Peugeot 208: Test Drive Review

Date: 29 August 2012   |   Author: Jack Carfrae

Category: Supermini P11D price: £13,440 Key rival: Ford Fiesta

The 208's ride is most impressive for a supermini, comfort being the car's strongest suit, while refinement is almost as good, with the exception of the clattering sound from the 1.4-litre diesel engine under acceleration.

The engine is no ball of fire but it performs well considering its modest size and power output. Business drivers tackling longer-legged journeys would be better off with one of the 1.6-litre diesel options, though, as the smaller unit struggles at motorway speeds.

Performance aside, the 1.4 HDi's running costs are superb at 74.3mpg and 98g/km with an overall cost per mile figure of 33.2p. Plump for the Active version as tested here and a 20% taxpayer will shell out less than £30 in BIK. Even greater value can be found elsewhere within the range, as the cleanest 1.4 e-HDi variant emits 87g/km and returns a claimed 83.1mpg.

The sore points make themselves known in the 208's steering, which is dull and provides no feedback to the drive. Despite the dashboard's relatively well thought-out presentation, Peugeot hasn't freed itself from the somewhat cheap and nasty materials for which the interiors of its small cars have become renowned.

If it's down to company car drivers' personal preferences, then Ford's Fiesta, will trump it every time. It's much better to drive and ergonomically superior, but you simply can't ignore the Peugeot's excellent costs, nor the fact that every diesel variant emits less than 100g/km, hence why it remains a strong fleet proposition in this sector.

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