Well surprise, surprise. Nasim Sdn Bhd, Peugeot’s official Malaysian distributor has added another variant to their 308 lineup – the Peugeot 308 THP Active. It’s a whole RM17,000 cheaper than the fully-kitted 308 THP (RM136,888 a pop), but needless to say, it comes with a few things less.
Right off the bat you’ll notice the absence of its full-LED headlights, instead you get halogen reflector-type headlights. The LED daytime running lights have been moved towards the lower portion of the front bumper where the signal indicators used to be.
Most of the 308 THP’s chrome bits have been stripped off as well, leaving you with body-coloured fog lamp (also halogen) housing, flat-black or unpainted lower front lip and a smaller set of 17-inch wheels instead of the 18-inchers on the 308 THP. Thankfully, the rear end of the car remains intact, with its exhaust pipe still remain hidden within the bumper.
That’s not all, we’re afraid. Inside, the seats are now clad in fabric, but the good news is they don’t feel cheap. It’s still an unfortunate omission because we really fancied the leather-Alcantara finish from before. Elsewhere, things look identical, until you realise that the push-start button previously placed below the shifter gate is now replaced with a conventional key ignition.
If you think this proposition is a letdown, here’s why we think it isn’t. Sure, this 2014 World Car of the Year isn’t quite as well-equipped as the range topper, but you do get the same 1.6-litre turbocharged Prince engine making 150 hp at 5,000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1,450 revolutions. It’s mated to an Aisin-made six-speed automatic transmission with Quickshift Technology, but there’s no paddle shifters to tinker with.
Other numbers remain exactly the same; it sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds, sips 6.5 litres of fuel per 100 km and maxes out at 211 km/h. It’s not quite the sprinter you’d expect, but frugal it certainly is. Peugeot claims that the 308 THP and 308 THP Active can both cover about 800km in a single tank of fuel, which is quite a drastic improvement over the previous generation 308.
If you one of the first 50 customers to purchase the 308 THP Active, you will be entitled to a RM2,000 discount. Each new Peugeot will come with a 5-Year unlimited mileage warranty with Nasim’s 24-hour Peugeot Assistance Service. Owners can also access the Peugeot Lounge at Subang Airport and at the same time be entitled to a Peugeot Privilege membership.
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