Now let's get back to reality after
Malaysia's 13th General Elections. I want things to go back
to normal. This means everyone goes back to work, school, retirement
or college. This also means that the Bangladeshis (any other race
that you can say are illegal voters) are not harassed and can go back
to doing whatever Malaysians do not want to do. I say, when you don't
want to do it yourself, you call them to do it. But when you want a
conspiracy, you also end up using the same people you need to run
your factories, restaurants and what nots. So make sure life goes on.
If not how the heck am I going to continue carrying on with my life
in peace?
Anyway, my search for a new family car
has basically not ended after my recent purchases. This is because I
am a serious Motorhead. Even when there is no need to buy a new car I
am still on the lookout for a new car. Right now the Reza
family feels the need to 'upgrade' the Pink Perodua Myvi to something
a little more flashy that has a little bit of pizzaz. So I have
driven the Peugeot 208 1.6 Vti 5 door hatchback recently and I find
it to be one of the better little hatchbacks that you can buy under
RM90,000. (update - it's 2016 and we actually have not upgraded!)
The Peugeot 208 isn't like the previous
small Peugeot sold here, the 206. Somehow we did not get the 207 as I
believe at that time NAZA had just taken over distribution of Peugeot
and were just trying out the waters with the locally assembled 206
(or Naza Bestari). So Malaysia had to bear with an earlier model
while brand awareness took off. I suppose by now the time was right
to launch a new supermini – the Peugeot 208.
This car retails in two versions – the
208 1.6 5 door hatchback (going for around RM85,000) and the 1.6 3
door hatchback (for RM95,000). The biggest difference between the two
cars is that the 3 door version has less doors, a panoramic glass
roof, larger 17inch wheels, different seat trimming and a bit more
street cred. The 5 door still gets a whole lot of kit including
something called the Arkamys sound system and all the usual light and
wiper sensors that you can get in most highly specced cars these
days.
The exterior is nice for a supermini.
You get light clusters front and back that are intriguing. You get a
front grille that still has a large toothy grin but isn't overly
toothy and you get a silhouette that looks modern and contemporary.
Nothing offensive here. Not like a Nissan 'My Rear End Looks Huge'
Almera.
The interior looks and feels classy. I
think this is the nicest and most upmarket of all the superminis on
sale here. The materials use are nice to the touch. There is enough
shiny parts to make the car feel slightly more luxurious and there
are soft touch bits on the dashboard which is nice when you rap your
knuckles over it. There is no tinny feeling when you open or close
the doors. It is quite a nice place to be in for quite a while
especially during traffic jams. The rear seats also fit me well (I am
about 173cm according to my passport but that figure was a guess
according to the guy who took my application a while back. So I
wouldn't know. Or didn't really care. But I am a chubby boy)
When you are in the 208 and when you
are about to drive it you would notice that the steering wheel is
small. You'd also notice that you actually peer into the instrument
cluster above the steering wheel instead of through it like most
cars. I know some may have problems where the top part of the
steering wheel will block the view of the instruments but it did not
affect me. It took me a little more fettling with the steering wheel
adjustment to allow me an optimum view of the instruments though.
The driving position is good enough
with nothing major to fault. So once you start the car and slot the 4
speed automatic into 'Drive' there is nothing much to complain.
Visibility is good and I can't complain so far.
What's it like to drive? The small
steering takes a little getting used to but other than that it drives
like any other supermini. The ride is good and it doesn't get crashy
over larger bumps. It still glides over smaller bumps instead of
smothering them like larger cars but you can't complain as this car
is a supermini and it one that surprisingly (in this day and age)
light – it weighs under 1,000kg, even with the required safety
equipment and crash protection.
Handling of the front wheel drive 208
is in my opinion decent. There is nothing outstanding here as
everything can be considered as safe and secure instead of thrilling.
You would have more fun driving a Suzuki Swift. You would have less
fun driving a Perodua Myvi. So you can't complain. It does its job as
a nippy inter-city car.
The 1.6liter 4cylinder engine (same engine in the 308, 408, RCZ, without the turbo) coupled
to the 4 speed auto ensures that. And because the car is very light,
it feels adequate with the slightly basic 4 speed automatic. It does
have two modes but this does not really make a difference.
Acceleration feels adequate and it would be able to handle those
highway jaunts too. Just remember it is a supermini without any 'GTI'
pretentions and you'd be fine in the 208.
As for faults, the car has a
rubbish glovebox. Peugeot saw it fit not to switch the fusebox from
left to right when converting the 208 to right-hand-drive. Open what
seems to be a large glovebox and you'd find space in the region of
two 1liter cartons of milk. Quite pathetic. The French does not seem
to care about us that drive on the correct side of the road. Or they are just plain lazy. Anyway,
there are small bins and an armrest (hard to find in this class) that
opens up to fit your sunglasses. The boot is surprisingly large too.
You can 'balik kampung' with ease because of this.
The other thing is the steering wheel /
instrument cluster combination. Some may not be able to have a decent
view of the instruments. But then again, some drivers don't even
bother looking at important stuff like temperature, the petrol gauge
or whether the lights are on or not whilst driving in the city.
Anyway another 'non-complaint' is the
Arkamys touch screen sound system. It does not have a CD player. You
have to play stuff you have via bluetooth and the USB port. Of course
Peugeot is telling us that the CD player is outdated but I personally
am too lazy to transfer my stuff to the USB stick and I still buy
CDs. Call me old fashion and lazy. But I do like the option of
playing stuff from my obsolete CD collection. And the sound quality
is decent by my standards. Not great. There is nothing to shout about
actually. I suppose this is because the Peugeot 208 is still just a
supermini and is built to the supermini price it was meant to be.
So what's the verdict? If RM85,000 is
your budget for a supermini, then you can safely buy this. The 208 is
a car with all the luxuries you need in a small package. A mini
luxury car? It's no Mini, but the equipment and feel at this price
gives you a lot for less. Badge or brand strength aside.
Family Cars /Hatchbacks I would buy in
this price range includes – Peugeot 208, Ford Fiesta, Suzuki Swift,
Kia Forte1.6, Proton Inspira
Family Cars /Hatchbacks I wouldn't buy
in this price range even if my life depended on it includes – Nissan 'big butt' Almera, Toyota 'new
model coming out by the end of the year' Vios, Honda 'a bit common'
City,
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