Peugeot introduced the 307 lineup in 2001 as a replacement for its aged 306 hatchback and added the station-wagon version, named SW, in 2002.
Since most European brands had a compact station wagon in their offer, Peugeot had to do something slightly different to prove its experience in that segment. The carmaker named its wagon SW (Sport-Wagon), and offered it a panoramic glass-roof to enhance the onboard experience.

The 307 featured the French carmaker’s new design language, which showed feline-inspired shape for the headlights. While it couldn’t fit a lion nose in the grille, it made it with one horizontal slat and stuck the company badge in the middle. In the apron, the carmaker installed a smiling-shaped grille and a black lip at the bottom. The rear doors featured a straight-up frame for the window. In the back, the vertical tailgate was extended downward and cut a big chunk of the bumper, thus allowing a lower load area.

Inside, the carmaker installed comfortable seats at the front and a 60/40 split-folding bench in the back. With all seats in place, the 307 SW offered 504 liters (17.8 cu-ft), while with the bench folded, it provided up to 1539 liters (54.3 cu-ft). Thanks to the tall greenhouse and straight roofline, the rear passengers had more headroom in the SW than in the regular hatchback version.

Under the hood, Peugeot offered a wide choice of gasoline and turbo-diesel engines. Most versions were paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, and, for selected engines, a four-speed automatic was on the options list.