Peugeot 308

If not exactly a step back, the Peugeot 308 seems like a hop sideways when the competition is striding forward. Rivals are no longer German and Japanese, they’re Korean. And doing rather better.

• Comfort

  Despite being a bit boggy in the bends, the 308 is actually on the firm side, meaning that bad road surfaces transmit a lot of grief into the cabin. It fairs well on smooth, high-speed stuff, but it's no driver's car.

  

• Performance

  The default choice with non-sporty Peugeots is one of the brand's undeniably solid diesel engines. The fairly bulky 308 wants the 2.0-litre HDi, a lump that's both torquey enough to feel quite quick, but smooth and refined enough to be easy to live with.

  

• Cool

  For the simple reason that the 308 is a poor choice amongst today's increasingly accomplished C-segment hatches, it's a very long way from being cool. A Golf maybe, a Kia C'eed more so. This? No chance.

  

• Quality

  The 307 which this car replaces had a terrible reputation for quality and reliability, and while the 308 does appear to have redressed much of this in terms of hands-on cabin quality, there's still room for scepticism. Watch and wait...

  

• Handling

  The 308 is a big thing with cumbersome overhangs. It feels wallowy in the corners and lacks the sort of steering feel we've all come to associate with French hatchbacks. It's not a terrible drive by any means, but just not staying abreast of the competition.

  

• Practicality

  It's a bigger car than the 307 it replaces, but the 308 isn't brilliantly packaged. Despite that tall roofline space in the rear is average at best, and the boot isn't particularly big either.

  

• Running costs

  Decent economy and low tax is guaranteed if you plump for a diesel, but residuals will be poor. The 308 is no cheaper than its superior mainstream rivals, but will probably fair rather worse over time.