Some people look out for new registrations in the early days of January. It’s a bit like hearing the first Cuckoo, as ‘tyre kickers’ tend to brag saying something like ‘I saw a new 251 reg today.’ I didn’t notice any 251D or 251C plates last week, but I think a lot of people noticed me in the 242D-registered Peugeot 208 that I was driving.
The reason was simple, the 208 I was driving came in a very attractive shade of Agueda Yellow. It was an eye-catching colour, and the car was also so neat it naturally grabbed people’s attention. Driving a bright coloured car in a frosty January morning will certainly get you attention from passers-by.
The 208 is a supermini hatchback and it was introduced by Peugeot at the Geneva Motor show in March 2012, when it replaced the 207. It’s now positioned below the larger 308.
Jerome Micheron, Peugeot Product Director explained the thinking behind the design of the latest version. He said: “Working on a model as iconic and successful as the 208 is a tall order. Our aim was to take the design and performance of the 208 to a higher level while preserving the soul of this model in order to remain at the top of B-segment sales in Europe.”
After driving the much larger Peugeot 3008 the previous week, it took me a few days to appreciate the niftiness of the 208. However, my wife was impressed straight away and her first words, after sitting into the car were that we should buy a 208 when I retire. Well, I’m almost there and I reckon the 208 would certainly handle all our motoring needs.
It was a mild hybrid so that meant no time spent charging the car at the impressive new ESB charging point in Newcastle, County Dublin, a location I visited several times over the Christmas break.
Did you know that there are still radio plays on RTE Radio One around 8pm on a Sunday night followed by the Rolling Wave and then the South Wind Blows? When you have to charge a car on a Sunday night you get to hear those old reliables. Or maybe some of the great songs that Tom Cole Junior plays on his four-hour programme on Sunshine Radio.
That was two weeks back and no doubt I will listen to RTE Radio One again on some Sunday nights in the future. Last week I missed Tom Cole as I was wrapped up in bed by 10pm as the 208 didn’t need a decent charge for the next person testing the car on Monday morning.
It’s a neat motor and ideal for city driving. I took the advice of Met Eireann and didn’t make any unnecessary long journeys during the cold spell. But there were lots of short trips to various shopping centres, like: Liffey Valley, The Square, Dundrum and Carrickmines, where I received some complimentary comments like, ‘You will have no trouble finding that car in any car park.’
At the front you will know straight away that it’s a Peugeot car as bang in the centre of the grill is the new Peugeot shield logo. That grill is complimented with attractive LED lights and the 3-claw effect on both sides of the bonnet.
Inside, the infotainment screen dominates the dash and the stylish flat steering wheel didn’t disappoint. Underneath the screen you get seven ‘piano types’ switches for the A/C and there is a good old fashioned button to control the volume on the radio.
I’m nowhere near six foot tall and neither is my wife, so we both felt very comfortable in this neat motor.
Naturally the boot is small, officially 311 litres, but I was able to carry a few bulky items from those shopping centres by leaving down the back seat. The back seat is tight and you might get three children in, but it operates best with just two back seat passengers.
I missed the way the 3008 locked when I walked away from it. Funny how lazy one gets; I had to lock the 208 with the key Fob, can you imagine the inconvenience! I am joking of course.
Yes, it’s gorgeous and I might invest in a neat Peugeot 208 at some stage. But I don’t go out looking for attention and might opt for a colour that doesn’t stand out from the crowd, maybe an attractive red or blue would do the job.
When I picked up the car with a full tank of petrol on board the range said 700km and by driving in Eco mode that range estimate was slow to drop.
Prices start at €25,695 for the 1.2-litre petrol version, while the Hybrid version I drove will cost you €30,495. The colour choice is for yourself to decide.
