Peugeot 208

Peugeot 208 information: everything you need to know if you have pre-ordered it, are thinking of buying one or just want to find out more about Peugeot’s superlight supermini. Click on the links below for all of CAR magazine’s news, reviews, videos, scoops and spy photos of the new 208 car range. We list the top five stories for each model – and where appropriate you can click on ‘More’ to browse even more of our archive content.

Background

A big step on from the 207, the Peugeot 208 was the first Pug to try the titchy steering wheel and raised instrument cluster setup, where you look over, rather than through, the wheel at the dials. There’s a wide range of engines, from 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrols to a punchy 1.6-litre diesel, and a GTi version that’s more refined than raw. For more information on the Peugeot 208 click on our further stories on the links below.

60sec road test

One of the 208’s standout strengths is its cabin. Smart, minimal and dominated by an enormous (yet fiddly) touchscreen, it’s an attractive environment, if one with a few foibles. That steering wheel/instrument setup is divisive, either innovative and interesting or ergonomically flawed and gimmicky, depending on which side of the fence you occupy. In fact, the 208 range as a whole seems to occupy several camps as this is the very definition of a spec-sensitive car. The five-speed manual gearbox on three-cylinder cars is slack and horrible but the six-speed on other variants is fine, interiors range from austere to decadent depending on which trim you plump for, and even the handling seems to vary dramatically from car to car depending on its wheels and spec. Choose the right combination, though, and it’s an appealing supermini. As for the GTi, it’s genuinely fast and surprisingly comfortable, but less thrilling than we’d hoped.