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Peugeot 208 2012 review: road test

EXPERT RATING
6

There’s a lot riding on the small shoulders of the Peugeot 208. It follows in the long shadow of the iconic 205 that became the benchmark light hatch in 1983 and shone a halo bright enough to draw 15 million buyers to Peugeot 2-series cars – including the less-glowing 206 and dimmer 207 - since then. 

And the new baby has arrived in a cash-strapped household, forced to sell off a room full of shares to General Motors. But the 208 is dressed for success, and with the right spec and pricing should be able to help fill the family coffers.

Design

Warnings about reinventing the wheel have been dismissed with a Gallic shrug, and Peugeot has reinvented the one you steer with. 

It’s been shrunk to dinner plate size so the instrument panel behind it can migrate to the top of the dash. At 35cm wide and 32cm deep, the wheel feels immediately comfortable in the hands, and the new instrument position – viewed over rather than through the wheel - will probably take a couple of days to bed into the brain cells, but then start to feel natural. 

That idiosyncrasy aside, the 208 is the best looker in the city car field, with a chic little body and perfectly-judged amount of ‘jewelry’: a grille that floats in its surrounds, chrome accents, LED head and taillights … even the optional blue LED accents for the glass panorama roof look classy. 

The 208 is 110kg-173kg lighter than the 207 models. And it’s shorter, but Peugeot says there’s been no space penalty for legs or luggage – which gets 484 litres in the three-door, swelling to 811 with the rear seat down.

Technology

Overseas markets get a range of 10 engines; five petrol and five diesel. We get four of those, starting with a 66kW/118Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder manual but with a semi-automated transmission to follow shortly after launch.

Above that sit the four-cylinders: a 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre VTi in manual but with auto option, 115kW/240-260Nm 1.6-litre turbo manual and 86kW/230Nm 1.6-litre e-HDI diesel manual (with stop-start).

Value

The 208 will arrive with three- and five-door bodies in three spec levels – Active, Allure and Feline. Spec and prices will be announced closer to the October launch, but Peugeot Australia says the range will start sub-$20,000 for the 1.2-litre manual (an auto will arrive later). 

And while that entry level overseas is fairly stripped spec, it’s likely we’ll get some extra kit here, including the touchscreen and alloy wheels that start one level higher in other markets. 

And overseas, the CD player will be optional - acknowledgement that downloading is killing the silver disc - but a decision is yet to be made for our market.

The base model is pitted against the VW Polo, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Swift as main rivals, with a strong second row from Hyundai’s Accent and i20, Holden Barina and Nissan Micra. But most buyers for Euro city style are in the premium light class segment – and Peugeot owns that field at 51 per cent, selling more than Fiat 500, Alfa MiTo, Citroen C2 (and all the rest) put together. 

Safety

The exiting 207 gets five ANCAP stars and with the 208 you can expect the same rating and similar safety equipment: six airbags, stability control and anti-skid brakes with electronic aids for panic stops and uneven loading.

Driving

It might have a baby wheel but this is no Barbie car. The massive weight drop plus tweaks to suspension springs and variable-input dampers makes for much better handling than the 207. 

Cornering is grippy and nimble fun, and the steering speed and precision tips in for the party, but it feels remote and over-assisted - especially at higher speeds.

We’ve had to ‘mangez le crow’ over our prediction that the 1.2-litre three-pot would be a dud. It’s got ample outputs to capably punt the light 208 around, although fully loading all seats will probably have it gritting its teeth for hillclimbs.

That aside, the three-cylinder is sprightly and well-balanced, and there’s nothing wanting from it – except for it to come in the higher spec. It would be easy to picture it as a fully-dressed city mouse, twitching its chic little tail on the upmarket circuit.

Of the three drivetrains we tested (the turbo we’re also getting wasn’t on the launch), the tiddler ended up being our clear favourite.

The 1.6-litre diesel was quiet and smooth, and with the oiler ability to keep delivering torque through the range, it ate up the highway and could still overtake happily from 120km/h. The e-HDi’s six-speed manual transmission is smooth and precise, but the shift feel will be too firm for some.

Following the diesel, the 1.6-litre petrol VTi up next felt underdone, but mainly suffered being undermined by a five-speed manual – we kept wishing for an extra cog on the highway. Cabins are well-trimmed across the range, and the grey plastics and fabrics of the lower spec suffer only in comparison with the premium look and feel of Feline’s top-spec fit-out.

Clever packaging means there’s as much space in the 208 as in the larger 207 it’s replacing – which means still tight in the rear seat. And new sound-damping means wind rush around the A-pillar and along the seam of the panorama glass roof was the only irritant to invade the otherwise quiet cabin.

Verdict

It looks great inside and out, and with the right combinations of drivetrain, price and spec this is one that should be on every hatch shopper’s test drive list.

 

Pricing guides

$8,999
Based on 6 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$7,900
Highest Price
$11,990

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
Allure Sport 1.6L, PULP, 6 SP MAN $5,940 – 8,360 2012 Peugeot 208 2012 Allure Sport Pricing and Specs
Active 1.2L, PULP, 5 SP MAN $4,510 – 6,600 2012 Peugeot 208 2012 Active Pricing and Specs
Allure 1.6L, PULP, 4 SP AUTO $5,610 – 7,920 2012 Peugeot 208 2012 Allure Pricing and Specs
Allure Premium 1.6L, PULP, 4 SP AUTO $6,160 – 8,690 2012 Peugeot 208 2012 Allure Premium Pricing and Specs
EXPERT RATING
6
Karla Pincott
Editor

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