Peugeot 308

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At a glance

Who is this car for?

Four adults with hold luggage, or a family working the full Podgorica to Kolašin to Žabljak loop. Diesel plus auto is the combination for long canyon days.

• Families of four
• Capital-to-Durmitor drivers
• Cross-border trips

The Peugeot 308 around Podgorica

Behind the wheel

The 308 Mk3 is adult mid-size French, a size larger than the 208, a generation more serious, and a noticeably better long-distance car than anything in the B-segment here. The 1.5 BlueHDi 130 diesel is the common pick at Podgorica Airport and the better match for inland Montenegrin terrain: torque from 1,750 rpm, an eight-speed EAT auto that shuffles ratios almost invisibly, and a real-world 4.4 L/100 km at motorway speeds. The 1.2 PureTech 130 petrol turns up on some cars and works harder on long climbs. The cabin uses the familiar small-wheel i-Cockpit and a pair of configurable digital panels; it feels more expensive inside than the 208’s equivalent fit.

On Podgorica roads

On Podgorica’s longer routes the 308 finds its groove. The new Smokovac–Mateševo motorway section is effortless; the diesel settles at 1,800 rpm in top and the auto reads the long gentle gradients without hunting. The Morača canyon run from Podgorica up to Kolašin is where the diesel torque earns its place — one downshift for an overtake past a slow truck, immediate response, no drama. The Sozina tunnel and the flat toll motorway to Bar are dispatched at steady 120 km/h without either the cabin or the driver working. The one weak point is broken-edge urban tarmac in the capital's older districts like Gornja Gorica, where the firmer damping and larger wheels translate imperfections a softer car would smooth.

Space and load

The 412-litre boot is a proper family size, square corners, low load lip, a useful flat shape with the rear seats up. Three large cases and two cabin bags fit without stacking; fold the rear bench for 1,309 litres and a full Durmitor hiking trip for four travels easily, 50-litre packs, boots, poles, a rope bag with room for a cool-box. Beach gear for a Velika Plaža day trip for four in Ulcinj, chairs, parasol, cool-bag, snorkels, fits seats-up. Camping kit for a Biogradska Gora weekend with tent, mats, stove and a small cooler asks for some planning but goes in. For a hatch it is genuinely spacious.

Best journeys for this car

The 308 suits the family of four flying into TGD on a ten-day loop, three nights in Podgorica exploring Ostrog, Cetinje and Skadar Lake, three nights in a Kolašin or Žabljak apartment, and four nights on the coast, where the brief is one car that handles every leg equally. It also works for a pair of friends doing the cross-border run to Dubrovnik or Mostar with real luggage and a need for motorway refinement. Returning visitors who rented a Clio last time and wished for more boot are its natural customers. It is more car than a capital-only business visitor needs, and the length starts to count against it for renters whose week lives in Kotor's bastion-gate bays.

Practical notes

Diesel economy is genuinely impressive, 4.4 L/100 km at 120 km/h, closer to 5.0 in mixed Podgorica driving, and a 52-litre tank pushes past 1,000 km between fills. The petrol returns closer to 6.0 in real use. Parking in the capital is workable rather than easy: the free kerbside bays in Blok 5 accept a 4.37 m car comfortably, but the old town around Stara Varoš has narrower lanes where a smaller hatch is friendlier. Front-wheel drive on all-season rubber handles inland Montenegrin winter cleanly; chains are legally required on Žabljak and Kolašin passes between November and March. Summer AC is strong and the rear vents matter for four-up trips to Ulcinj in August heat.

The verdict

Pick the 308 when the trip mixes distance, mountains and a real luggage load and you want one calm car for all of it. Skip it if your week is entirely capital-centric and two-up, a Clio does the same job at a size smaller.

Full specification

Inside the car

• Automatic Transmission
• Adaptive Cruise
• Dual-Zone Climate
• Large Boot