Drove the new offering from Peugeot, in the A segment, which is the 108 and was pleasantly surprised at the offering. With renewed energy under the leadership of Xavier Gopille, Peugeot want to climb back to lofty heights they were at sales wise, a few years ago. And entering the A segment will surely help them do that.
Styling.
The 108 comes with the distinctive Peugeot chromed accented grille, with the lion claws emblem firmly in the middle of the bonnet. The claw design also features in the rear lamps with the three claw prominent.
With their 3D effect, the brand’s three claw signature stands out from the body. Together with the horizontal lines of the rear bumper, they contribute to the 108’s stable appearance.
In a side view its compact form is highlighted by front and rear overhangs reduced to an absolute minimum. The 108 is an impressive looking little car.
In the Cabin.
The 108 interior is fairly compact, as so many entry level car’s are. But the front area is roomy enough. The dash area is fairly simple, with all buttons and controls on the lower left side, with the media screen above it. The passenger side is a bit plasticky with little form to it.
When seated in the height adjustable seat, the various controls are all within easy reach of the driver. Behind the wheel, finding the controls is intuitive, while the fuel filler flap opening is easily accessible on the dashboard. The controls for the front electric windows, for driver and passenger, fall readily to hand, grouped together on the driver’s door panel. The boot is 227 L and can be made larger by folding down the rear seats to as much as 868 L.
As stated before, the media screen is in the middle, and it comes with Bluetooth for connectivity. It also has MirrorLink, for applications to be played from Android, AppleCarPlay etc. Everything can be played from the touch screen, and on certain phones by voice command.
Safety is taken care of by six airbags fitted standard, which is pretty good in an entry level car. Two in front, two lateral airbags, and two curtain airbags. Isofix mountings are there for small children as well.
The braking system includes ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Emergency
Collision Braking System and switchable ESP as standard. The braking system is completed by 247mm ventilated discs at the front and 200mm drums at the rear.
The Hill Start Assist system holds the vehicle for a moment, the time it takes for the driver to move their foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal.
Engine
The Peugeot 108 comes with an efficient 3-cylinder engine :
– 1.0 VTi 53kW, 95g/km CO2 emissions with an average fuel cons. of 4.1 l/100km
– 5-speed manual gearbox
It takes advantage of the light weight of the PEUGEOT 108, just 840kg, and gave me a good drive around the Harties area. It surely is not going to set and speed records, but it is functional, and performed okay in Highveld air.
Pricing.
R179 900.00
Peugeot 108 comes with:
: A 5 year / 100 000km comprehensive warranty
A 5 year / 100 000km comprehensive service plan
Customer support: roadside assistance, 24-hour Customer contact centre, Licence renewal reminder, Service plan and warranty expiry notifications.
Peugeot have done well to launch a car in the A segment, and once the dealership additions come into effect, that are planned, I am sure that they should start racking up some sales figures.