PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

If experience counts for anything, Peugeot's long track record with coupe-convertibles should make its latest 308 CC a winner. Jonathan Crouch decides.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

Peugeot's expertise in creating folding hard-top cars is well documented and this improved 308CC is another impressive effort from the French marque in this sector. With neat styling and some clever interior touches, it looks a strong package.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

So successful was the Peugeot 206 CC, the car that kick-started the modern trend for folding metal canopies on affordable mainstream models back in 2001, that it spawned a whole series of rivals. Keen to keep market leadership, Peugeot not only brought us the 207CC in 2007 to keep its control over the affordable supermini-based end of the class but also tried its hand at the CC folding metal roof concept in the market sector where most like-minded cars reside, that of larger Focus-sized family hatchbacks. First up was the 307CC, launched in 2003, but 2009 saw the French brand produce a much more polished product in its replacement, this 308CC.

At launch, this car didn't have too much to beat. Class entrants from Ford, Renault and Vauxhall were long in the tooth and Volkswagen's desirable Eos was significantly more expensive. But by 2011, things were a little different. There was by now an all-new Megane CC with a clever glass folding roof on the market, along with an improved and more affordable Volkswagen Eos. And there were signs of a drift back to the kind of fabric-roofed convertible that this Peugeot's £20,000-£25,000 budget could buy you, with cars like Cabrio versions of the VW Golf, the BMW 1 Series and the Audi A3. The result was a need for this 308CC to up its game with sleeker looks, lower running costs and more equipment. All of which are apparently delivered by the revised model we're looking at here.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

Good news. You get the improved, pokier and more efficient powerplant line-up introduced in the revised 308 hatchback, a car updated at about the same time as this one. The 'pokier' part of that equation is important. This convertible does, after all, have another 170 kilos over the weight of a 308 hatchback to drag about, courtesy of the 308CC's extra body stiffening. So, although the more powerfully-engined models have a fair turn of straightline speed, 'sporty', in any meaningful sense, is off the agenda.

Some will take you a long way between fill-ups, though. The e-HDi variant with a whole range of efficiency measures, for instance, could see you regularly returning over 60mpg. And the modestly powerful (120bhp)1.6 VTi unit still kicks off the petrol range. If performance is a higher priority, the 1.6 petrol THP turbo dips just under the ten seconds barrier in the 0-62mph sprint, even if you saddle it with a 6-speed auto 'box. If that's not quick enough, the same engine has also been tuned to produce 200bhp and fire you from rest to 62mph in just 8.3s. Even diesel power can be reasonably fleet of foot these days, the top 163bhp 2.0 HDi variant that I'm driving here capable of rest to 62mph in 8.9s on the way to 130mph.

The roof goes from latched to open in just 20 seconds and operates at speeds of up to 7mph. Roof down at higher speeds, you get the benefit of a low-set driving position. Front seat passengers are really well protected from buffeting but those at the back fare less well. Take to a bumpier road with the top open and nastier potholes send shudders through the chassis: convertible compromises in chassis rigidity have to tell somewhere.

So you won't be throwing this around too many country roads, but then few potential buyers will be wanting to do that anyway. Being over four and a half metres long, two metres wide and with over 1600kgs in kerb weight, this Peugeot will never be Mazda MX-5-style chuckable through the twisties, but by its class standards, body roll is well controlled and there's decent cornering grip. On normal surfaces, the ride's pretty good too, creating in this car a comfortable companion, properly engineered for its relaxing role in life.

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PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

Given that they've been restricted by the need to use the same two-piece metal folding roof mechanism that was used on the old 307CC, the designers have done a pretty smart job with this car. Volkswagen uses a far more complex five-piece roof on their rival Eos model to create a result that offers far less boot space and is arguably no prettier. Certainly not now that this 308CC has been visually tweaked with a smarter front end that features more elegant lights, a satin chrome-trimmed grille and distinctive claw-like LED daytime running lamps.

The French designers have put considerable thought into the way the 308 CC will be used and its four-seater claims are highlighted by electrical tilt and slide system designed into the height adjustable front seats to facilitate a more elegant entry into the back. Overall though, this can be viewed as an adult four-seater only over relatively short journeys. For two though, roof-down, it's a lovely way to travel. Buffeting is minimal and the 'Airwave' system that on plusher models, via vents below the headrests, dispenses warm air like a scarf around your neck, encouraging you to get the top down on cold mornings.

At the wheel, Peugeot's designers have tried hard to make the cabin feel special and distinct from that of the hatchback model upon which it's based. The seats look and feel comfortable with their integral head restraints and low-slung positioning. The silver-back instrument dials feel up-market and sporty. And if you specify the optional leather-trimmed fascia panel, then the cabin begins to take on a very premium feel indeed.

And the boot? Well, it's comparable in size to the best in this sector but that's not saying too much. In coupe 'roof-up' configuration, its volume is 465 litres, but that of course drops dramatically to 266 litres with the roof folded.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

List pricing for this improved 308CC suggests that you'll pay between £21,500 and £28,000, which sounds quite a lot until you look at the two most obvious family hatchback-based cabriolet alternatives with metal folding tops, Renault's Megane CC and Volkswagen's Eos. The Volkswagen is clearly pricier, between £1,000 and £2,000 more model-for-model, depending on the variant you're looking at. The Renault though, is almost identically pitched against this 308. Petrol people will find that an entry-level 308CC 1.6 VTi 120bhp will cost almost exactly the same as an equivalent Megane CC 1.4 TCe 130bhp, though if you want just a little more power than that, the Peugeot is the more affordable buy..

Whichever 308CC model you choose - normally aspirated or turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol or an HDi diesel of either 1.6 or 2.0-litres in size - you should find your car to be decently equipped. All models get alloy wheels, air conditioning, Bluetooth 'phone compatibility and a leather-trimmed steering wheel on which are controls for the decent quality MP3 compatible CD stereo.

There's plenty of standard safety provision though. Should you turn the car over roof-down, the roll-over protection bars are automatically triggered in less than 20 milliseconds at which point front, side and curtain airbags will deploy. These are all cleverly incorporated into the front seat, so cushion you quicker. Stability control and ABS brakes are included along with isofix child seat fastenings. As you'd expect for this kind of money.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

If you want your open air thrills with a heavy dose of sensibility, then the 308CC variant that'll interest you most is the 1.6-litre e-HDi model. Here, after all, is a car capable of up to 60.1mpg on the combined cycle while emitting as little as 123g/km of CO2 - assuming you've fitted energy-saving tyres. These are the sort of figures we'd have seen on a citycar until just a few years ago and they've been achieved thanks to energy saving tyres and a clever 'STOP & START' system that cuts the engine when you don't need it, waiting at a crossing or at the lights or when stuck in traffic.

Elsewhere in the 308CC line-up, you'll find that even the pokier 2.0-litre HDi 163bhp diesel I'm driving here is capable of nearly 50mpg on the combined cycle and 149g/km of CO2, while the 1.6-littre petrol variants aren't that far behind. All manage somewhere close to 40mpg on the combined cycle and between 155 and 162g/km of CO2. Especially in the case of the 149mph 1.6 THP 200 flagship variant, that's a very good showing indeed. What else? Well, residuals won't be as strong as those of Volkswagen but are bettering the 39% of original list price after 3 years/36,000 miles that the old 307CC was able to achieve. Insurance groupings range between 16 and 30.

PEUGEOT 308 DIESEL COUPE CABRIOLET 1.6 HDI SPORT 2DR

The folding hard-top convertible formula may not be quite as popular as it once was but with this revised 308CC, Peugeot is showing just how effectively the concept can be mastered. There will always be compromises in style and weight to go with the obvious advantages of having a metal roof that you can stow away at the flick of a switch. Even so, with this improved model, Peugeot has minimised these drawbacks even further with some well judged aesthetic tweaks and a range of more efficient engines.

Here then, is the high standard that all other affordable convertibles must aspire to in the family-hatchback-based £20,000-£25,000 sector. It's a market that's all about image and desirability. Just as well then that this car, arguably the most impressive in Peugeot's long line of hard-top drop-tops, appears to have a decent helping of both.