Peugeot 208
All-new supermini is here: we’ve driven it
PEUGEOT has a lot to live up to with the new 208 – not just against brilliant rivals such as the latest Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo but also because of the French brand’s string of recent successes with the likes of the 3008 and 5008.
The new offering certainly looks like no other supermini, that’s for sure. There’s a bold face with Peugeot’s latest grille design, sleek headlights and vertical LED daytime running lights and short overhangs.
Underneath it all, the 208 sits on the PSA Group’s new small car platform, called CMP. It’s been designed to cater for different powertrains, so that means the 208 (and its sister car, the Vauxhall Corsa) can come with a petrol engine, a diesel engine or as a pure-electric vehicle. Options include a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 75bhp, 99bhp or 128bhp, a 1.5-litre diesel that develops 99bhp, or a 134bhp EV version.
The 208’s cabin is the car’s stand-out feature. Apart from a smattering of hard plastics on the doors and glovebox lid, there are soft-touch materials across the dash and it feels really well put together.
There are lots of nice design details, too, such as contrast stitching and configurable ambient lighting. Space inside is no better than adequate, though; six-footers will be a little tight in the back and the boot is just average for the class, at 311 litres.
For now there are just four trim levels, with petrol, diesel and electric offered across all models, apart from the rangetopping GT, which only comes on the e-208.
Active starts at £16,250 and gets 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear parking sensors and the latest i-Cockpit set-up.
Allure adds 17-inch wheels, an upgraded 3D i-Cockpit, LED rear lights and a wireless charging pad for your smartphone. GT Line features 205 GTi-aping black wheelarch extensions, diamond-cut alloy wheels and LED headlights. The £29,650 electric GT gets the 10-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-keep assist and blind-spot assist.
That level of kit sounds impressive – and it is – but the 208 is not a cheap car. Our 1.2 130 GT Line eight-speed auto came in at £23,350; the equivalent new Clio R.S. Line TCe 130 Auto is £3,000 cheaper. Peugeot promises keen finance deals, though.
Get behind the wheel and you quickly realise that the wow factor of the exterior design and interior quality hasn’t quite translated to the driving experience. It’s not what you’d call bad, but there are little things that remind you just how polished a Ford Fiesta is.
For instance, the steering is desperately short on feedback and feels a little too light; couple this with the small steering wheel and it’s hard to know where the front wheels are pointing sometimes. Visibility over the shoulder and out of the back is a little restricted, too, which is a bugbear around town.
The 128bhp 1.2-litre three-pot engine is a gem, however. There’s very little lowdown turbo lag, it has a real fizz to the way it spins up to the red line and, unlike in the old 208, the motor doesn’t make itself heard too much. The eight-speed automatic gearbox changes gears pretty
“The cabin is the stand-out feature, with its contrast stitching and configurable lighting”
much imperceptibly, as well. However, the six-speed manual feels a bit too rubbery, which is a common PSA trait.
The 208 is a remarkably refined car to drive along quickly, with hardly any wind or road noise. The ride is pretty good too, because it does a rather good job at being comfortable most of the time. At low speeds around town it can get a bit jarring, but on the whole it’s soft and compliant.
“Unfortunately, the steering is desperately short on feedback and is also a little too light”