The hype, but not ours? A review of the new Peugeot 208

The information wave, which has risen today in Russia about the future return of Opel, has revived interest in Peugeot products, especially since from now on, it is French technologies that will become donor for cars of the German brand. This is partly why the premiere of the second generation Peugeot 208 caused a great stir in the showroom in Geneva: fans of not only Peugeot, but also Opel rushed to the stand. And the Peugeot 208 is the best answer for those who are worried about, say, the fate of the Corsa.
Herring in a barrel, bees in a beehive, rabbits in a cage – look at a dozen more of these expressions, and you still can’t imagine what traffic was going on in two journalistic days at the Peugeot stand: several second-generation subcompact hatchback 208’s main exhibits.

Interest is quite understandable also because subcompact hatchbacks remain the main cars of European cities. Students, retirees, the rich, and those who go to the Paris d’Orsay museum only ride free hatchbacks on free visit days. Roughly speaking, if you do not have a car in this class, you can not go to Europe – here and among its competition is intense.
It is clear that in this situation most of the small hatchbacks offer the widest range of configurations: from completely “naked” with a rag interior and a weak motor on a manual box, which the Europeans, fortunately, do not want to get rid of, filled with active safety systems and following the example of the stand Peugeot 208 models equipped with seats, which would envy other models of the senior size classes.

Chairs in the top trim levels, with pronounced lumbar and lateral support, made a very positive impression in the “statics”. Comfortable and at the same time suitable for active driving. It remains to be seen whether the back will not tire on a long journey …

In general, the execution of an interior of stand samples can be called “bonus” without any exaggeration, and this is actually a challenge for the traditional representatives of the premium segment. Obviously, new buyers, less prone to brand stereotypes, will increasingly find arguments for themselves to buy expensive luxury models to service.

The choice of traditional power units, with which the new Peugeot 208 complies with the Euro 6d environmental standards, is wide: from a 75-horsepower gasoline engine paired with 5-speed mechanics to a 130-horsepower unit, helped by – attention – an 8-speed hydromechanical box Aisin. And – oh, a miracle! – Do not forget about the diesel: it is, 100-strong and with a 6-speed “handle.”

Yes, the car with the letter “e” in the title, that is, e-208, instead of the filler neck – charging socket. With the well-known categorical attitude of Carlos Tavares to the automotive “greenery”, this measure is extremely forced. Unlike other car tops, Tavares does not tell a fable about helping nature, but on the contrary, at every opportunity, he warns that the automotive world will clear up the consequences of a “green” euphoria for the next many years. In short, if it were not for the “greens” in the power structures of the European Union, this “train” would not exist.

The platform at its core is SMR, born from the EMP1 project by adding “electrical” options, and not at all the main EMP2, on which the French will produce another ticked product in the form of a plug-in hybrid.

So, the electric version, which is heavier, is driven by a 136-strong electric motor, which at the start gives a moment of 260 Nm. This version features a 5kW cabin heater for cold weather. The high-voltage battery, like all current electric cars, is located under the boot floor and gives a power reserve of just 340 km using the WLTP method. Yes, it is more difficult for small electric cars to compete with “traditional” classmates. However, for optimists, we offer the same figure, but measured by the NEDC method – this is already 450 km.

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