Geneva Salon 2014: Peugeot

We continue our brand-by-brand analysis of the automotive news that we can see these days at the Swiss show. We now stop at the stand that Peugeot has prepared to unveil the new 108 and the 308 SW.

Besides presenting these new models, the French brand is celebrating at the Geneva Salon that the new 308 has been awarded the title of “Car Of The Year”, given by a jury made up of motoring journalists from across Europe.

108

Having sold no fewer than nearly 800,000 units of the 107, Peugeot arrives in Switzerland to present its successor, the 108, which will be available from this summer and with which they hope to achieve the same success. Its city-car dimensions are reflected in a length of just 3.47 metres and a weight of 804 kg. Its bodywork will allow it to be sold as a 3- or 5-door saloon, and there will even be a convertible version, the 108 TOP!

Its exterior shows an elegant design with precise lines and a front end where the headlights and the LED daytime running lights catch the eye. The Peugeot 108 offers up to eight different body colours, three colours for the 108 TOP! roof, two two-tone paint finishes for the 3-door saloon, and seven personalisation themes along with different interior ambiences. In other words, Peugeot wants its customers to be able to personalise both the exterior and interior of their 108 to the maximum.

When the doors are opened, the well-executed interior design surprises us, giving a sense of improved material quality, and it is dominated by a large 7-inch touchscreen. Its equipment includes a wide range of systems and options such as a rear-view camera, a keyless start button linked to hands-free keyless entry, automatic climate control, heated electric mirrors, or automatic headlight activation. With interior space suitable for four passengers, the Peugeot 108 offers a boot of around 196 litres, which can reach 750 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The initial engine range consists of just two petrol engines: the 1.0 VTi 68 CV PureTech and the 1.2 VTi 82 CV PureTech. Both engines are designed to maximise performance while keeping consumption and emissions in check. In addition, Peugeot also shows us a special version of the 108 known as the 108 Tattoo Concept, designed exclusively by tattoo artist Xoil.

308 SW

Another of the premieres we can see at the Peugeot stand is the new SW body style of the 308. The attributes the brand wants to convey with the 308 SW are volume, interior space, modularity and practicality. To achieve this they needed a length of 4.58 metres, which translates into a load capacity ranging from 610 to 1,660 litres. One of the strong points in the design and interior spaciousness of the 308 SW is its glazed area of 1.69 m², which lets plenty of light into the cabin.

As expected, the interior is dominated by a 9.7-inch touchscreen that keeps the driver informed of a great many vehicle parameters. Under the bonnet we find two petrol engines or four diesels. The former are turbocharged 1.2 and 1.6 petrol engines of 130 and 155 CV. The diesel alternative consists of 1.6 and 2.0 HDi engines of 92 to 150 CV. Of all of them, the 1.6 BlueHDi of 120 CV stands out for consumption, since, combined with the manual gearbox, it returns 3.2 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of only 85 g/km.

Photos | Highmotor team