Peugeot has launched the replacement for the cheeky 207, in the form of even cheekier and funkier Peugeot 208. The supermini superceed the 5 year old 207, and it bring a host of improvement in terms of aesthetic, better packaged and promised to be more economical. Both 3 door and 5 door versions are launched simultaneously.
The new 208 carries the latest incarnation of Peugeot design language. The gaping mouth grille of current Peugeot has made way for more elegant solution, which is smaller and higher positioned. The grille frame is "floating" chrome. The hood has crisp character line running in the middle, flanking the lion badge. The heavily contoured bumper is accompanied with intricate headlamp, as well as chrome foglamp housing with fancy protruding strip outwards.
The rear end is dominated by big rear bumper, with centre mounted reflector. The rear combi is an evolution of current complicated Peugeot rear light (as demonstrated by Pug 3008), with twisted outer edge. Strong character line split the tailgate into two.
It is the side profile that distinctively separate the new 208 not only from the rest of other supermini, but also between the 3-door and 5-door variant. While both has a strong waist-line that run upwards along the door handles line, into the curved fuel filler door and into the rear combi, the 5-door version has secondary lines running downwards from the front wheel arch, and along the side sills. Distinctive A-pillar base apart, the window line for 5-door is conventionally wrapped with chrome accents.
The 3-door is more distinctive in side detailing. The chrome accent run along the beltline moulding only and grows into thicker chrome garnish half-way through the height of C-pillar. Character line start at the door, gently indenting the lower portion of the door before kinked up-rearward and grows crisply thicker and continue along the door outside handle, rear flank onto the rear lights. More after the jump.
The interior is radically revised too compared to previous Peugeot supermini. All version (bar the entry level of course) gets touchscreen panel at the top of centre console. Through this screen, the user can navigate through the GPS, entertaintment and for certain model, the vehicle dynamics. The screen can be have personalise "skin" too, just like your smartphone! Glossy and soft touch material are abound, and meter binnacle sits well above their normal position. According to Peugeot, you can view the meter reading above the shrunken steering wheel, not through the spoke.
Peugeot 208 also adopt the similar concept as recent Mazda in terms of restraining themselves from growing up their newer car. By doing this, Peugeot 208 is whopping 110kg lighter than the Peugeot 207 in average and 173kg on some other version. Base model weighs just 975kg.
Dimensionally, Peugeot 208 is smaller than the 207 it replaced. It is 3,960mm long (-70mm) and1,492mm tall (-25mm). Width pegged around 1,748mm like current 207. Wheelbase remained 2,540mm. Packaging marvel results in 50mm extra legroom and 15 litres bigger boot at 285 litres.
The powertrain family of Peugeot 208 is the new super-frugal 1.0l and 1.2l VTi 3-cylinder unit. These gasoline engines are good for at least 4.3l/100km. The diesel version gets e-HDI micro-hybrid turbodiesel featuring automatic stop and start system and can deliver incredible 3.4l/100km in its most frugal form. More details of these new powertrain are expected to be released soon.
Small gallery can be found below, from Netcarshow.