Peugeot 208

We don’t have to tell you that Europe’s supermini segment is one of the toughest, cutthroat arenas in the car world, despite the fact that crossovers based the said superminis are poaching clients at a fast rate, just like they did with the sedan segment. In this context, Peugeot launched the new 208. No, it didn’t change its name to 209 as we would have expected, and that’s because Peugeot thinks the previous 208 had so much success that the same nameplate should stay for the new generation, too.

The French carmaker is adamant that the 208 is primarily a city car and, in accordance to that creed, Sochaux took all the measures it saw fit to make its new hatchback as appealing as possible. The fact that it will have to do battle against the likes of VW Polo, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, and Dacia Sandero counted a lot in the general direction Peugeot led the new 208. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the sleek-looking hatch during a first-contact test drive, so here’s what we can report.

Peugeot will launch an all-new 208 GTi based on the most recent incarnation of the model, and while that day is still not quite around the corner, we pretty much already know what to expect from it. The automaker has been making incrementally better hot hatches in recent years, so we therefore have high expectations of this upcoming 208 GTi. In terms of formula, we don’t expect it to differ significantly from the current model: take a standard 208 hatchback, but give it firmer suspension, bigger brakes, a 1.6-liter engine with around (or maybe over) 200 horsepower, and a visual makeover inside and out designed to reflect the car’s extra sporting credentials.

But, since the new car is lighter and stiffer than the one it replaces, the new Peugeot 208 GTi should prove better than before because removing weight automatically makes a car better in any situation. We don’t expect Peugeot to give the 208 GTi any fancy electric supercharger that helps build boost, or an electric motor, although the inclusion of mild hybrid tech is not out of the question - more and more manufacturers are making their performance cars mild hybrids and it would certainly serve the little 208 GTi well.

The launch of French city cars is a pretty big deal in Europe, and this year we saw all-new generations of the most important models from Peugeot and Renault. The Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio are both all-new, even though in the case of the former you can certainly tell, whereas the latter just looks like the a facelift for the previous-generation model.

Renault played it safe with the Clio, clearly stating that its exterior look is merely evolutionary, but once you step inside you will notice the radically different (and better) interior. Believe it or not, the Clio rides on a new platform that, for the first time ever, gives Renault the chance to also offer it in hybrid form.

Peugeot has done one better, though. Its 208 looks striking and fresh both inside and out, borrowing design cues from the larger 508. Overall, therefore, it nudges in front of the Clio in terms of the way it looks and, on top of this, Peugeot will offer it in full EV guise under the name e-208. To make matters even better the e-208 is apparently going to have excellent range too.

However, Peugeot’s flamboyant approach to the design and styling of the 208 might put some people off completely, so even if on paper it may already sound like the winner in this company, the fact of the matter is there’s a lot more to it, and they need to be analyzed side by side.

The Peugeot is one hell of a looker and, with the 2019 Peugeot 208 hatchback taking on plenty of 508 DNA, then it’s no wonder that we find the new 208 so damn sexy. After all, it has that aggressive and intriguing front end, the wide-bottom stand, and sleek rear end. It’s almost like Peugeot aimed to make the new 208 aggressive enough that nobody, regardless of tuning intention, would need to source or design an aftermarket body kit for it. And, with that said, it’s also commendable that the brand managed to avoid taking things too far and creating a design that’s just way too aggressive. The trims levels that will be available when the 2019 model hits showrooms won’t provide the kind of power that matches the exterior appearance but, within a couple of years, we should see GT and GTi trim levels hit the street and they should offer power output in the mid-200 range to offer good competition for models like the Renault Clio and the Ford Fiesta ST, among others. That might be a ways off, but the exterior design is still everything we could have hoped for, so we’ve decided to make the Peugeot 208 our wallpaper of the day. We’ve showcased our favorite below to go along with a gallery of other great wallpaper choices – all of which are free for the taking!

Peugeot just pulled the veil off its all-new and quite dashing 208, a stylish city car specifically designed to be parked opposite your favorite coffee shop. However, the mind of the enthusiast never rests, not even to admire the many pretty shapes and details of the new 208, and that’s why we’re already wondering what the hot GTi version might be like. As such, we decided to put together a rendering that we think accurately predicts the 2020 Peugeot 208 GTi.

Peugeot is on a roll with the design of its latest models, and nothing makes this fact more evident than the all-new 2019 208 hatchback. It is a design tour de force, both inside and out, and it therefore can be viewed as a spiritual successor to the much loved 206 from the 1990s and early 2000s. “Futuristic and Young” are the two guiding themes Peugeot uses to describe the 208. And, they describe it perfectly. It looks fresh, yet somehow cozy and familiar, plus it also has its own identity - it doesn’t look like a smaller version of the 308, in a segment where this scaled down cookie cutter approach is common. Take the new Renault Clio, for instance. It looks like a shrunken down Megane while the new VW Polo could easily be mistaken for the golf.

As the rage and rising demand for crossovers and SUVs continues, other car segments have become unwitting bystanders. Sedans are losing their appeal, and the same goes for three-door hatchbacks. The latest to fall victim to this is the three-door version of the Peugeot 208. Word out of the Dutch version of Auto Week indicates that the French automaker is no longer taking orders for the three-door hatch in the Netherlands and that the model is no longer being produced.

In case you were unaware, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is getting underway right this very second, and that means a whole swath of race-ready rides congregating in Colorado to take a swing at the 156 turns and high-altitude craziness that is America’s Mountain. And while simply getting to the top unscathed is in itself quite the accomplishment, some are vying to etch their names into the history books by beating the current standing record time of 8 minutes, 13.878 seconds, set back in 2013 by legendary rally champion Sebastien Loeb in a Peugeot 206 T16. But, as you might expect, such a feat is easier said than done, as evidenced by the above-featured video documenting every turn of Loeb’s incredible blitz to the clouds.

From the off, it’s clear Loeb is holding nothing back. The same talent that earned him an unprecedented nine World Rally Championship titles is very much on display, as is his incredible bravery as he uses every inch of pavement, even with nothing more than heart-stopping drops in place to greet him should he muck it up. The video combines a multitude of camera angles, including a passenger seat POV, in-car shots, bumper shots, and helicopter shots, providing the viewer with a fantastic overview. Also of note is just how clean the run is, with very little in terms of sliding or corrections. Will 2017 be the year Loeb’s record falls? By the look of it – probably not.

Continue reading for the full story.

Launched in 2012 as a replacement for the ageing 207, the Peugeot 208 was designed from a clean sheet and bolted onto an upgraded version of the PSA PF1 platform. It also received new and updated four-cylinder engines and debuted a couple of three-cylinder gasoline units dubbed PureTech. Another important feature that debuted with the hatchback is the i-Cockpit, combining the compact steering wheel with high-level instrumentation, and TouchScreen technology. The i-Cockpit is now available in just about any Peugeot out there. In 2013, the 208 spawned a race-spec T16 Pikes Peak version that set a new record at the famous hill-climb event. A facelift was introduced for the 2015 model year.

Sold for nearly four years now, the Peugeot 208 is here to stay for a couple more years until the French introduce a redesigned model. Although it’s not to say that the hatchback is outdated, Peugeot is doing its best to keep the lineup fresh and the customers coming into dealerships. For 2016, the French firm introduced two new special-edition models, one of which is the Active Design. Based on the Active trim, the Active Design comes with extra standard features and brings customers savings of up to £2,240.

The not-so-good news is that the model is only available in the United Kingdom for the time being. Still, let’s have a closer look at the 208 Active Design to find out what makes it special.

Keep reading to learn all about the Peugeot 208 Active Design

It was March of 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show. The interior lighting was as bright as the sun, and all of the new cars were glistening. Okay, so it probably wasn’t all that elegant, but it is an exaggerated summary of the what it was like when Peugeot debuted the 208 for the first time. Produced in the company’s brand new plant in Slovakia, the 208 initially started out as a three-door hatchback. A year later, Peugeot dropped a five-door hatch version that made cramming into the back seat a little bit easier. The 208 isn’t what you would call a hot hatch by any means – it’s nothing more than a morning snack for a hot hatch like the Focus RS, but as a “supermini” or “B-segment” car, it serves its purpose quite well in crowded cities.

As a replacement for the Peugeot 207, and built on PSA’s PF1 platform, this little hatch is offered with no fewer than three gasoline engines and three diesel engines – all of which are four-cylinders that deliver anywhere between 68 horsepower and 198 horsepower in the 208 GTi. Oh wait, there is a little bit of hot hatch in that DNA. Anyway, with a few more years on the calendar before a new model is ushered in, Peugeot has decided to expand the 208 lineup with a pair of special editions models. This one is the Allure Premium edition, and it brings a number of enhancements that Peugeot says will save you money over the standard model equipped with the equivalent options.

With that said, let’s take a quick look at what makes the Allure Premium so special and why I’m taking the time to tell you about it today.

Continue reading to learn more about the Peugeot Allure Premium

The Peugeot 208 was first unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the Peugeot 207, and by February of 2016, the production hit a total of 300,000 examples. It initially started out as a three-door hatchback, but was later produced as a five-door hatchback as well. In the short time that it has been in production, it has spawned several other variants like the Peugeot 208 T16 Pike Peak Racecar, Peugeot 208 GTi, and GTi Sport, and the Peugeot 208 R, which slots in above the GTi trim level.

Back in 2014, Peugeot introduced the Peugeot 208 GTi 30th anniversary edition that was designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Peugeot 205 GTi. Now with 2016 well underway, Peugeot is announcing the Peugeot 208 XS Special Edition – a model that is said to enhance personalization and increased desirability. If you’re interested in obtaining one of these special-edition models, you might want to get in touch with your local dealer quickly. Produced is limited to just 2,000 examples and is already available for order.

The Peugeot 208 XS Special Edition is said to have a decent list of standard features and a choice of various colors and exterior personalization packs. So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at it and go over the details.

Continue reading to learn more about the Peugeot 208 XS Special Edition.

The Peugeot 208 GTi is a sports hatchback that doesn’t get nearly the same amount of love as it should. The standard 208 GTi may not excite people’s senses that much, but Peugeot is confident that the 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition will do just that.

Developed to celebrate the 205 GTi’s 30th anniversary, the special edition 208 GTi channels the sportiness of the standard version of the model and ups the ante in the form of an upgraded style and improved performance. Those two elements combine to create a visually appealing package that gives the Peugeot hatch a sportier and more aggressive appeal that isn’t usually reserved for a car of this stature.

Peugeot is presenting the 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed before making another appearance at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Sales of the model are expected to commence this November 2014, giving customers enough time to learn more about Peugeot’s newest special edition model.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Peugeot 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition.

The CEO of Peugeot, Maxime Picat has confirmed to Autonews that the French car maker will make an even hotter version of the 208 hatchback. It will be called the 208 R and Peugeot will place it a notch above the 208 GTi.

Now, the 208 GTi isn’t just a throwaway grocery getter, so to speak, it is as mental as the GTi badge on its hatch indicates.The Peugeot 208 is among the smallest and lightest of the micro-hatchbacks, and the GTi takes it one step further by giving it some poke.

The 208 R would pack even more punch than the GTi, enough to spin its front wheels on demand. Having said that, we don’t expect Peugeot to give it monumental levels of power, or it would just understeer wildly and ruin the fun.

To put it in perspective, the 208 GTi makes use of a 200-horsepower, 1.6 -liter engine, and its top speed is pegged at 143 mph with a dash from 0 to 60 mph taking 6.8 seconds. We expect the 208 R could use the same powerplant as the GTi albeit with a tweaked ECU to push out an extra 20 to 30 horsepower.

Click past the jump for more speculative details on the 208 R

*Image Note: The above image is of the 208 GTi, not the future 208 R.

If you had any doubts on what an amazing car the newPeugeot 208 T16 racecar is, you’ll need to take a look at its latest achievement. The 208 T16 was specially designed to smash the world record at the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and it did almost two weeks ago. With Sebastien Loeb behind the wheel, it managed to climb the famous hill in 8:13.878.

Last weekend, the Peugeot changed continents and smashed a different record at a completely different race: the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. In England, the 208 T16, with Peugeot Sport test-driver Grégory Guilvert brhind the wheel, the powerful racer managed to run the Goodwood hill climb in just 45.86 seconds, making it the fastest car of the weekend.

This time is as a coincidence the same time posted by Nick Heidfeld in the Group C prototype Lola B12/60 racecar.

Click past the jump for the video.

For all the accolades and accomplishments Sebastien Loeb has garnered in his illustrious career, he just put another impressive notch on his belt at the recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Loeb’s scintillating run up Pikes Peak on board the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Racecar only took 8:13.878, a staggering time that crushed the previous Pikes Peak record of 9:46 that was set by Rhys Millen just last year.

Wrap your heads around that and it’s easy to point out that Loeb’s record-breaking run up the mountain beat the existing top lap time by more than 90 seconds!

If there ever was a fitting way to describe "destruction" this would be it.

What makes Loeb’s time even more incredible is that Millen, the incumbent record-holder before Loeb put him in his place, likewise posted a blistering lap time on board his fully modified Hyundai Genesis, clocking in 9:02.192, almost 45 seconds faster than the record time he set last year, yet was still 45 seconds slower than Loeb’s time.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever want to put your stamp on a world record, this is how you do it.

Just complete and total annihilation.

Click past the jump to read about the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Racecar