For those who want a sporty little hatch I really can’t think of a better option than the 2017 Peugeot 208 GT-Line.
Coming on the back of the other French cars/SUVs that I have reviewed in recent times, this little Peugeot not only offers attractive styling, but is also functional and like-able too.
Sales of French cars in Australia remain fairly flat though, hopefully more Aussie car buyers give Peugeot, Citroen and Renault a go this year.
The 208 GT-Line from Peugeot is really quite a lovable little thing.
Under the bonnet is a 1.2 litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 81kW/205Nm. Those figures might seem fairly meager, though the car does perform better than you might expect.
A little lag of the mark, when the revs are up and the turbo is at work, well it really does get along quite well.
It also sounds really cool as well with a nice engine grumble coming into the cabin, especially when you flick the drive setting over to ‘Sport’.
Naturally, if more oomph is required then you can upgrade to the 208 GTI and this gives you the larger 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine and 153kW/300Nm (I hope to get a drive of one soon).
Interestingly, the GT-Line is offered only with an auto transmission, the GTI is manual-only.
Ride and handling is excellent in the GT-Line. Sure, it has a sporty feel and it corners beautifully, but it also handles pot holes and road cracks with comfortable ease.
While this is also a sporty hatch that won’t cost you a fortune to run – expect fuel consumption in the city of around 5.7L/100km!
I also love the tiny little Peugeot steering wheel!
There is just one piece of the puzzle that lets the Peugeot down a little and that is the engine stop/start system.
Designed to help you save fuel, the system (like the Citroen I reviewed last week) doesn’t allow for the engine to switch back on without the car actually lurching forward.
So, you are at the lights, they are about to change and you lift your foot off the brake pedal – normally just releasing some pressure on the brakes tells the engine to restart, in the Peugeot/Citroen models though you need to let the brakes off enough that the car starts moving forward.
You then put the brake pedal down again to stop the crawl forward and the engine switches off again (as it is designed to do).
It’s quite a frustrating function and it certainly takes a bit of the shine off. Fortunately, the Peugeot 208 GT-Line has an over-ride button close at hand (but off course using this could affect fuel economy).
Inside the cabin there are many highlights, headed-up by the seats.
Supportive and comfortable, Peugeot has got a sports car type seat here that is also comfortable.
Getting into the Peugeot is a little different to most other cars due to a rather door sill height – I found myself stumbling into the car the first few times I slid on-board.
Reasonably good-sized storage areas feature, including a handy spot to the right of the steering wheel, and the boot, while not overly wide, is respectably sized.
Standard features are many, including tilt and reach steering adjustment, sat-nav, automatic parking assist, height-adjustable front seats.
While a reverse camera is a $300 option or $500 with an added Active City Brake system (make sure you get that), along with a panoramic sunroof ($1000), and premium paint can cost you up to an extra $1,050.
At this stage there isn’t an ANCAP safety rating for the Peugeot 208.
Summing it up; I seriously liked this Peugeot offering. Sure, you pay a premium above a ‘normal’ light hatch, but this is a car that is fun to drive and has some personality, all in an easy to live with package.
NUTS and BOLTS – 2017 Peugeot 208 GT-Line
Engine: 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol producing 81kW/205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Safety: Not tested
Warranty: 3yrs/100,000km
Origin: France
Price: from $27,490
Be the first to comment