Peugeot 208 Allure 2013 Review

Peugeot 208 Allure
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $21,990
Options fitted (not included in above price): Metallic paint $750
Crash rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 134
Also consider: Ford Fiesta Zetec, Mazda2 Genki

Peugeot 208 Allure Sport
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $26,490
Options fitted (not included in above price): Metallic paint $750
Crash rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 135
Also consider: Alfa Romeo MiTo Progression, Citroen DS3 DSport

Peugeot's 208 is another model locked and loaded to change your views about where the French marque is headed. The large 508 was a game-changer, the small 208 proves it wasn't a fluke.

Three distinct variants sampled by motoring.com.au in recent weeks delivered on their promise across a wide spectrum of criteria – at entry level, in the middle ground and at the very summit of the range. We kicked off with the 208 Allure, the mid-range model with naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder and five-speed manual transmission. A week later the Allure was swapped for a 208 Active, also with five-speed manual, but driven by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine. In the final week we tried the range-topping 208 Allure Sport in a three-door body.

All three cars presented very well. The chunky but pleasing looks of the Peugeot 208 make for a welcome change from the manic grin of the 207 that preceded it. That's the first impression of the new car, but the 208 is more than just a cosmetic upgrade.

For starters, while the newer car is externally smaller than its predecessor, the 208 is roomier in the rear and offers more boot space than the 207, Peugeot claims. From our own experience the high hip point made entry and exiting the car a cinch. And inside, the 208 was plush and inviting in the Allure trim level. Occupants will enjoy the cosseting but supportive cushioning of the seats. The driving position was about as far removed from the 207's as any successor could be. A commanding view was aided by the upright seating position and high-set instruments which provided an uninterrupted view with the wheel adjustment set low.

Even in light of the need for the seat to be far enough back to accommodate smooth shifting with the clutch's high take-up, it was possible to achieve an ideal driving position. Steering column adjustment (for reach and rake) helped in this regard. Having the driving position right can eat into legroom for the passenger seated behind, but there was still reasonable knee room for a light segment car and there was plenty of room under the front seat to place the feet. Rear-seat passengers should appreciate the headroom also. Seats in the rear folded down for more luggage space, although the 208's boot space was plentiful enough anyway — and that despite a full-size spare below the floor. Where the spare was concerned, it was generally good news for traditionalists. The spare tyre was the same size as the other tyres fitted, but was wrapped around a steel wheel rather than the alloy wheels the car normally rides on.

The softly damped tactile quality of stalks and switchgear was highly impressive for an affordable light segment hatch. That quality dovetailed nicely with the whole fit and finish scenario in the 208 — stylish design and nice-to-touch materials. Consider the gradation of the translucent colouring in the interior door pulls, for example.

Refinement is a key adjective to describe the 208. For a car costing less than $22,000, the 208 Allure's smoothness was phenomenal. The 1.6-litre engine would crank, fire and run — from cold — with less fuss than cars costing three times as much. It's an engine that produces healthy enough torque (160Nm), and peak power places the 208 ahead of most of its rivals in the segment. For a vehicle that spent most of the week pottering around town, its posted fuel use of around 7.8L/100km was also more than just acceptable.

Surprisingly strong from launch, the engine – a modern design shared with BMW's MINI – would rev up at a moment's notice to deliver full-blooded grunt — enough to whip up some wheelspin. Furthermore it would continue powering up some challenging climbs. We were impressed by the torque from the engine accordingly.

Just a hint of bass induction noise was present from the exhaust as the engine spun up from the lower reaches of the rev range. It followed a fairly flat torque curve from 2000rpm through to redline, with ever so slightly higher performance present above 4000rpm. It could have used the sixth gear available in the turbo variants of the 208, since the fifth gear led to the engine sitting on around 2800rpm at 100km/h. In that circumstance, the minimal engine noise was understandable; the wind noise perhaps not so much. But allowance must be made for the short length of the 208, which doesn't lend itself to aerodynamic efficiency.

Unfortunately the overall driving experience was let down by a gear shift action that was a bit clunky and remote, combined with the high take-up for the clutch pedal already mentioned. Still, the gear change was generally easy to use and even novice drivers should be able to bash the lever through to the next gear. There were occasions we found the shifter just wouldn't slot into reverse, leaving us to call on old dog's tricks like allowing the car to roll back a few centimetres or change to neutral and pump the clutch a couple of times.

Where the 208 recovered some brownie points lay with its cornering. The little Peugeot was very communicative through the seat and wheel. Even when tyres were moaning their protest, the driver could remain confident that there was still some margin of safety remaining. The 208 is a car that you can push right up to its limits and pretty much know where the boundary is drawn. There was an initially slow response followed by the car adopting a tighter line. Powering on from the apex eventually overcame the grip of the Michelins, but they fought tooth and nail to hang on.

In fact the tyres should not only take some of the credit for the 208's very decent adhesion and handling — but also what ride comfort the car can boast. See, the 208 rides pretty firmly. Any composure over smaller bumps seemed to be largely through the endeavours of the tyres. The 208 rode so firmly that it could be deflected off line by larger mid-corner bumps. Ride comfort was adequate for open-road touring and commuting around the suburbs – not so much for typical Aussie country roads however.

The brakes of the 208 Active struck us as quite touchy after the 208 Allure, but that was in keeping with the whole tenor of the entry-level model, with its raw but surprisingly punchy little three-cylinder. While the 1.2-litre powerplant was inaudible at highway speeds, despite posting 3000rpm on the tacho, it was very distinctively unlike a four-cylinder when performance was being exploited. Its 'half-six' engine warble made it a cross in character between the Daihatsu Sirion and a Fiat 500 — but with sensible ergonomics the Fiat lacks. The 208 with this engine was quite fun to drive. The steering was communicative and the handling and levels of grip via the medium of the 15-inch Bridgestone Ecopia tyres (on steel rims) were commendable indeed.

As a bonus, the ride was demonstrably better than in the more expensive Allure variant. Gear selection in the smaller-engined 208 was better too, with what felt like a more precise shift and shorter throws. Inside the 208 Active were most of the nice features of the Allure, but without the annoying centre armrest — making it easier to haul on the handbrake. The base 208 even came with auto-folding mirrors, which must be unheard of in a car retailing for $18,490. On the open road the 208 Active was knocked around by gusty cross winds, and wind noise at speed was also an issue. Additionally there was some subdued roar from the tyres at freeway speeds.

If we had one concern with the 208 Active powered by the three-cylinder (it also comes with a four-cylinder displacing 1.6 litres with an automatic transmission option), it's the weird throttle and clutch setup. With air conditioning running hard on a hot day the engine surged constantly if you held the throttle down enough for revs around 1500 to 2000rpm. This was odd in itself, but not the primary reason the three-cylinder 208 was difficult to launch smoothly. That would be the high clutch take-up – again. If you're of a certain length of leg, you'll need the driver's seat set well back to lift the clutch without riding or kangaroo-hopping. And the follow-through can be hard also, due to the finicky throttle response. The engine will fall into a flat spot unless you can keep precisely the right amount of juice fed into the engine as you're releasing the clutch. It's a case of judging where and when the flat spot will occur so you can anticipate it for a gentle get-away.

Once on the move the engine was great however, and there was good mid-range torque available. It didn't labour and vibrate at lower revs and it would reach engine speeds above 6000rpm, although in combination with its power delivery and the higher intermediate gearing, it took a while to get there. With a family of four on board the level of performance around town was surprisingly good and the 208 Active with this engine was perfectly capable of keeping up with traffic.

It's likely that the three-cylinder engine will improve with age too. It felt pretty tight during the week in our possession, but still registered an average fuel consumption figure of 7.4L/100km.

Much as the 208 Active was a fun drive, the 208 Allure Sport took the experience to a whole new level. The turbocharged engine provided excellent torque in the mid-range and launched with plenty of verve, but performance tailed off slightly in the top end – above 5000rpm – although it remained very refined all the way through to the redline at 6000rpm.

The formidable performance was complemented by fuel use as low as 8.1L/100km with some 80km of freeway travel lowering the average to that level.

Gear selection was still hampered by the long throws and the high clutch take-up, but shifting was more precise than in either of the lower-priced, five-door variants.

Ride comfort – or lack of – was unrelenting on country roads, but not rock-hard, as is the case with some Euro hot hatches. In fact, the overriding sense that came with driving the 208 Allure Sport was one of sports/luxury rather than hard-core hot-hatch hoonery. Nonetheless, the car's roadholding and handling encouraged a press-on attitude and the driver was never left in any doubt as to what was a safe undertaking and what was not. On-centre feel in the steering was lacking in a sporty hatch, but steering weight/effort and turn-in compensated. So the 208 Allure Sport proved to be mostly a very communicative car, other than at the straight-ahead.

Packaging was much as for the five-door models, meaning rear-seat accommodation was impressive for such a small car. Seats were very well contoured for harder driving, but were certainly comfortable for touring. If the ambience in the cabin of the Allure five-door could be described as 'plush', then the three-door Allure Sport felt more 'techno', through little touches like the blue mood lighting feature around the sunroof shade blind or the sculptured aluminium gear knob and the alloy sports pedals.

All of these features and design elements make the 208 Allure Sport a car for one who's a hot hatch connoisseur, but not one who wishes to be punished for his or her passion. There are minor flaws in all three cars tested, but all have their own charm. The only one we would recommend buyers consider carefully – and test drive thoroughly before going ahead with the purchase – is the 208 Active with the three-cylinder engine. It's fun to drive and has a lot going for it, but it may ask certain buyers to make too many concessions. The three-cylinder engine can only be had with a manual box, for instance, and driving it requires a little more experience and ability than normally found in a fresh-from-the-driving-test P-plater.

But if you can land an extended test of the car, and you like it, go for it.