Peugeot 208 XY ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

With Peugeot's aspirations to push themselves upmarket out in the open the first model to be launched with this idea in mind is the new 208 XY. Intended to rival cars such as the MINI and its DS3 cousin the XY is aimed at the more fashion conscious among us - Peugeot say the XY is ‘designed to be the epitome of urban chic’.

It sits towards the top of the 208 range, just below the sporty GTi and promises to be the most luxurious supermini the brand has ever produced. We got our hands on an XY fitted with Peugeot's 1.6-litre 115 bhp HDi engine to see what it has to offer.

Luxurious cars have to be well kitted and the XY certainly delivers. There isn’t a huge amount it doesn’t have. Highlights include the seven-inch touchscreen multimedia system, DAB digital radio and sat-nav, special 17-inch alloy wheels, panoramic glass sunroof, automatic lights and wipers, ear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.

To distinguish the XY from lesser 208s are completely unique paint finishes, purple badging, alloy wheels, headlight graphics, a slatted grill and chrome everywhere. It also borrows its wheel arch extensions and skirts with the GTi. It comes together well looking plush and sporty even in the girly Purple Night finish of our car.

The cabin has been given an upmarket spruce-up with plenty of silver, high-gloss plastics dotted around and great looking machined aluminium dials with purple digits. The leather seats with purple stitching are deeply bucketed are as comfortable as they look. The small steering wheel with high-set dials are pretty unique but we like them a lot. The materials used are also of good quality bar the tops of the door panels which are scratchy.

Cabin space is very competitive with plenty of room in the front and decent room for two in the rear although getting in isn't the easiest. The boot too is a good size and shape. The panoramic roof floods the 208s cabin with light and makes it feel larger than it is.

On the road the XY is a halfway-house between the standard 208 and the GTi as it shares its wider tracks with the latter but rides on standard springs and dampers. It means that you still get a composed and comfortable ride but in corners it's much more stable and planted. It has a pretty good chassis which turns in keenly and grips well but the steering is over assisted and lacks a little feel. 

Fitted with Peugeot's proven 1.6-litre HDi diesel unit you get a slick shifting 6-speed box rather than the horrible 5-speeder in the lower output 92 bhp variant. With 115 bhp and 199 lb ft of torque on offer from 1,750 rpm this 208 will scamper to 62 mph in a swift 9.7 seconds. It's a tad grumbly at times and a little docile at lower revs but once the turbo is awake it has plenty of power. 

Thanks to standard fit cruise control and low levels of wind and tyre noise the XY is great for tackling long motorway jaunts. Economy is very good returning a claimed 74.3 mpg on a combined cycle. We managed 63 mpg which is still pretty good. With low emissions of just 99 g/km buyer won't pay road tax or congestion charges thanks in part to an unobtrusive stop-start system.

Tech Data

Price as tested: £18,045
Engine: 1.6 litre 8v 115 bhp - 0-60 mph: 9.7 secs - Maximum Speed: 118 mph -
Economy: 61.4 mpg (urban) –83.1 mpg (extra-urban), 74.3 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 99 g/km (Band A) - VED (12 months): £0
Dimensions: Length: 3,962 mm - Width: 2,004 mm - Height: 1,460 mm - Wheelbase: 2,538 mm
*data from Peugeot UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

Adding an ultra-plush version of the 208 range makes perfect sense and provides Peugeot with a model to take on rivals from MINI, Audi and Citroen.

The standard 208 is a great place to start and the XY only improves on its strong talents. It looks great, drives well, is economical and comes loaded with equipment. It should appeal to those who want something a little special but perhaps can't stretch to a GTi which costs more to run and insure.

The only problem the XV has is that for the same money you can get yourself an Audi A1 or MINI which have the premium badge that so many people crave. The latter is also better to drive. Still the XY is a great alternative and is available with a range of different engine options to suit all tastes.

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