Classic style of 308 CC is far from Pug ugly.<\/p>\n
Back in my homeland, any Peugeot convertible was solely the domain of air hostesses and hairdressers. They were funky, stylish, well priced<\/a>, a pleasure to drive and pretty efficient<\/a>. In retrospect, it seems strange not more people opted for one. Granted, there aren\u2019t many chances to put the top down in sun-deprived Ireland, but just people knowing you had a coup\u00e9-cabriolet was half the point of being an owner. It\u2019s all about appearances on the Emerald Isle too, you see.<\/p>\n Back in the Middle East, however, convertibles are a dirham a dozen and regardless of deep-seated preconceptions, Peugeot\u2019s hardtops are not necessarily the play-thing of \u2018those\u2019 job titles, especially when you stick a \u2018Turbo\u2019 badge on the back.<\/p>\n 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 coup\u00e9-cabriolet that makes heads turn, yet is unmistakably Peugeot. As soon as you set eyes on it, you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n On the inside, the CC is comfortable. Leather is soft, ergonomics are great and once the roof in down you obviously have unlimited headroom \u2013 the sky literally is the limit. Although now available with navigation (shown on a retractable colour display), I wasn\u2019t lucky enough to get a model with it installed, but I\u2019ve been reliably told that it\u2019s more than competent.<\/p>\n In both the coup\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n But, this also being a cabriolet, the seat belt is slightly on the unreachable side \u2013 certainly not by conventional over the shoulder no-look grab \u2013 though anyone who\u2019s had a convertible before will be well versed in the contortionist twisting needed to secure their safety.<\/p>\n Potentially fighting against its stable mate, the RCZ \u2013 which is faster, torquier and more futuristic-looking \u2013 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.<\/p>\n And the roof can drop, silently, in about 20 seconds converting the cabriolet to a coup\u00e9. As you\u2019d hope, it\u2019s a simple system<\/a> with one-button press. The downside is decreasing boot volume from 465 to 266 litres, but you\u2019re 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\u2019s more than enough space to pack in your weekly shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019t many chances …<\/p>\n