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Added allure for new Peugeot supermini

Peugeot 208 5 Door 1.4 HDi Allure 70 car test review
PEUGEOT’S new 208 supermini offers less of the cheeky chappy character and more of the classy carriage. But can it carry off the image change?

Car review: Sam Hardy
Peugeot 208 bay
Peugeot 208: Upmarket cabin and better looks refresh familiar mechanicals

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23 May 2012

 

Peugeot 208: Upmarket cabin and better looks refresh familiar mechanicals

 

Peugeot 208 5 Door 1.4 HDi Allure 70

Car review: Sam Hardy

What is it?

A supermini that’s desperately trying to head upmarket. The new Peugeot 208 rivals Ford Fiesta and VW Polo and has a stylish new look inside and out plus a range of highly efficient diesels and new three cylinder petrols.

Underneath the skin, the Peugeot 208 is not that new using a modified version of the 207’s platform. Available in three and five door form, it still represents good value with prices starting from £9,995, as before.

Our test is of the £15,195 1.4 Diesel Allure 70 model in the five-door body shape.

 

What’s hot?

  • It’s a very pretty car with a sleek, feline shape, LED headlights, bold slashes in the bodywork and options like a panoramic roof
  • Inside there’s a great mix of piano black plastic, metals and even leathers on some models. It feels upmarket
  • There’s a new touchscreen on the centre console which controls functions like satnav etc
  • It can be loaded with bespoke apps, ranging from ones that find you the nearest petrol station to a Michelin-starred restaurant
  • The panoramic roof gets lovely ambient blue lighting around its interior edges
  • Weight has been slashed by well over 100kg on average per model and the car feels more agile
  • Despite being slightly smaller than the 207, it’s more spacious inside
  • All of the HDi diesels emit less than 100g/km. The 92bhp and 115bhp are best as they are quite quick and still do 60mpg
  • The petrol highlight is a 1.2-litre 3cyl which sounds great, goes well and does 60mpg
  • The top-spec 155bhp 1.6 turbo is very fast
  • Around corners the 208 has good grip and decent agility. A new small steering helps the sporty feel

 

What’s not?

  • The dials have been raised above the steering wheel to make them easier to read, but the steering wheel obscures your view of them despite being 3cm smaller in diameter than before
  • All of the petrol engines up to and including the 120bhp 1.6 VTi have an awful, imprecise 5spd ‘box
  • Without a sixth gear, they are all very noisy on the motorway too
  • The ride is unsettled, thumping over bumps, while the body rolls quite a lot
  • A Ford Fiesta is much more fun to drive, while a VW Polo is more grown up and comfortable

Peugeot 208 5 Door 1.4 HDi Allure 70 – the low-down

P11D Value: £ 15,140
Monthly business rental (ex VAT): From £179 (3yrs/30,000 miles)
Tax Bands 2011/12 to 2013/14: 13%, 14%, 18%
Benefit in kind 2011/12 to 2013/14: £1,968, £2,120, £2,271
Engine: 1.4  4 cyl turbocharged diesel
CO2 Emissions: 98g/km
Power/torque: 143PS/305Nm
0-62mph/top speed: 15.5 secs/101mph
Economy (official): 74.3mpg

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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