Peugeot continues the numbers game with its new model, the 208.  We’ve seen 205, 206, 207 and now the new model continues that theme. With the 208, Peugeot has gone back to the drawing board.  Larger than the 207, it replaces, this five door hatch is more revolution than evolution in its design, having a redesigned front with swept back headlamps and a smaller wide mouth grille that has been rolled out across the range rather than the rather ugly gaping gap beneath the bumper that was present on the previous model. 

 

 

Available in either three or five door form, the car is 68mm shorter than the car it replaces, which was 4047mm, and it is immediately obvious by the short overhangs it has. It is available in seven variants and with prices that range from £10,595 to £17,045 for the range topping Feline model.  The Peugeot mascot is a lion, after all….

 

The new car looks much better in its revised form from the front and less bulky from the side. There’s no suage line to add interest to the side of the car, it’s just a bit plain jane, in our metallic silver test car, but the proportions are good and a smattering of chrome and nice alloy wheels give it an attractive appearance. So far, so good.

 

The interior trim is fairly hard scratchy plastic in most places in the cabin, which is disappointing but durable if you’ve got children or are fairly hard user of the interior of your car.

 

The seats are typically french and are softly sprung with a spongy feel. The side bolsters have lots of give in them but are fairly supportive. It has a chrome gear lever and lashings of black polished plastic around the cabin which makes it a rather austere place to be.

 

The driving position is poor, despite the comfortable seat; I’ve got the seat set to its lowest position and my view of the instrument panel is blighted by the steering wheel, which at its highest, does a jolly good job of obscuring any useful information that the binnacle can tell me. The steering wheel has the usual telephone and radio controls on it, and cruise control which is easy to operate. 

 

The heating controls are low down and the audio system is high up, which is good for ease of operation. At the top of the centre of the dash is a touch screen; it looks pretty flash but it’s not the most responsive or user friendly system I've experienced It sits between the driver and front seat passenger and has DAB, giving me the opportunity to listen to something other than the usual main stream radio stations.  Sound quality is good and the ability to retain its signal is excellent, which is something I was concerned about and did some research on line to see if it was likely to drop out regularly. I’m pleased to say that during regular use, it showed no signs of it.  Hard luck, though, if you’re a CD fan, because it’s obviously old tech now, and there’s no facility to play any in this car.

 

The car has small interior lights in the footwell, which is a nice touch and with both front seats set for me, there appears to be plenty of room in the rear for tall and small people alike. Three can sit comfortably across the rear bench for either a short or long journey without much of an issue and the seats have the same squashy french feel giving a degree of support, but I prefer firmer ones if I’m honest.

 

The boot is a good shape as it’s wide and flat at 285 litres and the lip into the floor is nice and shallow.

 

On the road, it has a few flaws that hold it back. The car’s five speed EGC gearbox (electronic gear control) can’t be rushed. Adopt a lazy driving style and it’s fine, but if you want to press on, unfortunately it lurches from one gear to the next which hampers progress and dilutes the driving experience, sadly.

 

Whilst it’s good fun on a country road, the suspension sometimes feels old fashioned and unsettled over the broken and rough road surfaces The new car has been compared to the legendary Peugeot 205 that is held in regard for its handling and on road capability. Press on at a reasonable operating speed, say above 40mph, the car pulls well and is good to drive with pin sharp accurate steering and is nicely weighted during manoeuvres but around town, the gearbox lets it down badly. Opt for the manual version if you can, would be my view and you should have a nippy, responsive car that’s equally good in town and on the open road. The 1.2 engine is eager and willing without being buzzy or dull, it’s just a bad match with the gearbox.

 

On the plus side, running costs should be low thanks to a broad offering of frugal petrol and diesel engines, including e-HDI diesels which successfully blend useful performance with good economy. 50mpg in real world driving should be achieveable without even trying. There’s also a 1.0-litre three-cylinder that starts at less than £10,000 and a full-fat, 200PS GTI for those of us who like a little more, er, speed.  

 

Verdict

 

An improvement on the car it replaces in terms of its looks, and once out on to the open road, it’s good to drive with responsive steering and those small car dynamics that are hard to describe, but they’re there. The result, a fun handling car that shares more than a hint of the legendary Peugeot 205. It’s just a shame about that gearbox.

 

Will it fit your parking space ?

 

Length 3962mm  Width 2004 mm Height 1460 mm

 

MPG Urban 51 mpg

Extra Urban 72 mpg

Combined 63 mpg

CO2 -104g/km

VED Band B

Engine: 1199cc

Power 82bhp

Torque 87

Transmission: 5 speed auto

0-62mph: 12.2 seconds

The car does not appeal to me I am afraid. It is way behind the game compared to something like the Fiesta in chassis finesse. In terms of powertrain too, its motor is outclassed by the 1.0 ecoboost the VW 1.2 TSI and Vauxhall who is soon to introduce a lightly turbocharged 1.0 triple. Star has to be the ecoboost however. Still amazed at how such a small engine can be so tractable and eager in a car as big as the Focus.