Desperate times at Peugeot. They've tried cheap and cheerful for a few years with sales that fell way short of their targets, now they're trying to take their models upmarket to compete with the Germans as the Koreans are gobbling up their customers for small/medium cheap/reliable diesels. They have to do something different. They have a huge issue with the perception of quality, a decade's worth of unreliable and unappealing products have really ruined the good work that the 505, 405, 205 did.
So, the 308R, why would anyone buy this over (say) a Golf Gti MK6 ? Where is the flair, the innovation, the sex appeal ? Apart from a half-baked paint scheme this looks like every other blobby box they've churned out over the last decade. But - I really want it to succeed. Not because I have any intention of buying a 308R but because I have the hope that a once great name will somehow, someday, rediscover their flair, engineering ingenuity, and have some appeal again. I want a viable alternative to the obvious choices (Eg; Golf Gti) but for now, the 308R isn't it.
Bon chance, Peugeot.
