Peugeot 206 XT 2001 Review

When you cast your eye over the 206, and take in the aggressive wedge shaped bonnet, the 'No Fear' eyes of the headlamps, and its purposeful crouched stance on the road you just know it's got what it takes to ring more than a few bells.

The latest in a long line of highly successful hatchbacks from France, the Peugeot 206 draws heavily on its hot hatch heritage to secure a strong position on the highly competitive front row.

Hatchbacks attempt to fall into three categories, cheap and unashamedly utilitarian, small man tough and brawling, or chic and mischievous. The 206 falls into the latter group. If this sounds a little too effeminate for all you red-blooded males, think again, because this car is an absolute hoot to drive.

IN THE HOOT SEAT
Once you've dropped into the seat and made all the necessary adjustments to suit your particular body shape, the 206 is a very comfortable small car. You could drive this thing a long way without being made to suffer for your choice of vehicle.

I liked the layout of the dash and controls, but didn't like the foot pedals which are too close together for my size 10 plates. If they reduced the size of the foot rest block and spaced the levers more, the car would be easier to control when using the brake and clutch together.

Talking of the clutch, my main gripe with the car concerns the clutch biting at the very end of its travel, which made the nippy get aways the car is capable off, a noisy and sometimes less than coordinated exercise.

GOES LIKE A GOOD'UN
The 1.6 litre 16 valve motor is a sweetheart. It revs like a good 'un and has enough power (82kW) to make indecent progress when the mood is upon you. There must be a heavy flywheel in the casings though, because coming off the pedal changing up and down doesn't see the revs drop as smartly as you'd like. The result is the changes that should be quick and slick, are slow and noisy. It's possible this will improve with a few K's under the wheels.

The five-speed gear change itself is typically French in that it's super light and probably designed by a chef. Drive this and you'll never have trouble beating eggs again. However to be fair, the thing never missed a shift and was no worse than most other small cars, and better than a lot.

If the flywheel does little for the sporty side of the equation then it certainly helps at the pumps. The manual supplied with the car said 'mixed driving' would see 14.5 km/l. When I did the sums after plenty of errm - energetic mixed driving I was absolutely stunned to see with 16.4 km/l. You've gotta be happy with that! Apparently that figure can be improved to an entirely wallet friendly 17.8km/l on a highway run.

Where the little 206 really shines is in handling. It's easy to see why the car is the basis for a World Championship winning rally car, this thing corners so hard and with such control it's spooky. Yeah, yeah a WRX handles good too, but this is a base level two wheel drive funster. There's a bit more body roll than with some others, but that's the French for you, but does it ever stick to the road! The suspension, which is nothing special technically and provides a high degree of comfort, does more than a good job of putting a smile on your dial when you're up for a bit of spirited fun.

QUALITY
Buy one of these and you'd have to be impressed with the build quality. The interior is not just laid out well, but also provides the driver with the sensation that they're driving a more expensive vehicle. Interior noise, something I'm very fussy about is virtually non-existent. No rattles, buzzing or knocking, indicating that insulation, as well as fit and finish has received careful attention.

SUMMING UP
The combination of quality, looks, great handling and incredible fuel economy, means this stylish little motorcar has an awful lot to offer anyone who wants a car that stands out and makes you feel good. If it doesn't attract a host of happy buyers, I'm a turnip.