The 2020 Peugeot 208 was a breath of fresh air for the French brand, which has long been seen as a company for those who aren't into their cars. The old 107 and 207 were budget cars and for many, their first taste of motoring. However, it wasn't always like this for the automaker, which produced the classic 106 and 205 GTIs.
The New 208 has an eyecatching design which brings Peugeot into a second life. Peugeot offers a large range of trims, albeit not a fully-fledged hot GTI to rival the Ford Fiesta ST or Volkswagen Polo GTI. As standard, the New 208 comes with cruise control, hill hold assist, exterior temperature and ice warning, as well as disc brakes all around, putting it ahead of cheaper vehicles in this segment. The car comes with the option of four trims, Active Premium, Allure Premium, GT, and GT Premium.
The GT trim level is what Peugeot put in their marketing materials, it has the most attractive exterior. However, the Allure is in the middle of the range and has enough additional equipment to justify the extra outlay. By opting for the Allure trim, a customer gets the increased cabin comforts of the base electric vehicle model, such as a second rear USB socket as well as Automatic Windscreen wipers. On the exterior, the Allure still has 16-inch wheels like the Active trim, but they are called "Soho" and look more premium.
The Peugeot 208 Allure is an excellent middle of the range supermini that rivals the Fiesta and Polo.
A Bold Future
The previous 208 was sold by Peugeot with lines like "Irresistible design". An evolution of design in the early noughties Peugeot had continued to revise their template as they brought it into the modern with the addition of a large infotainment display and LED headlights, but it still fell a long way behind both in desirability and sales numbers than its direct competition as found in the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa.
Gilles Vidal, the designer behind the new and bold Renault 5 Electric is responsible for the design overhaul at Peugeot, which has resulted in bold, eye-catching designs like the new 3008 and culminating in the new 208. When the model found its way into the hand of the motoring press, it was called "The best car...for the least money" by Car Wow, and the "the most stylish supermini" by Car Buyer. The electric model has even been slated as one of the best budget electric cars.
The exterior is bold in its direction, shrinking down the design motifs of the brand's larger cars to form a futuristic front fascia with daytime running lights that run down like a tear from the headlights to the bumper. This hides the fact that the car, by all definitions, is an incredibly normal shape for a hatchback, as seen in the vehicle's unremarkable side profile.
The rear continues the car's design revolution with a contrasting black strip of trim running between the headlights; this feature provides more shape to what could otherwise be a rather unstylish rear, like on the old 208 which was in production from 2015.
A Space Age Interior
Peugeot's concept cars have long been looking to improve upon their car's interiors, bringing them into the future. This was proven by their Instinct Concept, which strived to turn the car into, as Auto Car describe "an extension of the owner’s home when in autonomous mode", an almost living room like experience.
The 208 throughout achieves this, by innovating in cabin design, an area where cars in the supermini class tend to cut corners. The 208 has two large displays, the first an instrument panel which is housed in a science fiction inspired case, and the second a central infotainment display which is 7 inches on most models or 10 inches on the higher specifications.
In a design move inspired by Lamborghini buttons on the center console have an air of the aeronautical about them. Just above them are touch-sensitive shortcuts for the infotainment system. A comically small steering wheel gives a little more room for the driver, continuing the design philosophy behind the french manufacturer's concept cars. However, some reviewers have mentioned that the wheel can obscure the instrument panel in some driving positions.
It Offers More Options Than The Competition
The 208 comes with a range of petrol and diesel engines as well as one Electric option. The engines range between 75 and 129 hp, and the electric offering provides 136 hp, which in a way is the GTI of this model reaching sixty miles per hour in 7.8 seconds a full second faster than the Up! GTI. All of the four trim levels can come as petrol, diesel or electric.
This level of choice is not yet offered by the competing manufacturers at this price point, Volkswagen has sold the E-Golf and E-Up! for a while as well as more recently launching the ID.3, but they haven't electrified the Polo. The Fiat 500E costs more than the 208 with its Italian retro-chic coming at a premium.
Ford are yet to offer a fully electric Fiesta. Instead, they sell hybrid drivetrains utilizing their 1.0-liter power unit. As a result, the new 208 is an excellent offering in the supermini segment, offering functionality their competition does not. The Allure trim level offers increased functionality without inflating prices excessively.