These days, small cars aren’t necessarily cheap and bland; take the funky Fiat 500 or classy Citroen DS3 for example. So Peugeot’s latest supermini, the 208, has to offer the same kind of style, luxury and dynamics to compete. How does it do?
When it comes to aesthetics, the 208 performs very well. The chrome-rimmed grille, swept-back headlights and large, centrally mounted Peugeot badge on the bonnet are all inspired by the SR1 concept car. Place the 208 side-by-side with a Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta or Renault Clio, and it will certainly attract most of the attention.
The cabin gets a similarly stylish design, while our mid-spec Allure boasts sports seats, as well as a leather and chrome steering wheel. A mix of gloss black trim, metal inserts, leather and soft plastics adds to the premium feel. It’s not perfect, though, as the high-mounted dials are sometimes obscured by the small wheel, especially if you’re a tall driver.
Previously we’ve tested the efficient
1.6-litre e-HDi diesel and the naturally aspirated
1.6 VTi petrol. But this is the first time we’ve tried the 1.2 VTi three-cylinder petrol model on UK roads. It has 82bhp, which is good enough for a 0-62mph time of 14 seconds. The engine will be just enough for most people’s needs, with enough power to mix with the big boys on the motorway.
The engine has other benefits, too. Not only does it sound fantastic, right up to the red line, but with economy of 62.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 104g/km the Peugeot should prove incredibly cheap to run, too.
In corners, the 1.2-litre feels like the best-handling 208 yet. A look at the spec sheet reveals the reason why; this engine makes the car 105kg lighter than the four-cylinder petrol we drove. As a result it’s more willing to change direction, and darts in and out of bends with an agility we felt the 208 was previously missing.
Unfortunately, the car is still not as good to drive as the Fiesta – the light and numb steering struggles to deliver much involvement. What’s more, the ride isn’t quite up to scratch. Over rutted roads we noticed the firm suspension set-up sending bumps into the cabin that wouldn’t have been felt in some of the Peugeot’s rivals.
This combination of engine and trim level will set you back £13,495, which is what you’d expect to pay for an equivalent Fiesta or DS3. Compare the 208 on dynamics and it won’t come out on top, but with buyers more and more focused on style, emissions and luxury, the car – this 1.2-litre model in particular – should prove incredibly popular.
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Price aside something is wrong with the figures. 14 sec for 0-60 whatever is even off for the power/weight ratio no matter what long or super short gear ratios they could use to screw it up. Let alone the fact that PAG always announces non realistic, smaller 0-60 times!!!
giorikas81 I have a question... Who are PAG? Is this a new combination of PSA and VAG??
Plus a 0-60mph time is generally used by the companies instead of the 0-62mph (0-100km/h) to make their cars seem faster... That extra half second to get the next 2mph makes a huge difference!
Fiat has been receiving some great reviews of its 500 Twin Air and now this??? Is this the start of a 3 cylinder revolution!!! Thumbs Up
Well it could be a 3 cylinder revolution if the Fiat had 3. It has only 2. ;)
keep praising this car and I haven't even seen one! But I have been so impressed with Peugeot's recent offerings, 5 years ago their range was dull and tired. Now they seem to be getting a bit of style back, plus at long last, judging by this test of the 1.2 - decent handling, couple that with low emissions and cheap running cost this deserves to do very well.
I don't want to say it, but maybe this actually is a deserving successor to the wonderful 205.
anything is better than the woeful badly built 207, we owned one!
Yes it looks like a great car and i notice white rear plates on the 208 is this a sign of things to come ? like France, Spain, Ireland, etc: etc: i think so. Mike Pickering (West Brom)
I remember some friends mentioning Peugeot automotive group...PAG (also as I am not native with english "PAG" sounds the same with "PUG" to me...short for peugeot)> It is PSA! (which again for my line of work indicates the prostate enzyme they search for in blood tests...can't match it with peugeot and citroen!) Sorry, mistake that I can't avoid sometimes!
I still remember citroen announcing 0-62 (yeah with that extra 2) for the xsara 1.4 at about 12,5 whereas the car was 1200kgr and had 75 ps...
How the f*** the 208 weighs under a ton has more ps and is "slower" is beyond me!
Or the motor may be sweet revving but shit as far as power and torque goes.
"Place the 208 side-by-side with a Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta or Renault Clio, and it will certainly attract most of the attention."
..to the AA and RAC I assume.
I now understand where you get the PAG from, and the Pug part I know about having owned a couple of 306's in the past! I like the way you can link PSA to your work, very funny ;)
Maybe they just lied about the weight...!
Probably won't be as reliable as any Japanese based car. But what cars are?
To all you fools out there complaining about the 0-62 or 60 or whatever figures. The equivalent spec Fiesta has a stated 0 - 60 time of 13.3 and a combined fuel consumption of 50.4mpg AND CO2 of 129, which equates to £100 per year for road fund licence. The 208 whilst slower has a combined fuel consumption of 62.8 and emits only 104 CO2's which means only £20 per year. You want a faster car, BUY A BIGGER ENGINE! I would prefer to pay less to run the car than get to 60 0.7 seconds quicker, which I guarantee you wouldn't really notice anyway.
Oh and the 1.4 Fiesta is both slower and less efficient than the equilavent 208.
I now understand where you get the PAG from, and the Pug part I know about having owned a couple of 306's in the past! I like the way you can link PSA to your work, very funny ;)
Maybe they just lied about the weight...!
Is it just me or do Peugeot simply reduce or enlarge the same drawing when they want a new model?
A DS3 for £13,495?! The cheapest DS3 that comes close to the Allure specification is the is the DStyle which starts at £14,600 for the smallest 1.6 petrol. It seems Autoexpress needs to do their research!
and it's how much?!!
The above mentioned 0-62mph times are a joke,a 94 reg Micra,yes Micra 1275cc with a mere 75bhp & 172k would eat it & many a more car's 0-62 times,it done it in 9 !
I had a look at the 208 on Peugeot's website and the Access+ with this engine seemed a fairly decent combination.
OK, it's not the most inspiring spec, but seems a fair compromise between style and substance.
Now all we need is the 208 to come with the "Just Add Fuel" personal lease package.
ordered my 1.2 white allure saturday just gone (15th Sept) and I was told I have to wait until December/January to collect it?! Any one else experiencing a delay problem?