This post was originally published on Autocar
Peugeot’s charming and roomy supermini can now be had for less than £1000 – should you take the plunge?
The Peugeot 208 sparked a revival for the French marque in the supermini class, where it had failed to capture the attention of European buyers with its drab and dreary 207 predecessor.Finally, here was a small Peugeot that majored on style, space and economy while also exuding a sense of desirability. It signalled a return to form for the brand whose era-defining 205 and popular 206 had historically given it the, ahem, lion’s share of the small car market.But why opt for a Mk1 208 when there are clear class leaders in the shape of the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo? Well, start with the fact that you can pick one up for the bargain price of £800…While the 208’s skin, cabin and engines were all-new, it inherited the 207’s dated PF1 platform, and it wasn’t the 205-emulating supermini we dreamed of in dynamic terms.That said, the funky 208 is a far nicer car to pilot around town than its predecessor. The heft and stodge that tarnished the 207 are absent, and in most settings it rides well. It steers accurately and, even though it’s lighter than its predecessor, it’s refined and well isolated.Sure, it can sometimes struggle to absorb medium-sized lumps and bumps, and it doesn’t offer the same level of driver entertainment as a Fiesta, but don’t let a lack of chuckability deter you from the 208.It’s a very easy and generally comfortable car to cruise along in.The 208 was the first Peugeot to feature the firm’s Puretech three-cylinder engines. The 68bhp 1.0-litre and 82bhp 1.2-litre units deliver on the economy front with around 45-50mpg in the real world, but their lack of gusto means they’re best suited to urban environments.If you want your 208 to be more of an all-rounder that can handle motorway trips, the 108bhp turbocharged 1.2-litre triple brings both economy and performance.But while the peppy three-pot is a decent choice on the face of it, it’s plagued by reliability issues because it uses a wet belt rather than a timing chain.The wet belt runs through the engine oil and it degrades over time, with bits of rubber clogging the oil pick-up, which causes the engine to fail.It can also suffer from oil starvation due to faulty piston rings, which are responsible for allowing oil to pass into the cylinders. Peugeot’s parent firm, Stellantis, rolled out an extended 10-year warranty for the 1.2 Puretech, but it is subject to conditions relating to servicing.For reference, replacing the wet belt can cost around £600.With this in mind, we would turn instead to either the more robust 95bhp 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or the peppier, albeit slightly less efficient, 154bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol. If you need a diesel for motorway trekking, stick with the 1.6-litre HDi.It’s punchy and sophisticated and will return around 55mpg.Inside, the 208 offers significantly better perceived quality and technology than the 207, with plenty of satin-finished elements, a neat-looking infotainment screen and Peugeot’s sporty i-Cockpit arrangement.The cabin is pleasant and airy, despite some hard plastics around your knees and on the doors. And for a supermini, there’s plenty of head and leg room for adults in the front and rear.We would put our money into an Allure, an Allure Premium or, better still, a GT-Line model as these have generous amounts of kit. Many supermini buyers will have their minds set on front-runners like the Fiesta and Polo, but with the right engine and trim, the stylish 208 is a steal at just under £1000.So we wouldn’t criticise anyone for taking a left-field approach and going for this keenly priced French fancy instead of the ordinary superminis we see every day.