2014 Peugeot 308 SW

The Peugeot 308 SW is the estate version of the latest 308 hatchback, but the French manufacturer is keen to point out that the SW is more than just the same car with a bigger boot.

Peugeot has kept the front-end looks of the regular 308 but built the estate version on a longer chassis (the wheelbase is 110mm longer) that should, in conjunction with a larger rear overhang, help the car better the VW Golf Estate and Seat Leon ST for outright luggage space.

There's also a chance that the longer wheelbase could address one of our main concerns with the regular 308: rear kneeroom. Peugeot says the rear seats in the 308 SW are 29mm farther back from the front seats than they are in a 308.

The 308 SW is launching with a mix of three-cylinder petrol engines and four-cylinder diesels. The 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrols are the latest in Peugeot's line-up, with power outputs of 109bhp and the 129bhp unit we're evaluating here – they emit as little as 109g/km of CO2. The entry-level motor uses a five-speed manual gearbox, while the more powerful petrol gets a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.

There's a wider selection of diesel motors, with CO2 emissions of as little as 85g/km; none of the diesel engines emits more than 111g/km, even when equipped with an automatic transmission. There's a 1.6 with 91bhp and a five-speed gearbox, a 1.6 with 114bhp, a six-speed gearbox and engine stop-start, and a 148bhp 2.0 with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed auto. The cleanest engine in the line-up, though, is the BlueHDi 1.6 with 118bhp, engine stop-start and a six-speed manual; Peugeot's figures for this motor are 88.3mpg and 85g/km of CO2 (on 15-inch or 16-inch wheels).