Peugeot 308 goes extreme-economy
August 21, 2008
Guess which car company has the lowest average CO2 output across its range. Honda, right? They're always banging on about being top of the automotive eco-tree. Wrong. Suzuki? After all, they seem to sell nothing but tiny little hatchbacks. But no, it's not them either.
It's Peugeot. With an average CO2 output of 170.5g/km across its Kiwi model range for 2007, it's the cleanest car brand in the country and already meets the Government's proposed emissions limit (you know, the one that's causing most of the motor industry so much grief).
How'd they do it? With a lot of highly efficient diesel engines, mainly - the French maker's sales are over half diesel in New Zealand.
Peugeot is aiming to bring its lean credentials to the fore with a cleaner-than-clean version of the 308 hatchback, called the AT-e. It has a 1.6-litre diesel (HDi in Peugeot-speak) engine, an easy-to-drive two-pedal transmission and low rolling resistance Michelin Energy Saver tyres.
The $37,990 AT-e is no slouch, with an 80kW/260Nm engine and 0-100km/h in 11.3 seconds. But it still manages 4.5 litres per 100km in the European Combined economy cycle. Spend $1000 less and you can have the car on standard tyres (it's called simply AT) and it still does 4.7 l/100km.
So on paper at least, the AT compares well with the likes of the 308 HDi 2.0-litre, which in automatic form costs $41,990, manages 0-100km/h in 10.3 seconds but consumes 6.8l/100km (which is still very clean, by the way).
So you should be rushing to buy an AT (expected to account for 20 percent of 308 sales here) and make a green statement? Yes and no. It does perform well (the 1.6-litre HDi is the same as that fitted to other HDi models) and it has the 308's worthy qualities like a competent chassis and smart cabin.
But there's something you should know. Despite the name and the fact that it only has two pedals, the AT does not have an automatic gearbox. In pursuit of the ultimate in fuel efficiency, it has a manual gearbox but with a robotised clutch system, which is claimed to be even more thrifty than a conventional three-pedal manual.
And while I don't doubt it will be sold as an automatic, you can't really drive it like one. Well, technically you can, since it has a fully automatic setting. But it lurches and groans a little during gearchanges, so to smooth things out you have to treat it like any other automated-manual and feather the throttle between ratios, to emulate a conventional cog-change. And if you have to do that, you might as well just put it in manual mode and use the steering column-mounted paddles to take full control of the powertrain.
Which I rather enjoyed doing on our preview drive. The AT-e is a neat little car that requires a little learning, but will reward you with driver involvement and extreme economy. But I wonder whether some people who buy it as an "AT auto" might be a bit disappointed that about having to put in a bit of extra work.
It's Peugeot. With an average CO2 output of 170.5g/km across its Kiwi model range for 2007, it's the cleanest car brand in the country and already meets the Government's proposed emissions limit (you know, the one that's causing most of the motor industry so much grief).
How'd they do it? With a lot of highly efficient diesel engines, mainly - the French maker's sales are over half diesel in New Zealand.
Peugeot is aiming to bring its lean credentials to the fore with a cleaner-than-clean version of the 308 hatchback, called the AT-e. It has a 1.6-litre diesel (HDi in Peugeot-speak) engine, an easy-to-drive two-pedal transmission and low rolling resistance Michelin Energy Saver tyres.
The $37,990 AT-e is no slouch, with an 80kW/260Nm engine and 0-100km/h in 11.3 seconds. But it still manages 4.5 litres per 100km in the European Combined economy cycle. Spend $1000 less and you can have the car on standard tyres (it's called simply AT) and it still does 4.7 l/100km.
So on paper at least, the AT compares well with the likes of the 308 HDi 2.0-litre, which in automatic form costs $41,990, manages 0-100km/h in 10.3 seconds but consumes 6.8l/100km (which is still very clean, by the way).
So you should be rushing to buy an AT (expected to account for 20 percent of 308 sales here) and make a green statement? Yes and no. It does perform well (the 1.6-litre HDi is the same as that fitted to other HDi models) and it has the 308's worthy qualities like a competent chassis and smart cabin.
But there's something you should know. Despite the name and the fact that it only has two pedals, the AT does not have an automatic gearbox. In pursuit of the ultimate in fuel efficiency, it has a manual gearbox but with a robotised clutch system, which is claimed to be even more thrifty than a conventional three-pedal manual.
And while I don't doubt it will be sold as an automatic, you can't really drive it like one. Well, technically you can, since it has a fully automatic setting. But it lurches and groans a little during gearchanges, so to smooth things out you have to treat it like any other automated-manual and feather the throttle between ratios, to emulate a conventional cog-change. And if you have to do that, you might as well just put it in manual mode and use the steering column-mounted paddles to take full control of the powertrain.
Which I rather enjoyed doing on our preview drive. The AT-e is a neat little car that requires a little learning, but will reward you with driver involvement and extreme economy. But I wonder whether some people who buy it as an "AT auto" might be a bit disappointed that about having to put in a bit of extra work.
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