Motoring
The Peugeot 208 has just scored the European Car of the Year award, but it isn’t due to land in New Zealand until next year.
Luckily, we were over in France for the launch of the 2008 late last year and also got to spend a couple of days in a pair of fresh 208s around Paris – one petrol and one electric.
Demand, basically. Peugeot is selling pretty much every 208 it can make at the moment, so little RHD markets like us just have to wait until it can free up some space for us.
And after spending a couple of days buzzing around in the two different 208s, I have to say I really can see why the demand is there – it is a fantastic little thing.
The two we spent our time in were top spec GT models, one powered by the Peugeot’s brilliant 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, and the other was the pure electric version that packs a 100kW/260Nm electric motor and a 50kWh battery pack, and both were an absolute blast to scurry around the streets of Paris in.
Nope, not at all. The 208 follows the same approach Peugeot has taken with its 2008 SUV cousin.
The company offers multiple trim levels with a choice of petrol, diesel or electric propulsion across them, rather than a separate dedicated EV model.
We won’t see the diesel powertrain here, but both the most powerful 96kW petrol engine and the 100kW electric will land here.
There will be only minimal visual differences between them – the EV gets some body-coloured grille highlights and some modest badging.
Peugeot’s clever battery packaging means there is no difference in cargo space or interior room between the petrol and electric models.
The EV is obviously heavier, the driving experience is remarkably similar as well.
It’s the former – the EV does have a noticeable edge over the petrol off the line, but it isn’t ridiculously fast. Rather – either by design or co-incidence – it delivers its performance much like the petrol model once the initial electric ‘‘instant-torque’’ punch has occurred.
This is likely by design, as Peugeot is trying to keep the electric 208 as ‘‘normal’’ as possible.
And it is remarkable how similar both are in performance and dynamics – among the frantic, impatient and unforgiving traffic in Paris, both are utterly fantastic at sliding into the smallest gap when it presents itself.
The EV has a slight edge here because it always has that instant electric torque, but the petrol doesn’t lose out by much, as the engine is willingly strong right across its rev range and the 8-speed transmission has the almost uncanny ability to be in the right gear at the right time. This is particularly uncanny for a French car, too . . .
Out on the highways and open roads heading away from Paris, both 208s are equally at home as well. The petrol has a slight edge over the EV, thanks to its lower weight and eager engine.
Both are an absolute blast to flick around a winding back road, bringing back memories of a 1996 205 GTI I owned many years ago with their sharp, accurate handling and superbly eager and responsive chassis.
Peugeot 208 GT Base price: $TBA Powertrain and economy:
It really doesn’t matter, as both are quite brilliant – it literally comes down to which one would fit your life better.
The EV has a range of up to 340km (under the new WLTP test cycle, or 450km under the older, less reliable NEDC test cycle), which is perfectly fine for most people, but if it makes you
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