What's the news?

As Peugeot's continued rebirth as an upmarket brand gathers pace, the latest version of the popular 308 SW (that's estate to you and me) has been revealed. It has a big task ahead of it, though, as it's the car due to take on the perennial benchmark in this class, the Golf Estate.

Exterior

Peugeot's styling has been a subject for some debate in the motoring world for many a year now, and as the latest 308 hatch still engenders mixed opinions, it's unlikely the SW will win universal acclaim. However, as I personally have been unable to look on any Pug since the -06-badged cars without feeling nauseous, I welcome the handsome-if-staid looks of the new SW. Too Germanic? Possibly, but at least it's not as, er... 'challenging' as the 3008. The 308 SW is 4.58m long and 1.47m high, which Peugeot says gives it a 'sleek and sporty' stance; we'll leave it up to you to decide if that's marketing flimflam or not.

Interior

The i-Cockpit design of other current Peugeots is present, with its high instrument binnacle, 9.7-inch central touchscreen and lack of buttons. Peugeot is aiming for high-quality materials to hammer home the message that the 308 is truly premium, while the SW has a 'class-leading' 610 litres of boot space (Honda claims that the Civic Tourer holds 624 litres...), made all the more usable thanks to easy, single-action folding rear seats and a flat load floor. There's likely to be the same four trim levels as the hatch - Access, Active, Allure and Feline - with the SW presumably carrying a price premium over its sibling, which went on sale from £14,495 in the UK on January 2. The SW will go on sale across Europe in spring.

Mechanicals

Going light on the details ahead of its debut at the Geneva Show in March, Peugeot says the range of petrol and diesel engines for the 308 SW are all Euro 6 compliant. So expect the same units as found in the hatch, namely 1.2- and 1.6-litre turbo petrol engines of varying power outputs and two versions of the 1.6-litre turbodiesel, at 92- and 120hp. One of these will be badged as the BlueHDi version, which will emit just 85g/km of CO₂ - highly impressive. Like the hatchback, the SW is claimed to be 140kg lighter than equivalent versions of its predecessor, thanks to Peugeot's Efficient Modular Platform (EMP2), which Peugeot says will also make it more entertaining to drive than competitor vehicles.

Anything else?

A quick perusal of the photos should show you that one of the old SW's party pieces - namely, possessing seven seats - seems to have gone by the wayside. The images suggest this SW is now only a five-seater. Whether seven-seat versions will follow soon is unclear, but it might be something Peugeot would like to consider so that it doesn't alienate its existing customer base.