New Peugeot 308 is a sound choice

It was part of a determined move to make the new model – as important a new Peugeot as we've ever seen – at least as well built as its competitors, or a bit better.

All that opening and closing represented three years hard use of the car, at the end of which, Peugeot claims boldly, it will still be 'like new'.

Those words will be a hostage to fortune if things start going wrong as new 308s purr onto our roads. Lucky for Peugeot, then, that first signs look good for an unsqueaky road ahead.

The latest 308 is a little shorter and lower than before but a bit wider and usefully lighter, to the tune of 140kg, or the weight of a couple of chaps sitting in the back.

Serious

It's all built on new floorpan, one of the dearest parts of a car, even if you can't see it, and a sign that Peugeot is deadly serious about the newcomer.

It represents a colossal investment as the company rushes to give its cars a more upmarket appeal, likely to appeal to someone otherwise considering, say, a Volkswagen, even if going German costs a little more.

The new platform allows a new and crisply unshowy body with none of the old Peugeot snout at the front (a good thing), while the boot is bigger (also good) but room in the back seat is no better (not such a good thing).

Along with a selection of familiar engines, the new 308 will gain a set of new petrol and diesel engines which help make the car lighter (the petrols shed a cylinder, now down to three) and more economical than before.

Reduced CO2 exhaust emissions will appeal to the company car market, expected to take more than half of 308 sales, while official fuel figures of up to 78mpg will appeal to anyone filling the tank (private or business), even if reality and test figures differ, as they're almost bound too.

Step inside and you'll find an interior that looks smartly upmarket with styling flourishes which lift it above the clinically efficient cockpit of something like a Golf (yes, that word again) and with a couple of standout features.

First is the tiny steering wheel which lets you look over the rim to see the instruments. It feels initially less odd than in the smaller Peugeot 208 and you soon relish a clear view of the most readable set of dials I can recall in any recent car.

Then you spot an almost complete absence of buttons, replaced by a big touch-screen which acts like an iPad to control everything from satnav and air conditioning to the sound system and vehicle settings. All very neat (and probably inevitable in our iPad age) but demanding an extra action when you want to adjust something.

Out on the road in a 115 horsepower diesel 308 it's easy to appreciate how the car now follows your steering input more faithfully and feels much more together on bumpy surfaces. The engine stayed in the background at a motorway cruise and managed 54mpg after a modestly demanding drive.

Prices range from £14,495 to £24,045.