Peugeot 208 2019 Review Long-Term Test #2

Going purely by the numbers, our latest long-term test car, Peugeot's 208, has its work cut out for it in Australia. The French manufacturer only garnered a 0.2 per cent share of the Australian passenger car market in 2018 – a year that saw its sales fall by 16.3 per cent over 2017 – and the little 208 was the lowest-selling model of the marque's current four-car line-up.

In fact, just 195 examples rolled off showroom floors last year, giving Peugeot a 5.0 per cent slice of the light car category (over $25,000) – a mere blip compared to the segment leader, the MINI Cooper (1857 units, 47.6 per cent share), or the second-placed Audi A1 (1247 units, 32.0 per cent share).

It also trails some way behind Peugeot's top-seller, the 3008 SUV, which accounted for 1372 new registrations in 2018.

One aspect not helping the 208 is its age – launched in 2012 and facelifted in 2015, it really hasn't changed a whole lot over the course of its life, and the market stands still for no-one.

So, as we embarked on a week of fighting traffic on Melbourne's streets and arterials, it was very much a case of 'quelle surprise' to discover that this diminutive little machine was actually a delight to punt in typical city conditions, and that it's not just a one-trick pony either…

Let's start with performance. While a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol putting out 81kW and 205Nm might not ignite the senses on paper, when it only has to push a kerb weight of a mere 1070kg the rear-world result is lively acceleration off the line and entirely sufficient poke for the urban jungle.

Redline is indicated at 6250rpm and the urge is delivered in a thoroughly benign and linear fashion, with 100km/h in the top (sixth) gear of its automatic transmission equating with 2000rpm.

The auto is occasionally a touch jerky during small throttle inputs from a standing start or when trickling along in start/stop traffic, but in the main it's fine, shifting cogs either on its own or via the shifter's manual sequential mode with reasonable speed and at sensible shift points.

The steering is quick – just 2.75 turns lock to lock – and the sporty feel is accentuated by the small-diameter of the wheel, which in this Allure mid-grade trim features a leather wrap in addition to the usual integrated controls.

It's a snap to maneuver the 208 into tight city parking spots or around multi-story car parks, the car measuring under four metres (3973mm) in length and a shade over two metres wide (2004mm, including mirrors).

If its sheer physical dimensions weren't manageable enough, there's also a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors thrown in as standard in this Allure trim grade, while Peugeot's optional City Park assist system adds $300.

On the subject, vision is generally good apart from the rear three-quarter aspect – a complaint levelled at most hatchbacks as a matter of course.

Road holding is excellent, the 208's ride being firm but very composed, and NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) well addressed. In fact, it seems quieter in the 208's cabin than in many other similar vehicles we've sampled.

Fuel economy is another highlight, even if the 208 requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded. Peugeot claims a combined-cycle figure of just 4.5L/100km for the 208, and while we didn't reach those giddy heights our real-world figure of 5.9L/100km is still impressive given the sprightly acceleration on offer.

Admittedly, we turned the idle-stop feature off for much of our time in the car, as in peak-hour traffic it was just a little too intrusive.

The 208 has a 50-litre fuel tank, so we're talking a range of in excess of 800km – fill-ups for most city commuters will be few and far between. A keyed fuel cap is a bit of an anachronism in this day and age, however…

Boot space is reasonable, at 311 litres (expanding to 1152 litres with the second-row seats folded flat), and there's adequate room for four adults if only for tripping about town. Taller types will of course find the back a little cramped in terms of leg room, and reasonably Spartan in general – no venting, no USB or auxiliary power, and no central armrest or cup holders (the second row folds down in a split 60:40 arrangement).

Oh, and there are no ceiling grab handles front or back, which would make exiting the vehicle a little easier.

Up front the cabin's hard plastics are broken up by extensive use of piano black, a variety of textures and some minor chrome highlights here and there. We like the raised instrument binnacle, which is far closer to your line of sight than a traditional dash setup, but the oddment storage is limited.

The deeply recessed twin cup holders at the base of the centre stack are difficult to access and when in use there's little room for anything else. There is a further storage compartment housed within the fold-down centre armrest, over which the front passenger and driver can battle for supremacy, plus a tray near the driver's right knee. When folded down the armrest does obstruct when reaching for the manual park brake, however.

At least there's a small slot to hold a smartphone located next to the USB slot, and the front door pockets have a reasonable width, even if they don't specifically have bottle holders.

The multimedia system with 7.0-inch touchscreen is intuitive enough but these days its display is looking quite dated. There's also an associated MyPeugeot smartphone app, which keeps track of your car's location and servicing schedule, among other things, while the 208 comes with its own integrated factory sat-nav. The voice command system seems to work quite well.

On the safety front, the inclusion of what Peugeot calls its Active City Brake – a collision mitigation system that works up to 30km/h – along with cornering fog-lights, stability control, six airbags, hill-start assist and auto lights and wipers are all worthy standard features, as are the twin ISOFIX baby capsule mounting points in the second row.

The 208 received a five-star ANCAP safety rating when it was reviewed back in 2012.

One week and around 1000 kilometres later, we can say we really do like the little Peugeot 208, and can appreciate it for what it is: a smartly styled, functional city runabout with a generous features list for this price point.
Add in a five-year warranty, five years of free servicing and frugal fuel economy, and it deserves to sell in greater numbers than it presently does.

How much does the 2019 Peugeot 208 Allure cost?
Price: $24,990 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 81kW/205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 4.5L/100km (ADR Combined); 5.9L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 104g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2012)

Long-Term Tests
carsales.com.au aims to make your choice of vehicle easier. Our Editorial section does this via our mix of news, international and local launch reviews, as well as our seven-day tests.

From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend even longer with a vehicle. These longer-term tests can be as short as a couple of weeks, but more recently we’ve settled on a three-month period as indicative of ‘normal’ ownership.

Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors a chance to get to know a car as an owner would. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel, the servicing, and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.

We believe long-term tests give car buyers a deeper insight into the vehicle on test, but also the qualities behind the brand and nameplate. The extended period also allows us to touch base with the dealer networks in question.

It comes as no surprise that manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests. Three months is plenty long enough to fall out of love with the latest and greatest, and start to nit-pick — just like real owners do.