Peugeot 208 head-up cluster bucks the trend

At 50 km/h you travel 13.8m per second. At 100km/h, the distance covered is almost 28 metres. It stands to reason then that looking down for just a short period of time means you're missing a whole lot of what's going on in front of you.

Driving from Paris to Geneva in an unseasonal blizzard, Peugeot's senior designers Yong Wook Sin and Adam Bazydlo discovered that the amount of time their eyes were off the road -- focussing on speed and navigation directions -- meant less time was spent concentrating on the job at hand, which got them to thinking...

Moving a portable navigation device front-and-centre the designers discovered their eyes spent less time glancing to and from the road ahead, their focal range also taking less time to readjust after each movement. From this simple observation the "head up cluster" was born.

It's not the first time a high-mounted, peripheral cluster has been implemented. But unlike previous attempts such as those of the Toyota Yaris, 208's instrument cluster is located front and centre. The Honda Civic comes closer to capturing the same idea, but Civic retains a regular size steering wheel so as to see the lower tier of information between the wheel rim and hub, allowing less scope for driver adjustment.

Bazydlo explained that a couple of ergonomic fundamentals were used to position the cluster within the driver's 20-degree "cone of vision". Carefully repositioning the steering wheel, Bazydlo was mindful that the car needed to feel natural from a driver's perspective, while also allowing ease of entry and egress and correct airbag trajectory.

A smaller diameter wheel (350mm) achieved this goal, and also aided in delivering a sportier feel to the driver, quickening the rate of turn-in. The lower position of the wheel (-60mm) also improved circulation to the driver's hands, lowering their relation to the heart when positioned at 9 and 3. Bazydlo said he believes it is the first time such attention has been given to not only ergonomics and vision, but to circulation as well, emphasising that Peugeot may well have reinvented the wheel, so to speak.

"It's definitely a new architecture, and I don't think a lot of other car manufacturers saw this one coming," said Bazydlo. "But I think there's [now] a lot of questions being asked, and I'm interested to see how they will respond. If I worked at another manufacturer, would I do it? Of course!"

Then came the next problem: reflection. As the cluster now sat above window height, it was more susceptible to sun glare. The designers relied on computer calculations in selecting the right materials for the job, while also lightly texturising the surface of the screen to reduce the refection of light.

Bazydlo told motoring.com.au that Peugeot could have opted to use a HUD similar to that found in upper spec 308 and 508 models, but that this went against what 208 stood for. HUD units are complex, heavy (500g) and consume a lot of space behind the dashboard, negating the enhanced packaging benefits already achieved in 208.

The designer was keen to point out that although the change to 208's dashboard was rationale and practical, design was equally important. Bazydlo drew comparisons to the practical nature of some German competitors, saying it was important 208 retained its "Peugeot personality".

"208 is about living and lightness," the young designer explained. "Ideally when you enter a French car you want to say 'Oh, I like it. It's nice'. You buy it with your heart and your sense and your brain."

The new Peugeot 208 will go on sale in Australia to coincide with the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney this October. To read more about the 208, visit our launch story

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