Classic style of 308 CC is far from Pug ugly.
Back in my homeland, any Peugeot convertible was solely the domain of air hostesses and hairdressers. They were funky, stylish, well priced, a pleasure to drive and pretty efficient. In retrospect, it seems strange not more people opted for one. Granted, there aren’t many chances to put the top down in sun-deprived Ireland, but just people knowing you had a coupé-cabriolet was half the point of being an owner. It’s all about appearances on the Emerald Isle too, you see.
Back in the Middle East, however, convertibles are a dirham a dozen and regardless of deep-seated preconceptions, Peugeot’s hardtops are not necessarily the play-thing of ‘those’ job titles, especially when you stick a ‘Turbo’ badge on the back.
So I left all my prejudices at the Metro station door and happily rolled out of the showroom in the 308 CC, for a couple of days at least. It is a truly stylish coupé-cabriolet that makes heads turn, yet is unmistakably Peugeot. As soon as you set eyes on it, you’ll notice the refined LED daytime headlights, the redesigned bonnet and the flowing grille. The smooth contours, chrome trims and diamond-cut alloy wheels all add to the sense of luxury.
On the inside, the CC is comfortable. Leather is soft, ergonomics are great and once the roof in down you obviously have unlimited headroom – the sky literally is the limit. Although now available with navigation (shown on a retractable colour display), I wasn’t lucky enough to get a model with it installed, but I’ve been reliably told that it’s more than competent.
In both the coupé and cabriolet configurations, the CC offers four sports seats and a capacity that will surprise you. An excellent driving position and a sense of genuine well-being create a feeling of dynamism and quality.
But, this also being a cabriolet, the seat belt is slightly on the unreachable side – certainly not by conventional over the shoulder no-look grab – though anyone who’s had a convertible before will be well versed in the contortionist twisting needed to secure their safety.
Potentially fighting against its stable mate, the RCZ – which is faster, torquier and more futuristic-looking – in a case of sibling rivalry, the CC has the racy sports car beat on the grounds it can drop the roof, which is a prerequisite for many Middle East customers escaping from the soccer-mom SUV brigade.
And the roof can drop, silently, in about 20 seconds converting the cabriolet to a coupé. As you’d hope, it’s a simple system with one-button press. The downside is decreasing boot volume from 465 to 266 litres, but you’re not going to be headed out to the desert with a trunk full of camping gear in the CC, and even with the roof down, there’s more than enough space to pack in your weekly shop.
