Peugeot 308 review: a sharply styled hatchback with a shrinking following in Bahrain
3.2/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The 308 is a genuinely good car being asked to survive in a segment Bahrain has largely stopped shopping in. The 1.6-litre turbo is smooth and the chassis is the most engaging in its class, but compact hatchbacks are a shrinking share of the market here and Peugeot's own 2008 crossover undercuts it on practicality for similar money. Buy it if you specifically want a hatchback and rate the way it drives above rear space and resale certainty.
Pros
- Sharpest-handling compact hatchback in its price bracket
- Smooth 1.6-litre turbo four with a well-matched automatic
- Interior finish and digital cockpit feel above its price
- Distinctive styling in a market full of crossovers
Cons
- Loses ground on practicality to Peugeot's own 2008 crossover
- Sloping roofline limits rear headroom for taller passengers
- Compact hatchbacks are a shrinking segment in Bahrain, hurting resale
- Small steering wheel driving position needs a test drive first
The third-generation 308 is the sharpest-handling car Peugeot sells in Bahrain outside the sports-badged models. Body control over the expansion joints on the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway is tighter than in the 2008 crossover built on related underpinnings, and the steering has more feel than anything else in the compact hatchback class at this price.
The 1.6-litre turbo four is a smoother, more conventional unit than the three-cylinder engines Peugeot fits lower down the range, and the six-speed automatic is calibrated to keep it in its comfortable mid-range rather than chasing revs.
The practicality problem
The honest issue is not the car, it is the segment. Bahraini buyers have moved to crossovers in large numbers, and Peugeot's own 2008 offers more usable boot space and a higher seating position for similar money. The 308's rear seat is adequate rather than generous, and the low, sloping roofline that gives it its style costs rear headroom for taller passengers.
Interior finish is a genuine strength — the digital instrument panel and piano-style toggle switches feel more expensive than the badge suggests, though some buyers never warm to the low-set, small-diameter steering wheel that defines every current Peugeot.
Who should buy one
Buy it if you have already ruled out a crossover and want the best-driving hatchback in this price bracket. If you are cross-shopping against a 2008 or a Tucson, the 308's dynamic advantage will not outweigh its practicality and resale disadvantages for most Bahraini families.