Long-term report: Plug-in hybrid living is great with the Peugeot 308 SW

As the winter draws in, the days get shorter and the temperature starts to head south, life in our 308 shows no sign of easing up. Already we’ve reached five figures on the trip computer, but pretty much all of them have been in absolute comfort and stress-free.

There’s no question our long-term Peugeot is a comfortable place to be, the seats are well-padded and supportive but what really makes them shine on the bleakest of December mornings is the heat and massage functions which makes longer journeys just that little bit more bearable. This isn’t a standard fit though; the Alcantara driver and passenger seat pack costs an additional £990 and if you wanted to warm your fingers up on the heated steering wheel after scraping the ice off your windows, then that’ll be an additional £150. Obviously, it’s a worthwhile addition, especially at this time of year.

The only issue we’ve actually had so far is with the reversing camera. The plastic mount which holds the camera has popped off which means the camera is dangling. I suspect that with the boot being manual, rather than electric, the closing of it loosened it a bit or made it pop off altogether. Will have to pop into Peugeot to get that sorted.

One of the big jobs this month, which the Peugeot was in support of, was a video project where we went to an Electric Car specialist to film an advice video about what to look for when purchasing a used electric vehicle. It was interesting to hear their thoughts on hybrids too, as there was a sense of derision when I pulled up onto the forecourt with our PHEV.

Personally, I would have thought that, for many, a plug-in hybrid would be a great stepping stone into electric car ownership. But they seemed to stress the greater benefits of owning pure electric rather than a mix of both. However, II walked away from the shoot still confident that a PHEV was still the right choice, especially for me and my type of driving.

There’s still a bit of getting my head around the infotainment system. I mean, for what I need it to do, it works really well. It’s a bit slow to get going, and sometimes when I’ve got a route planned into the navigation, and then get a phone call at a pivotal part of the journey, the screen gives the call preferential treatment over telling me where I need to go. I can of course change this, but trying to do it through the menu screen while keeping my eyes on the road, and having a conversation, is a bit too much for my brain to take.

One of the useful tools that come as standard on the navigation though is speed camera detection. It’s not groundbreaking and many cars feature them, but it’s a useful tool to have especially when you’re cruising on the motorway.

I’ve been having a good delve into the official figures for our Peugeot this month and trying to see how they stack up in the real world. For example, the press information claims our car is capable of between 199.4 and 242.7 miles per gallon. But the thing is, that’s based on the fact that the battery has some charge in it. And even when doing longer journeys, I tend to find I get around 400 miles from a full tank – with the battery starting on a full charge. The official figures also claim that I should get around 35 miles of EV-only motoring, which in reality is closer to mid to late 20s.

For many though who’ll use it on pure EV mode to get to and from work or for the school run, that would be more than enough, but I’m not a fan of how the fact that it’s an EV can skewer the figures somewhat and make it look somewhat deceiving.

Marley, my large Staffordshire bull terrier, is appreciating the boot space though, especially after the somewhat cramped boot space of the previous long-termer the C5 X. With the rear seats up it offers 548 litres of space, expanding to 1,574 litres when they’re folded down. It has also come in particularly useful for the tip run too.

We’re heading into our final month now with the Peugeot, and yet more miles are planned, with a couple of trips up to the northeast, and the south coast. No doubt once it’s handed back, there’ll be a good deal available on a rather leggy Peugeot estate entering the used car market.