As far as weather and sunshine go, South Africa is perfect convertible country. But given our high crime statistics, most people are a little jittery about being overly exposed while driving. They also don’t like the idea of getting wet while erecting a tent-like roof if there’s a sudden cloudburst.
Old-fashioned convertibles have their charm, but in modern-day South Africa, the allure is outweighed by the risks. That was until convertibles were upgraded and fitted with hardtop roofs that could fold away into the boot in less than 30 seconds.
More than a decade ago, Peugeot pioneered the hardtop convertible, which is also commonly referred to as the coupé convertible. Since then many other manufacturers have realised the versatility of these vehicles and started adding models to what is now considered a significant sales segment. Just about every major car manufacturer has a metal-roof convertible in its range but, as expected, they tend to be quite pricey.
At the recent launch of the new Peugeot 308CC, motoring media were told that the new model is primarily for “Dinkis” and, as I rummaged through the short inventory of French terms in my brain, we were rescued by an executive who could see that we had no idea what “Dinkis” were.
“Double income, no kids,” he said. I wondered for a minute how many couples I knew who didn’t have children and — of the 20 or so couples I thought of — only one didn’t have any children. Despite the target market, you can comfortably fit two sprogs into this four-seater car, although it’s not as spacious as a family sedan.
When I started driving the 308CC I noticed something rather peculiar: there was no wind in my hair. Okay, not no wind, but there was very little wind making its way through my long locks. This is primarily because the windscreen reaches over the front passengers’ heads and combines with a few other design tricks to ensure there’s barely any wind buffeting around the interior.
The only engine available in this car is one that was jointly developed with BMW — the 1.6-litre petrol –which develops 110kW of power and 240Nm of torque.
It did at times feel and sound a little stressed out, but I had to remind myself that people who buy this sort of car aren’t buying it for performance; they’re usually buying it for its style. The road-holding and general handling of this car were pretty good and more than made up for the strained sound resonating from the engine.
Standard features include ABS, ESP, six airbags, heated seats, dual-zone climatronic aircon, a multifunctional steering column (the controls are situated slightly behind the steering column), and much more.
The six-speed manual gearbox felt pretty smooth and although I didn’t get anywhere near the top speed of 215kph, the 308CC felt energetic enough to overtake and cruise at highway speeds quite comfortably.
The claimed fuel consumption is 7.5litres per 100km and the 308CC (which costs about R336 500), comes with a three-year/100 000km warranty.
The new 308CC is a competitively priced all-rounder, but given that there are a few other coupé convertibles in this price segment, Peugeot is going to have to ensure its customer service is beyond reproach in order to attract new customers to this brand.