Our cars: Peugeot 208 - May

Peugeot 208 1.2 VTi Allure 3dr

Week ending May 17
Mileage 6093
Driven this week 21 miles

Peugeot 208

One of the best things about my Peugeot 208 is also something that you come into contact with most often – the front seats.

Allure trim comes with Sports seats finished in Eclipse Premium trim – a sort of posh-feeling material on the bolsters that is not leather but is wipe clean. Thankfully I've not had spilt anything over the seats so far, but they have not shown any sign of stains or marking over the six months it's been in my care.

Better than their ability to repel marks from dropped sandwich fillings is how comfortable they are. I have done several long drives in the 208 and got out feeling fresh and ache-free at the end, despite my appalling posture. They hug just enough to feel like they are holding you in place.

My only major gripe is that you adjust the seat back with a lever, rather than a wheel. Minor tweaks to seat angle take concentration and precision rather than a simple twist of a dial.

By Tom Webster
Tom.Webster@whatcar.com


Week ending May 10
Mileage 6072
Driven this week 51 miles

I had an interesting chat with a car manufacturer recently who was telling me about preferences for fuel-filler caps in different parts of the world.

Apparently in Japan they like a release inside the cabin, while in the UK we like it to be connected to the central locking.

My Peugeot 208 uses neither of these systems – instead the cover is permanently unlocked and flips open manually. The cap itself is opened with the key and comes away from the car entirely, which feels a trifle old-fashioned these days. Many rivals have a loop that keeps the cap attached to the car, or an obvious slot for it to sit in while you wait for the tank to fill.

For a while I found it most frustrating, as I stood there with the key and cap combo in hand while refuelling. That was until I noticed the little loop on the bottom of the cap, and the hook on the bottom of the flap. Grumpiness rescinded.

By Tom Webster


Week ending May 3
Mileage 6021
Driven this week 92 miles

The 208's engine has been settling down and the fuel economy seems to be creeping up, thanks partly to it getting more miles under its wheels and partly due to a few longer runs recently. One recent long run was with our TrueMPG testers. Tester Joel Vermiglio passed on his thoughts:

Joel said: 'Considering the 208 would probably spend most of its time in the city, the first thing that struck me was how unfriendly it felt in traffic – the unresponsive throttle combined with a sensitive clutch and imprecise gearchange made it quite tiresome in stop-go queues.

'When I got out on the open road, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The three-cylinder engine provided enough zip to happily cruise at 70mph, it was comfortable and quiet in the cabin, too, and the infotainment system sounded great (when I eventually found how to pair my phone and select Bluetooth audio – the system was not as intuitive as most).'

By Tom Webster
Tom.Webster@whatcar.com