According to the marketing fluff, the new 208 combines the spirit of the 206 and the practicality of the 207. But just minutes into my test drive of the supermini, I was ready to challenge the practicality aspect and that’s because the cruise control stalk had been hidden behind the steering wheel. No, that isn’t practical at all. And it wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about the five-door hatch.
The French would say it was chic, but I’d say the touchscreen was annoying. It ought to have been called a ‘prod as hard as you can with your thumb screen’ because that’s the only way I could get it to work. It did have some things going for it though, such as its size. It’s not only large at 7.0in, but it has been projected out into the cabin from the centre of the dash, making it easy to reach. But not easy to read.
The grey and blue graphics aren’t the clearest. My other quibble was with the steering. Sneeze and you’d surely cut across three lanes on Shaikh Zayed Road. It was far too sensitive and soft. Other than that, I found the attractive 208 to be a properly decent little car. It wasn’t too fussy nor did it have an overly accessorised interior and I thoroughly enjoyed the peppy 1.6-litre motor armed with variable valve lift and timing injection, that was good for 120bhp — more than enough to get this sculpted Pug moving, and quickly.
With 160Nm of torque on tap, the front rubbers chirped delightfully every time I hammered the throttle. I always find wheelspin-ability a plus point in any car. Compared to the outgoing, flabby 207, this was a far more chiselled and elegant proposition that benefited from a reduced front overhang of 60mm and a 10mm shorter rear overhang. The exterior was certainly appealing and I was glad Peugeot had ditched the silly grinning grille for a more serious looking one.
It felt more agile and lively, which would make for quite an entertaining daily driver. I only had it for a couple of days but in that short space of time, it managed to make quite an impression. 173kg lighter than the porky predecessor, the 208 was every bit as nimble as its 975kg mass would suggest. I wanted to put that to the test so, off I went in search of — of all things — traffic. I knew it’d buzz around and in and out of jams with absolute ease and it didn’t disappoint.
It’s funny how some cars bring out the devil in you and since this was so easy to drive and capable of dealing with rush-hour traffic, it was doing just that. I liked the small steering wheel swathed with leather and chrome; it gave the 208 a race-car like feel, but I found the instrument panel was too easily blocked when I adjusted it upwards. The interior was very spacious, especially for front-seat passengers and head- and legroom was aplenty up top, while those at the back wouldn’t mind long-distance journeys at all.
The seats were nicely contoured and padded while the back bench even had an Isofix child-seat support built in. The AC blew ice cold within moments of turning it on and there was an adequate amount of storage space. The fact that the windows still worked even when the engine was off and that it had automatic wipers and headlights were all plus points. There was much more to like than dislike, so the fact that it didn’t have a CD player but did have two USB ports was a minor nuisance.
The 1.6-litre motor was quiet, linear and punchy, but the four-speed automatic that it was mated to seemed a little lost at times. Things improved when I hit the tiny Sport button — the 208 held the gears much longer, allowing for a far more spirited drive. The ride was fairly soft; it felt a tad like Peugeots of yesteryear. Sadly, it wasn’t quite like the old 205. Naturally, the 208 GTI will provide far more driving pleasure, but this one went about its business in an orderly, easy-going manner.
It’s smaller, lighter and much improved over the chubby 207 and because of that, offers a far more enjoyable drive. It handles well, has enough power to make life exciting and despite the small proportions, the interior is still roomy. I may not have been convinced by certain aspects, such as the touchscreen, perhaps I’m too old to get it.
After all, this car is aimed at the youth market who are far more clued up with all the latest whizbangery than me. Throw in 16in Black Diamond alloys, a six-speaker sound system and Bluetooth connectivity, and they won’t go wrong with this. And that isn’t marketing fluff.
