308sw and 508sw

[Bick]

Hi everyone:

Im in the market for a new vehicle and i would prefer a auto petrol

looking recently ive discovered the 308sw and 508sw go at bargain prices at at 2 years old with as little as 5k on them.

I have been out of the game for some time retired motor vehicle engineer and things have gone and left me nowadays so im looking for some advice.

What are they like - i know there are no bad vehicles now but what is reliability like and what do i need to look out for.

Thanks to all on this forum

[Paul-R]

All I can comment on is the 308SW. We have a Mk 2 version which looks much better than the Mk 1. I really disliked the squashed frog look of the Mk 1 - the 508 also benefits in a similar manner from not looking like the 407.

Our version is the 1.6 eHDi. This engine should not be confused with the earlier engine which has a bad reputation if the oil servicing regime is less than regular. The later engine "only" has 8 valves, rather than the 16 valves of the early engine, and has been redesigned to be much more reliable. Our version has been tweaked to 120bhp and this is quite sprightly for our purposes. There is a version with lower power than this but I don't think it is as economical. We've never managed the official 91mpg but it's in the high 50s, occasionally just in the low 60s. The gearbox is very optimised for economy with both 5th and 6th gear being overdriven. Oh, the VED is zero which is nice.

The petrol engines seem to be well regarded but I have no experience of them. Maybe more suited if you're not doing the mileages that we do.

We wanted the Allure level of trim but an Active came up at the right price. This has most of the things we wanted - cruise control, dual circuit aircon, (these are actually on the basic Access level), etc. The Allure adds some items we would have liked - front parking sensors, privacy glass at rear, auto-folding door mirrors, LED headlamps - but we can live without them. The higher levels are geared towards sporty driving and so didn't interest us - and I'm not even sure they have the SW version anyway.

The body of the SW is stretched compared to the hatchback and this is added between the front and rear seats so gives rear passengers some room for their legs. The luggage carrying capacity of the SW is quite good and becomes very good when the back seats are down. Talking of which the back just folds down on top of the base - there's no need to move the base cushion out of the way.

Things we're not so happy about. The weight carrying capacity is not very good and one of the first things I did was add some auxiliary springs to the rear. I also find the ground clearance at the front rather poor as there are graunching noises oftentimes when we go over road humps. The dashboard is rather minimalist as most of the functions are moved onto the touchscreen. I would prefer some of them to be separated out on to dedicated buttons - although there are some buttons and wheels on the steering wheel which help.

The car drives well and corners nicely for us. It's a bit stiff in the suspension department but then I'm used to a C5 with hydraulic suspension.

[Bick]

Thanks Paul for taking the time to do a great post - very informative.

Yes i would like to keep a diesel as i used to be a diesel mechanic and have always had them even before they became popular but now only doing 4k a year a petrol seems more sensible.

I have the 1.6hdi 16v in my Berlingo van and have had no trouble with it but i have owned it from new and changed the oil every 4k so im never going to get trouble with the turbo + i tightened the injectors when i had it, they were loose from new! I have seen one here some horror stores with the 16v but i have also seen them with 150k+ without issues.

[407iain]

I think the non turbo Prince engines are indirect injection. Which means they would be better suited to pottering around as they wouldn't suffer the "cokeing" up issue the direct injection THP Prince engine does.
Something I only recently looked up before I bought my RCZ as I've owned diesels for the last 7/8 years. So far I've had no issues, and hopefully never will!


I think the non turbo is available in both 308 and 508.

[xantia_v6]

As far as I can tell, from general observation, and conversations with a PSA dealer service manager, the post- April 2011 Prince turbocharged engines don't often suffer carbon clogging, and the earlier engines can be modified to the same end. This does not help if the ports are already clogged when you get it.

I would avoid pre 2010- Prince engines (can't remember the exact date that modifications were introduced) that are prone to timing chain stretching.

The turbo prince engines are very nice to drive, but perhaps a bit weak on fuel economy. I can't give a generally applicable figure because ours lives a the top of a hill which dents the numbers somewhat.

[407iain]

From what I understand the 200 THP is least prone to it as it has either no PCV system, or a pared down one compared to lower power engines.
It can still occur though due to how the fuel is introduced in to the engine.

[Bick]

Thanks guys just the info i was looking for Xantia V6 yes the fuel consumption in service is supposed to be down on the official figures, and i am looking 2016 onwards.

I did not realise they could still suffer from coking up 407iain - i hope Xantia V6's advice was correct and the new ones are less prone to it.

Anyway guys i really appreciate all your advise.