SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


Power of three: 2018 Peugeot 208 GT-Line m/t

Feeling wicked

Posted: 16 June 2018

Interior pic by robinsandday.co.uk

The numbers
Price: R269 900
Engine: 1199 cc, DOHC 12-valve, inline three-cylinder turbopetrol
Power: 81 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 205 Nm at 1500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.6 seconds
Maximum speed: 190 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.9 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Luggage: 311 – 1152 litres
Warranty: 3 years / 100 000 km with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years / 45 000 km

Trivia: Back in the olden days I served on a coaster powered by a nine-cylinder MaK (Maschienenbau Kiel) diesel engine. It was an oddity at the time and would still be today because the world isn’t generally comfortable with odd numbers of cylinders. We prefer the perceived balance of even numbers although Volvo-Ford and VW offered five-cylinder motors for a time before finally abandoning them.

But engineers are a stubborn lot. They kept at it and at least eight manufacturers now fit small, three-cylinder power plants. Despite many people’s misgivings, these have been found to offer certain advantages. Here’s a January 2015 quote from Andrew Fraser, petrol powertrain development manager at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre: “It’s not just about weight or cubic capacity,” he says. “It’s got more to do with a combination of rotational balance, thermal efficiency, space efficiency and suitability for turbocharging.

“Three-pots have much less second-order vibration than four cylinders,” he explains, “so they can sometimes do without balance shafts entirely and can manage with shorter connecting rods than four-cylinder units, so they fit into a smaller space.

“Having fewer cylinders for the same swept volume means you lose less energy as heat and because you’ve got fewer exhaust pulses per crankshaft revolution, both turbocharging and cooling are easier. That means efficiency gains can be made on several fronts. I’m not surprised that it wasn’t just us that realised it.”

Peugeot’s contribution is a 1200 cc, DOHC three; called EB2 in 60-kW naturally aspirated form, EB2DT as the 81-kW turbo motor fitted to our test car or EB2DTS in 96-kW guise that we last saw in 308 GT-Line. The one-litre triple used in Citroën C1 was supplied by Toyota.

Defending its “middle child” status this little mill pulls strongly, getting up to 100 km/h two-and-a-half seconds quicker than the 60 kW unit does and goes on to reach 190 km/h versus the plain version’s 175. It can even be encouraged to snarl, just a little, under pressure. When you’re feeling wicked.

As with the lower-powered version, its performance secret lies with a beautifully broad torque band. While there is a visible peak on its chart, at 205 Nm between 1500 and 1600 rpm, 95 percent of that is pulling like the dickens from 1300 to 3100 revs. Want a genteel-looking family car that kinda kicks ass? Get one of these.

SA buyers have four choices at present. There are Active and Allure versions, both five-speed manual, with the 60 kW motor and a pair of 81 kW GT-Line options with five-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

Active level is by no means basic with 15” alloy wheels, disc brakes front and rear, electric folding mirrors, LED tail lights, fog lamps in front, LED running lights and follow-me lighting. Safety equipment includes ABS with EBA and EBD with traction- and stability control, four air bags, automatic locking, ISOFix mountings, electric child locks and cruise control with speed limiter. Convenience items are a manual air conditioner that also chills the glove box; electric windows front and rear; cloth seat covers; six-speaker radio and music centre with USB, auxiliary and Bluetooth; multi-function steering wheel; 7” touchscreen and onboard computer.

Allure provides two more airbags, tinted windows, cornering function for the fog lamps, electrochromic rearview mirror, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers and seat height adjustment for the front passenger. The air conditioner is upgraded to automatic, the wheels grow to 16-inch diameter and the music box gains what Peugeot calls “mirror screen.” That simply means that the apps on Apple- (iPhone 5 and above) or Android phones (Lollipop or later) can be “mirrored” onto the touchscreen and managed via the car’s controls. Satnav might not be an option for the car but the version on your phone shows up full-size.

Connection is via Bluetooth or USB, providing full Apple Play and Android Auto functionality. Read about it at: http://www.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot-mirror-screen/

Apart from what’s on Allure, GT-Line adds firmly supportive, half-leather sport seats with red stitching; red accents on the grille; black caps on the wing mirrors; 17” wheels; automatic stop-start; hill starting assistance and the more powerful engine.

It’s a small car, similar in size to Renault Clio, so don’t pack five sweaty rugby forwards inside and expect them to remain friends for long. For a family of average build, however, it’s fine. The boot is about right for a young family’s needs at 311 litres, the rear seatbacks fold 60:40, it offers a full set of head restraints and belts and the ISOFix anchors are complemented by top tethers. But I would like to see a rear courtesy light for when duty-parent is strapping les bébés into the chairs after dark.

Apart from that, its controls are logical and easy to use, the gearbox is smooth and positive, pedals are nicely spaced, there’s a proper rest for the clutch foot, everything fits neatly and it’s solidly built. The view outward is better than on most of the current crop of coupé-styled cars too. It’s worth a serious, second look.

Test unit from PSA press fleet

We drove the automatic version in 2016. Read about it here

And the updated 208 Allure manual in 2022

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.