Overall rating: 3.5/5
The small car market has moved on since the Peugeot 107 was introduced eight years ago, but so too has its successor. More upmarket than before and with tons of personalisation options, the new 108 continues Peugeot's fight for a piece of the pie.
In the metal 3/5
Sophisticated would probably be the easiest way to describe the Peugeot 108's looks. While the Toyota Aygo, with its distinctive X-grille and the Citroen C1, with its bug-eye lights ,are more distinctive the 108 is the more demure. It is the one of the trio that looks best in plum, ivory or latte brown. The look is helped by Peugeot's new family grille, which brings a touch of chrome to the proceedings and the bi-focal projector headlights, which its Aygo/C1 cousins have to do without. The family look continues out back where 'lion claw' lights sit either side of a glass tailgate, which opens up to reveal a space that has grown from the 139 litres of the Peugeot 107 to a little more useful 196 litres. It is easier to access too with the lip having dropped by 20mm.
Overall the new car is 40mm longer that before, but with all of that extra space going in ahead of the bulkhead to give the 108 better crash protection, the cabin is largely the same size as before. Legroom in the rear is tight, but even tighter is the rear headroom in the open top cabrio model. Six foot is the limit back there, though thankfully the regular hatchback fares better.
Driving it 4/5
PSA did apparently offer Toyota its new three-cylinder 1.2-litre PureTech engine for this three-car project, but the Japanese giant turned it down. This gives both Peugeot and Citroen an instant advantage as the 1.2 is the engine to go for. Not only does it offer 82hp compared to the entry-level 1.0's 68hp, but it is less frenetic and doesn't need to be driven as hard around town to get places. And once you venture beyond the city limits it feels more at home on the motorway. It also has a positive effect on the handling, the extra weight over the front wheels seemingly giving the car more stability. Much work has gone into making the cabin more refined and having spent a long time at motorway speed we can report that wind and road noise are well suppressed. As too is any tendency to fidget over broken surfaces, so only larger bumps make their presence known in the cabin.
What you get for your money 3/5
As the 108 won't arrive into Irish dealerships until September it is perhaps unsurprising that Peugeot Ireland has yet to set prices. You do have to imagine it is conscious of the €12,500 price tag rumoured for the Toyota Aygo. Three trim levels - Access, Active and Allure - will be offered with all cars featuring a full complement of airbags, Hill Assist, an Emergency Collision Braking system and LED daytime running lights. All three-door models will also feature memory front seats that will slide back into position when you flip them up to allow access to the rear.
The seven-inch touchscreen with MirrorLink will be standard fit on Active and Access models while the entry-level car gets a CD/radio instead. The Active model also has to do without air conditioning, which is standard on other levels. A reversing camera will be standard figment on range topping 108 Allure.
Whatever the trim level or engine all Peugeot 108s will come with a five-year warranty.
Worth Noting
Peugeot says that its MirrorLink system will work with 'any smartphone using Android, Windows, RIM or iOS', but it doesn't appear to according to our test. It only worked with older versions, such as the iPhone 4s and Samsung Galaxy S3/Note 2. When connected via USB the system is said to mirror your phone's screen on the car's seven-inch touchscreen for ease of use. It actually mirrors a slimmed down version of your music, navigation and telephony apps, which are presented in a new interface. The technology is still in its infancy, but there were a number of bugs experienced by different journalists at the launch that caused frustration throughout. Also, by using your phone's navigation you will be incurring data charges. While smartphone integration is a welcome sight in this day and age, the option of built-in satellite navigation would be preferable.
Summary
The new Peugeot 108 moves the game on from its predecessor. Whether you choose it, the Toyota Aygo or Citroen C1 will likely come down to personal taste, but for our money the fact the Peugeot will be offered with a five-year warranty and the option of the superior 1.2-litre petrol engine gives the it a slight edge. It does come up against a lot of good rivals however; all fighting for a share of what is still a small market in Ireland.
