Sunroof, moon roof, cloth roof, retractable metal roof, panoramic glass roof – vehicle  roofs have gone to great heights in recent years. Take the new Peugeot 308 CC, for example. The latest coupe/cabriolet to come from the French car maker, with its swoopy profile, is in keeping with the present 308 character.

And why wouldn’t it, Peugeot having invented the metal drop-top variant more than 75 years ago. Indeed, this latest incarnation marks the occasion of the launch of the 401 Eclipse coupe/cab in 1934. The Eclipse was developed – only 79 examples were built - in collaboration with designer Paulin, Peugeot concessionaire Darl’Mat and coach builder Pourtout and went on to be carried over to the 301, 402 and 601 ranges.

As well as looking back, the 308 CC looks to the future with a number of innovative features that include the company’s first side head airbags which help cushion the skull in a crash and Airwave neck heating system, similar to that in upscale Mercedes-Benzes, that blows warm air around the occupant’s neck  and shoulders – the perfect accompaniment to a top-down winter’s night under the stars.

The 308 CC is also the first Peugeot convertible to feature a diesel engine in the form of the 2.0 litre HDi as well as an award-winning 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol unit. The former was the powerplant of the test car, the top-of-the-range 308 CC S. Mated with a smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic manual mode and putting out 100kW of power at 4000rpm and a prodigious 320Nm of torque at only 200 revs, it produces no bitumen burner, the ‘tonne’ coming up from rest in 11.8 seconds.

However, when it comes to fuel economy and cleanliness the oil burner leaves many rivals for dead with a consumption figure of 7 litres per 100km on the combined urban/highway cycle and Euro 4 emission standard. The former has the added advantage of getting the buyer of the vehicle out of paying the luxury car tax in Australia and keeping the price under $60,000, plus on-roads, while giving close to 1000km between fill-ups of the 60 litre tank.

Bigger than the 307 CC, the four-seater 308 CC S gives occupants a relatively spacious cabin kitted out with electrically operated leather seats with heating and memory and a wind deflector as well as the Airwave and side head airbags. The car rides on 18in alloy wheels and features directional xenon headlights with automatic height adjustment and washers, plus front parking assist.

All 308 CCs have an automatic locking glovebox and centre storage, electric folding exterior mirrors with welcoming light, reversing park alarm, carry safety features such as anti-skid brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist and automatic roll bars. The metal roof deploys or retracts in 20 seconds, while boot capacity goes from 465 litres with the roof up to 266 litres with it stored.

The slick shaped two-door coupe carries large expanses of glass front and back which can have the air-con working overtime if the sun is beating down while at the same time limiting vision. There’s the distinctive rattle of a diesel from the outside. However, Peugeot is quick to point out more than half its vehicles sold in Australia last year were diesel, so it doesn’t seem to be a sticking point.

MODEL: PEUGEOT 308 CC S

ENGINE

2.0 HDi turbocharged four-cylinder diesel

Cubic capacity: 1997cc

Bore x Stroke (mm) 85 x 88

No. of  valves: 16

Max power: 100kW @ 4000rpm

Max torque: 320Nm @ 2000rpm

Emission standard: Euro 4

TRANSMISSION

Six-speed automatic with Tiptronic manual mode

PERFORMANCE

Maximum speed:  202km/h

Acceleration 0-100km/h: 11.8sec

0-1000m 33sec

WHEELS AND TYRES

 225/40 R18

Wheel type: 18in alloy

FUEL TANK

Capacity: 60 litres

BRAKES

Ventilated front discs. Rear discs

ABS with Electronic Brake Force

Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist

STEERING

Speed sensitive power steering. Turning circle between kerbs: 10.7m

SUSPENSION

Front: Independent with Macpherson type struts, helical springs and anti-roll bar

Rear: Deformable U-shaped cross-member located by two arms and a hollow anti-roll bar

WEIGHTS

Kerb weight:1695kg

Maximum braked trailer towing

Weight: 1400kg

DIMENSIONS

Length: 4400mm

Width excluding mirrors: 1817mm

Width including mirrors:  2039mm

Height: 1426mm

Wheelbase:  2605mm

Boot volume, roof up/roof down 465/266 litres

CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS

City cycle: 9.6l/100km

Highway cycle: 5.5l/100km

Combined cycle: 7.0l/100km

CO2 emissions:  185g/km