Peugeot reveals new 208 with petrol, diesel and EV choices

Peugeot will offer petrol, diesel and electric power on its next-generation 208 hatchback, which has been revealed in full ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. 

Around 4cm longer, lower and 30kg lighter than the car it replaces, the new 208 will offer a “more dynamic stance” than the previous one, according to Yann Beurel, the 208’s design manager, who describes its looks as “futuristic and young”. 

The car is five-door only and based on Peugeot’s new CMP (Common Modular Platform) architecture, which underpins the latest DS 3 Crossback. It will form the basis for the next Vauxhall Corsa now that Vauxhall-Opel has been integrated into the PSA Group. 

Codenamed P21, the new 208 will offer its three powertrain options “without any compromises”, according to 208 product manager Nicolas Bonnardon. 

At launch (in Europe), it will come with a petrol 1.2-litre tuned for 75bhp (with a five-speed manual), 99bhp (six-speed manual) or 128bhp (eight-speed automatic); a 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel (six-speed manual); and a 136bhp electric powertrain. 

Bonnardon told Autocar UK that, on the new WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) legislative drive cycle, the electric 208 will have a range of up to 211 miles (337 kilometres) thanks to a 50kWh battery, which can be charged to 80% in 30 minutes. 

All variants are front-wheel drive. Batteries for the electric 208 will sit in an H-section stretching beneath the rear seats, which is where the fuel tank is on internally combusted (ICE) variants, to beneath the front seats. 

Visually, bar some colouring on the front, the badges and the addition of aerodynamic wheel trims, there will be very little difference between ICE and EV 208s because PSA thinks EVs and plug-in hybrids will become a natural part of each car’s range. 

“We wondered if customers would want specificity on an EV,” said Beurel. “But they said they ‘didn’t want a flag on the top’ so the frontal intake takes body colour, and there’s a blue-green tint on the lion badges.” 

In the UK, trim levels will be Active, Allure, GT-Line and, exclusive to the EV, GT. On the GT-Line and GT, the black wheel-arch extensions shown here are applied because the two versions get a 12mm-wider track than lesser 208s. On the GT-Line, it’s for effect only, but the EV’s powertrain necessitates it because its front axle comes with a wider stance. Wheel sizes are 16in or 17in. Peugeot’s designers, like a lot of companies, would prefer larger, but “in this segment, cost is important”, said Beurel. 

Inside, the 208 gets an update of Peugeot’s still-controversial i-Cockpit, which features a small steering wheel that tends to sit beneath or in the line of sight of the instrument pack. 

Bar the option of a night-vision camera, convenience, driver assist and infotainment systems on offer in the new 208 are the same as in the bigger, more expensive 508. But there’s new equipment in the 208, too, including a neat three-dimensional element to the instrument cluster. Using a reflective screen as in a head-up display, the most important info can be brought to a small screen in front of the main instrument pack. 

“What’s important is that it’s not entertainment, it’s information,” said Beurel. “It’s spectacular but it’s really useful when driving.” 

In addition, the EV version of the 208 features pre-heating and cooling via a smartphone app. All 208s include a wrap-around dashboard, with a central 10in touchscreen on higher-trim levels and a 7in version on lower-trim variants, while all cars get four USB ports. 

And if the i-Cockpit layout has its critics? “We’ve sold five million cars with the i-Cockpit,” said Beurel, “and customers are telling us that they’re happy with it.”