I’ve been moaning for years about car cabins becoming swamped with buttons and switches as brands try to shoehorn in ever-more ‘must-have’ features – my previous Honda Civic Tourer being a case in point.
And I’m not the only one. Designers, too, tend to prefer simplicity, and in the past few years many interior designs have aimed for less clutter.
The 308’s designers have clearly taken this idea to heart, too, and produced a centre console with only one proud physical button – push for ‘On’ and turn for ‘Volume’ – with just five more flush-mounted ones for back and front windscreen heating, window locking, air re-circulation and hazard lights.
The rest are on the touch-screen, just like an iPhone, which is notionally great, but relies on a really sensitive screen and fantastic software to process your fingers’ commands more quickly than turning a physical knob round for more air and/or heat for the aircon.
Unfortunately, the human-machine interface budget for the 308 seems to be a little lower than Apple’s: one touch doesn’t always work, the delay between your touch and the appropriate digital screen appearing is slow, and sometimes you just want to see the satnav while changing radio stations. Maybe it’s time for Apple’s iPhone CarPlay system?
Peugeot 308 5dr 1.6 BlueHDi Active 120 Stop-Start |
Mileage 2578 |
P11D price £19,440 |
Our average consumption 52.9mpg |
Official combined consumption 72.4mpg |
Forecast/actual cost per mile 43.2p/45.7p |