Peugeot 308 CC

By Ben Pulman

Spyshots

14 February 2008 12:16

This black bin sack on wheels is really a Peugeot 308 CC. With underpinnings and engines from the regular 308 hatchback, the CC is expected to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009, with sales kicking off just in time for next summer.

Is the 308 CC really a 307 CC?

The 308 CC is an evolution of the 307 CC, so expect similar changes to those made on the hatchback. That means thorough tweaks to all the bits we can't see, while the A-pillars have a different rake compared to the regular hatch. It should also boost the driving experience.

The rear LED lights remain as a design feature. They were originally used on the 307 CC because regular light clusters were too bulky to fit with the folding metal roof. That metal roof will now stow under a slightly higher and flatter rear deck while, up front, the nose will takes cues from both the 308 hatch and the RC Z concept.

However, Peugeot is planning two distinct coupes this time. The 308 CC is a coupe/cabriolet, while Peugeot officials describe the production RC Z as a ‘thoroughbred coupe’. So they won't be lookalikes in the vein of BMW’s 3-series Coupe and Convertible. Think Volkswagen Eos and Scirocco, instead.

What about engines for the 308 CC?

At launch the Peugeot 308 CC is expected to come with just two engines. There will be the 136bhp 2.0-litre diesel and the 150bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol. At a later date lower-power engines may appear but Peugeot sees little financial incentive to produce such cars. A tweaked version of the 1.6-litre turbo (the same engine found in the Mini) may appear, but not in the 218bhp spec of the RC Z. Expect prices to start at just under £21,000 for the 150bhp petrol.

While the 308 CC is officially confirmed, the RC Z is still undergoing a tough gestation while engineers work out how to translate the concept's glitz to the showroom. The double-bubble roofline and rear window, in particular, are causing headaches as they're tricky to manufacture and create too much distortion in the rear-view mirror.

Surely the carbonfibre roof will be dropped for production? One Peugeot insider told CAR that for the RC Z the ‘light weight is just as important as the looks’, suggesting it could become one of the few cars on sale with a composite roof. If true (and we're not convinced it will happen), the RC Z could join an exclusive club of supercars and BMW’s M3 and M6 coupes. We'll find out when the production versions appear in late 2009 at the earliest.

Peugeot 308 RC Z and hybrids

By Tim Pollard

Motor shows & events

13 September 2007 02:36

Peugeot 308 RCZ: the lowdown

The Peugeot stand at Frankfurt was a timely reminder just how much the market has fragmented these days. It was packed with 27 cars in rambling hall 8 – five of which were new concept cars, albeit mostly versions of existing production cars. But there was little doubt which was most eye-catching: the 308 coupe concept was an elegant reminder that French design shouldn’t be written off quite yet. The 308 RC Z is a 2+2 show car that is tipped for production within two years, and it looks really good in the metal. Where most body derivatives of mainstream hatchbacks retain a strong family look, the RC Z has a character all of its own, by turns Audi TT profile and Nissan 350Z roofline. It’s quite a looker, surprisingly, and that Zagato-style double-bubble roof is deliciously cool. It’s powered by the BMW-PSA 1.6 petrol, turbocharged to produce 218bhp in this example – a good 40 ponies more than in today’s production cars, while lightweight materials are used to keep bulk in check. Watch out for hotter versions of both the Mini and 207/308 family using this engine in the future.

Other Peugeot show highlights

What’s the biggest trend of recent years, an easy way for manufacturers to create new niche products at minimal outlay? You’ve guessed it – it’s the soft-roader. And Peugeot launched a new one at Frankfurt. It’s an Outdoor version of the 207 SW, a slightly toughened-up version of the French supermini. It’s an inch and a bit higher up for a taller stance and has new alloy wheels, tougher rubbing strips and other minor details for the faux-by-four look. It remains resolutely front-wheel drive, though so housewives shouldn’t veer off the road too far. Knowledgeable types might scoff at cars like the 207 Outdoor – named after last year’s concept car – but they represent an easy win for manufacturers ever eager to broaden the appeal of their bread and butter cars. And they can sell them at a tidy premium; Peugeot reckons it’ll charge around £500 more for the Outdoor when UK sales start in November. The same applies to the 207 SW RC concept, a sportier estate unveiled alongside the Outdoor. This one has a more performance bent and is likely to be badged Sport, thanks to its turbocharged 175bhp 1.6 from the GTI. It gets softer suspension than the hot hatch, though, and less extreme sports seats.

Surely the Peugeot stand had a green message, too?

You bet. Frankfurt also hosted the world premier of the 308 Hybrid HDI. That’s right – Peugeot and sister firm Citroen are pursuing diesel hybrids where the majority prefer to chase the petrol hybrid model. We’ll get a production version of the 308 hybrid by the end of the decade, fitted with a particulate trap to burn off the nasties associated with burning derv. Peugeot talks of a 35 percent reduction in CO2 emissions over a conventional diesel, it’s now just working on cutting the cost of the diesel-electric powertrain so it can launch it at a competitive price. If diesel’s not your thing, you should take note of the 308 Bioflex. Like other manufacturers, Peugeot is wisely refusing to put its environmental eggs into one basket, and is also developing E85 versions of its new family hatchback. What was the fifth concept on the Peugeot stand? A 308 SW Prologue concept that’s a thinly veiled teaser of next year’s estate version of the 308. Who said customer choice was dead?

Peugeot 308 RC Z

By Tim Pollard

First official pictures

31 July 2007 12:00

Peugeot's TT: the 308 RC Z

If you're designing a mid-sized coupe from scratch, it's hard to ignore the head-swivelling, original Audi TT. Peugeot clearly thinks so - its Frankfurt show star, the new 308 RC Z unveiled today, looks like a Chinese facsimile of the Mk1 TT, especially viewed in profile. Maybe that's why Peugeot introduced a clumsy kink in the waistline (a la Hyundai Matrix), to disrupt the Germanic body language...

Ah, that's a bit less like a TT

Yes, it's just as you'd imagine a mid-sized Peugeot coupe to look: huge, sweptback headlights, inane grinning grille and bulging bonnet lines that characterise modern Pugs. The front end borrows the look of its sister car, the 308 hatchback and the RC Z previews a production coupe that we can expect on sale in 2009. Interestingly, Peugeot intends to fill every nook and cranny of the C-sector with 308 derivatives. We've already seen the five-door hatch, but we'll also have an SW estate, a three-door hatch and a coupe-cabriolet. That's right - Peugeot is following BMW's 3-series lead and having two separate tin-top coupes, one with a folding hard top.

Blimey. So this RC Z isn't a CC? Just look at that rear deck!

Yes, it does look like there should be a folding metal hood robotically sashaying into that rear deck. But a Peugeot spokesman swore blind that this fixed-head coupe looked substantially different from the 308 CC that we'll see in 18 months' time. This is a 2+2 coupe with 'usable' occasional rear seats and a large boot; the two rear perches fold down and the designers claim the resultant space is large enough to swallow a mountain bike. The RC Z is the same length as the standard hatchback, but 25mm wider and a smidge lower at 1320mm high. The roofline is noteworthy for its double-bubble look, designed to smoothe airflow over the rear of the car and obviate the need for a rear spoiler. Tone down the huge 19-inch alloys, 40-profile rubber and postbox-sized exhausts, and you're left with how the production car should look.

What about that kinked windowline? Is this a new Peugeot styling feature?

Possibly. Peugeot says the concept car is exploring new ideas, but the two-step styling line is a bit heavy-handed to our eyes. Let's hope it doesn't spread to the rest of the range, as Peugeot struggles to find its next look. The engineering package is for real, though. Peugeot is the latest manufacturer to jump on the lightweight bandwagon (not hard, after years of successive bloaters) and the 308 RC Z weighs 1200kg, not bad for a coupe of this size. However, you have to take with a pinch of salt the claims that the concept has extensive use of aluminium and carbonfibre. No way will high-tech composites survive into a £18,000 production coupe.

Go on, show me inside...

Here's one of the surest signs that the 308 coupe is a dead cert for production. There is very little in here that's concept-car pie-in-the-sky. The dashboard architecture is largely taken from the 308 hatch, although the fascia is trimmed in plusher leather. Large, chunky bucket seats do their best to gobble any available legroom for those in the rear while, in true Peugeot style, the A-pillars are so far forward that you get the impression it could feel like an MPV from the driver's chair.

This design sketch looks just like a TT as well!

It does rather, doesn't it. Peugeot must be aware of the similarity - and one official even described it to CAR Online as 'our TT'. But the 308 RC Z will be usefully cheaper than Audi's coupe and we anticipate a starting price of around £18,000 in today's money. The concept car uses the familiar 1.6 turbo engine from the 308 and 207, this time boosted to 218bhp. That's a pretty impressive figure for a 1.6, and there is 221lb ft of thrust to call upon for overtaking manoeuvres. Figures quoted are 146mph flat-out and 0-62mph in 7.0sec, which sound credible in light of the claimed kerbweight. More importantly, Peugeot quotes CO2/mpg figures of 160g/km and 42mpg. Are Peugeot crafting a successful new design? Let us know by clicking 'Add comment' on the button below