308 CC: 8,196 miles

If there is one thing our Peugeot 308 CC is good at, it’s turning heads. I grabbed the keys to spend some time with the car during a week’s holiday – and was amazed by how much attention gets.

The maker has a history of producing stunning open-top vehicles, from 1953’s 203 to the Pininfarina-designed 306 cabriolet of 1994. And while our example doesn’t match these cars’ classic beauty, you can’t miss it, with its combination of metallic red paint, 18-inch alloys and chrome detailing.

To really grab attention, you need to fold the roof – when the bulky top is in place, it looks awkward and emphasises the car’s bloated tail. As my week off coincided with some warm early autumn weather, though, it stayed down most of the time.

The folding mechanism is relatively quick and quiet, but you can feel how heavy the top is. We complained in our first report about the lack of luggage space and awkward access to the boot with the roof stowed. Leave the hood up, however, and the Peugeot provides a decent amount of room.

I discovered this for myself when organising a surprise party for my girlfriend. The 465-litre load area hid food, drinks and presents out of sight in the run-up to the big event, and the luggage nets held larger items in place on the move.

A few days later, the CC impressed again on a 100-mile round trip to Banbury, Oxon, in search of the perfect Sunday roast.

The long windscreen ensures refinement is superb with the roof down, so we didn’t even bother to erect the wind deflector behind the front seats.

Temperatures of around 21-22 degrees Celsius meant I was really comfortable. But my girlfriend craved some extra warmth – I was thankful that our top-spec GT features the clever Airwave neck heating system, as well as dual-zone air-con and heated seats.

I used these myself the following weekend during an early morning drive to the HQ of Lotus in Hethel, Norfolk. While the mercury was showing single figures outside, I remained cosy. Plus, the leather seats are comfortable, while the powerful headlights pierced the morning darkness.

But rural roads do the CC no favours. Although its soft suspension smooths out any bumps, body roll is an issue in corners and the steering is uncommunicative, too. The poorly positioned pedals detract from the experience as well. The differences between this and the Elise I drove around the firm’s test track were stark!

But on the way home, the CC was the perfect antidote to the Lotus’s hardcore, spartan cabin.

Our Peugeot’s 1.6-litre turbo delivers 150bhp and a healthy 244Nm of torque. You do have to work it hard, and it sounds strained at high revs, but on the move it’s a relaxed performer.

In a nutshell, that’s the key to the 308 CC. View it as a sporty roadster and it will disappoint. Yet dial back your enthusiasm, and it’s a relaxed, refined cruiser.

In its time with us, the Peugeot has impressed with average economy of 32.7mpg. Our only criticisms have been that the driver’s window rattles when you close the door, and that the bootlid isn’t quite heavy enough to latch shut without a hefty shove. The latter is clearly a design flaw, but the former will need to be looked at when the car is next at the dealer.

Before trying the Peugeot, I wasn’t sure about its image. But there’s more to it than that. It’s about keeping the driver happy, too. And I’m happy to report that it left me smiling.

Extra Info

I borrowed the 308 CC for a weekend, and was amazed by how practical it is.

As Graeme explains, our top-spec GT model has the Airwave heating system, and the trunking required to supply warm air to the neck-level vents means the seatbacks are extra thick.

Yet my two young sons still had lots of room in the rear. Better still, so did I up front!

I agree that having to slam the bootlid shut is a bit irritating, but underneath it is a generous load bay – with the roof in place, at least. So the Peugeot has surprising family car potential..

Darren Wilson
Art director