PEUGEOT 308 HATCHBACK SPECIAL EDITION 1.6 VTI VERVE 5DR

"Another thing you notice once on the move is how light and airy the cabin feels"

PEUGEOT 308 HATCHBACK SPECIAL EDITION 1.6 VTI VERVE 5DR

Have they done so? Well, I'd say that it is indeed the little details that make the difference. The way, for example, the innovative curved dashboard is angled at a very ergonomic 30 degrees to keep everything within reach. Soft to the touch, with its four retro-style, chrome-ringed white dials, this looks as if it could have come straight from a very expensive coupe.

Living with a car like this over a period means you start to notice little things that weren't immediately obvious upon first acquaintance. Like the way the front sports-style seats are super-slim, feeing up loads of legroom in the back. Or the way that the rear seats are raised up theatre-style, giving their occupants a much better view.

Another thing you notice once on the move is how light and airy the cabin feels. That's because it features the largest expanse of glass in its class (2.26m3) and my test car has a huge panoramic glass roof fitted, which extends right over the back of the rear seats, flooding the interior with light.

My car also has Peugeot's innovative RT4 multimedia satellite navigation system which pops discreetly out the top of the dashboard when you need it and vanishes away unobtrusively when you don't. But different people notice different things. My wife, for example, particularly likes the way the footwells light up to meet you whenever you open the doors. She appreciates the air conditioning vents that keep the children cool in the rear. And she particularly likes the fragrance diffuser which can fill the car with a scent of your choice.

On the move, I often drive my 308 and remember how different today's family hatchback is to its equivalent of just a decade ago. Back then, could we ever have imagined that mainstream versions of a car of this kind might come equipped with features like cruise control, a speed limiter to maintain your pace to safe levels in urban areas, automatic headlights, electric folding mirrors and rain-sensitive wipers?

PEUGEOT 308 HATCHBACK SPECIAL EDITION 1.6 VTI VERVE 5DR

If you haven't really registered the presence of the 308 on the British motoring scene yet, then it's probably because at first glance, it doesn't look that much different to the 307 it replaced. In fact, the 308 is 12mm lower than its predecessor, so has a slightly sportier stance. Moreover, despite the improved interior space brought about by the increases in terms of both length (74mm) and width (85mm), it achieves a far more dynamic stance than the old car.

Get in and clunk the door shut and it feels more substantial than before too, with a standard of build quality that until recently, used to be the preserve of more prestigiously-badged cars. In the 308's case, this has come about courtesy of the extra weight in now carries - all 62kgs to be exact. The only downside to that is that it isn't the sprightliest performer on the block. Even the pokiest 2.0-litre HDi 136 diesel which we specified for our testcar, with up to 260lb ft of torque, can't crack the ten second barrier in the 0-60mph sprint.

To be honest, though this might have bothered me on paper, it doesn't irk me at all in day-to-day use. Like the car itself, the engine does, after all, have more important virtues. For a start, it's very quiet. You slip into 6th gear and forget about it. Helping in this regard is the realisation after a few hundred miles that it's hard to think of a rival that offers a more absorbent ride.

I was brought up with Peugeots that were a hoot to drive on twisty roads, something that the marque rather lost with the 307. While the 308 can't be seen as the start of a whole new era in this regard, it's a significant step forward and is really rather satisfying on the back roads that make up my daily commute. I've the improved suspension to thank for this. However, there's a bit more roll than you'd find in a Focus or a Golf and a bit less steering feel too.

Having a family has put safety several notches further up my priority list with a car of this type, so the 308's 5 star NCAP safety rating was a must if I was going to assign the 308 over to my wife Katie to transport our three young children on the school run. For this kind of work, the cabin needs to be easy to clean and most of all practical.

One of the things that my wife most likes about the interior of the 308 is the vast number of storage pockets, luggage hooks and nets, slide out trays and cubbyholes. If you're carrying anything from a diamond dripping engagement ring to a 1.5-litre bottle of coke, you'll find somewhere secure to stow it - although the trick may be remembering exactly which pocket you put it in. For chocoholics like my daughter Ellie, the air-conditioned glove box keeps her Cadburys bar just as she would want to find it, rather than the sloppy mess that so often results.

Overall then, we've come to the end of our tenure with our 308 mightily impressed. Prior to this test, this car wouldn't have been near the top of my shopping list for family hatchbacks: now it is. As we said at the beginning, it's the details that make the difference.

PEUGEOT 308 HATCHBACK SPECIAL EDITION 1.6 VTI VERVE 5DR

Facts At A Glance

CAR: Peugeot 308 HDi range

PRICES: £13,595-£19,845 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-13E

CO2 EMISSIONS: 118-132g/km

PERFORMANCE: [1.6 HDi 110] 0-60mph 11.3s/ Max Speed 118mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6 HDi 110] (combined) 60.1mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: seven airbags / ABS & EBD

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Height mm 4276/1815/1498