Lots of allure in this car
PEUGEOT: NEW 1.6 HDI HAS MANY PLUSSES, NOT LEAST OF WHICH IS THE DIESEL ENGINE
One of its biggest selling points is the excellent fuel consumption. André de Kock
Scientists and engineers tell us that nothing in the universe is indestructible. They are, of course, wrong. Many things can simply not be broken.
Those little sachets of shampoo that you encounter in a Holiday Inn shower. Once you are wet and covered in soap, there is no force known to mankind that could rupture them. Indestructible. Secondly, e-tolls. They do not work, lose many millions every month, and are called a catastrophic failure by the very people who put them in place.
But, do they remove them, break down the towers or put them to some practical use? Never. Indestructible. There are other, more pleasant examples.
High on our list are diesel engines.
Lightly stressed, low-revving and almost always over-engineered for their chosen task, they are, generally speaking, indestructible.
Which brings us to the all-new Peugeot 2008 Allure 1.6 HDI.
It comes powered by a four-cylinder, 1 560cc turbodiesel engine, which delivers a maximum power output of 68 kW at 4 000 rpm, linked to a 230 Nm torque peak, reached at just 1 750 rpm.
Drive goes to the front wheel via a five-speed manual gearbox.
Low revolutions and basic technology – stuff that inspires confidence in product longivity.
Which is not to say the 2008 Allure 1,6 HDI is a boring car.
Its outside appearance is dominated by a bold, upright, black grille with a prominent Peugeot Lion emblem, flanked by black and chrome-masked headlights.
The whole package sits on attractive 17-inch alloy wheels in M+S all-terrain tyres.
A raised ride height offers 165 mm of ground clearance, and the large tailgate opens wide and high to create a generous loading aperture to the 410 litres of luggage space.
Inside, the Allure offers half-leather upholstery and a small, thick-rimmed, soft grip steering wheel which houses key controls for the audio system, hands-free telephone, speed limiter and cruise control systems.
The centrepiece of the new 2008 SUV’s dashboard is a centrally located, 18cm wide colour touch-screen display, via which one can access FM/AM radio, audio playback, the USB port and integrated Bluetooth-based handsfree telephoning.
Standard equipment is com- prehensive, with remote central locking, electrically operated windows and mirrors, full climate control, rear park distance control, hill start assistance, automatic activating windscreen wipers with rain sensor, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, and tinted rear windows.
Safety features include disc brakes all round, ABS and EBD plus an electronic stability programme.
The front fog lights include a cornering function to illuminate the inside of curves at night.
If all of the above does not prevent you from crashing, the 2008 is equipped with six airbags, head restraints for all five seating positions, and inertia reel seatbelts.
The central locking system incorporates automatic door locking on pull-off, plus electric child locks for the rear doors. Braking hard will automatically trigger the hazard flashers.
With just 68 kW of grunt available, one would expect the new 2008 to be pedestrian, but that is not the case.
It displays a remarkable forward surge at low revs – a direct result of the 230 Nm torque figure, and one of the main reasons why we just love diesel powered cars.
It will easily keep up with city traffic and cruises at 120 km/h in top gear, with just over 2 300rpm on the clock.
Peugeot say it will reach a top velocity of 180 km/h and we have no reason to doubt them.
Finally, one of the car’s biggest selling points – we averaged a fuel consumption figure of 6.7 l/100 km during the test, and believe that other, smoother, drivers should achieve even better results.
The 2008 SUV Allure 1.6 HDi Manual will set you back R299 900.
The price includes a threeyear/100 000 km warranty, a three-year/45 000 km service plan, a three-year paint warranty and roadside assistance.