- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
88kW, 160Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2012)
2014 Peugeot 208 Active Review
Active gives you the style of Allure but the driving experience is completely different.
- Generous interior space and cargo space, Stylish look with many features as standard - including safety features, Small steering wheel that is easy to hold, Folding side mirrors - great for narrow parking spaces and roadside parking, Simple and clear dashboard
- Noisy cabin when accelerating - not value for money for me, Seems to struggle a bit when speeding up, Even with capped servicing, it is costly to service, Lack of storage space in the cabin, Touch screen is too bright even when dimmed at the lowest level
I never considered Peugeot until they came out with a promotional price for Active 1.6L at $19990. I requested a test drive for Active 1.6L with a small dealership in the Eastern side of Melbourne. Instead of Active, I was given an Allure and told that they "drive the same". When I enquired the difference between the two grades, the salesman told me "a couple of features", including the trim, which I can do without.
Satisfied that Peugeot 208 is one of the best looking city cars I had tested so far, it has a lot of standard features that probably only Kia Rio and Hyundai can compete, as well as being quiet when braking and accelerating. I returned to the showroom two weeks later to buy the $19990 driveaway special, only to be told that they had exhausted the stock so the only white car I could get was their showroom car with a built-in GPS.
This is the first time for me to buy and trade-in, I fell for all the tricks and ended up paying nearly full-price for the base model plus the GPS - at nearly $22000.
I thought that it was okay to went a bit over budget because I prefer to pay more for a quiet car. However just driving the car from the dealership to home already raised questions, in particular it was the noise level in the cabin. I remember clearly that during the test drive, the cabin was very quiet most of the time. But for the Active I purchased, when I stepped on the accelerator, it tends to struggle a bit. Also the brakes squeak quite often. The worst part is that I can hear all the noise coming into the cabin, louder than the music from the speakers.
Two days later I got in touch with the salesman to check if I got the right car. The answer was: it is the right car that I wanted to buy, but the car I tested was an Allure Premium. The dealership would not answer my question if Allure and Active are actually two different cars. Since then I have checked with a motor engineer and a car mechanic and confirmed that different level of trim makes the difference for the noise experienced in the cabin.
Premium trim always give you lower level of noise. The test drive of Allure Premium was beautiful, but I paid premium for a car that I did not get to test drive or experience. It is a pity that the lack of honesty of one dealership can ruin my experience and trust with Peugeot Australia.
If your car dealer gives you an Allure to test when you ask for an Active. Just walk away - they are different cars.