Cayman, offset twin exhaust pipes that are vaguely Mini-esque…  and while that might all sound a bit derivative, I think the end result is absolutely stunning.

Like I mentioned earlier, the RCZ is based on the 308′s architecture, but it’s not exactly the same.  Static ride height is about 20mm lower, the center of gravity is 40mm lower, and the front and rear track widths are wider by 54mm and 72mm, respectively.  This means that compared to the 308, the RCZ should feel more planted and nimble in the corners, which is what you’d expect of a sports coupe.  It retains the 308′s MacPherson strut front suspension setup, and a torsion beam with an anti-roll bar in the rear.

The RCZ’s are going to initially be produced by Magna Steyr in Austria, who specialized in producing low-volume cars for large automakers – economies of scale and all that.

At launch, the RCZ will be available with a choice of three engines – two gas and one diesel.  The most powerful is the 1.6 “THP” motor, which is shared in part with the Mini Cooper S.  It’s a modern twin-cam 16v motor with direct injection, a twin-scroll turbocharger, and a standard 6-speed manual transmission.  Power output is a healthy 200bhp@5,000rpm, with a torque output of 188lb-ft at a super-low 1,700 rpm.  Additionally, this engine permits “overboost” under certain conditions, which bumps torque output up to 203lb-ft for brief periods of time.

These are especially impressive numbers for a 1.6L gas engine,  considering it meets or exceeds the stringent Euro 5 emissions standards.  Performance is not bad: 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds, but more impressive is the in-gear passing power.  Peugeot quotes an 80-120km/h time of 6.5 seconds in fifth gear. From 1.6L!  Fuel economy with the 200bhp unit will be somewhere near 33 US MPG combined, with low emissions to boot – 165g/km.

The base gas engine is another variation of the 1.6L I4, still DI and turbocharged, with 156bhp@5,800 rpm and 177lb-ft of torque@1,400 rpm.  Fuel mileage is remarkably similar to the higher-output gas engine, at 34.1 US MPG, but this engine is available with manual and automatic transmissions.

Finally, there’s a 2.0L diesel available, and honestly it sounds to me like the one to go for.  Power output is slightly higher than the base gas engine – 163bhp@3,750rpm – but it torques out 251lb-ft at only 2,000rpm.  Only available with a six-speed manual, the 2.0L diesel returns impressive economy – 43.6 US MPG combined sounds pretty good to me.

Electronic and safety goodies include standard four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with ABS and defeatable ESP, as well as Hill Assist, which helps people who aren’t very good with manual transmissions get started easier on an incline.  Hmm.

The build process of the RCZ allows for a large degree of customization.  You can pick from a multitude of 18 or 19″ wheels (why does everyone like to put huge wheels on small cars?  It doesn’t help!), a carbon-fibre roof(!) is available, and like the old Saturn Ion, you can pick different colors for the roof “arches” to suit your tastes.  There are also black-lacquered front body panels, available carbon fiber mirror covers, and who knows what else.

It’s pretty practical, for a swoopy coupe.  Although Peugeot admits the rear seats are for “occasional” use, they are sculpted and can apparently accommodate adults – although it looks like a lack of a head is a prerequisite for sitting in the back.  With the seats folded flat, the RCZ is pretty capacious: 384L is a lot of space for your junk.

The rest of the interior is pretty much standard 308 fare, but constructed using classier materials – hand stitched leather, etc.  Honestly, it’s not bad looking at all.

The RCZ is set to go on sale in Europe during the spring of 2010, and I think that it’ll prove to be a home run for the French brand.  In dark times like these, we need sexy cars with turbocharged engines – but we also need them to be reasonably priced, efficient, and useful.  It sounds like the RCZ checks all these boxes, as well as the “Why don’t we get this in the USA?” box.  The RCZ’s official debut is set for the Frankfurt show this fall, so keep your eyes peeled.

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It seems as if Peugeot intends for the 308 RC-Z to go against the Audi TT, and I think the car will do well in that regard. Hopefully it won’t cost as much as the TT though. The 308 RC-Z is based on the standard Peugeot 308, but the TT has been Golf-based so what’s the difference?

While there have been more traditional teasers of the 308 RC-Z, some of these new ones are not what you’d expect from the usual PR shots. These ones show the car out in a well-lit setting and it’s a welcome change from the usual. Looking forward to the RC-Z?  You’ll have to wait until- you guessed it – the Frankfurt Auto Show!

The dramatic-looking 308 Coupe certainly takes some of it’s styling inspiration from the Audi TT – but if you’re going to copy a design, starting with a good one is… a good start!  It’s not quite so exciting underneath, though: the RC Z is basically a regular 308 underneath.  It’s rumored that the track has been widened and there have been detail changes like a reworked steering rack and larger brakes to give the RC Z a more nimble feel compared to the regular 308.

The RC Z will apparently be powered by a large variety of engines, both gas and diesel, with the top offering being the JCW version of the Mini Cooper S’s 1.6L inline four.  A very high-tech powerplant, this little four features direct injection, a twin-scroll turbocharger with an intercooler, and other goodies to squirt out 218bhp – which should make for a rather rapid Peugeot.  Other options will include the regular 172bhp 1.6L Turbo, as well as a range of turbodiesels and small naturally aspirated gas engines.

The RC Z will have quite the alluring interior, at least if the concept is anything to go by.  This will be a rather appealing product for European consumers, with an estimated base price under £20,000.

Expect to see some better pictures of the RC Z as we approach the Frankfurt show this fall, where the coupe is rumored to make it’s official debut.

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