The original Peugeot 108 was a joint project with sister company Citroën and Toyota, creating three brand-new city cars.
The second-generation version, out now, has the same basic underpinnings but is a little longer overall, while under the bonnet there is the option of a more powerful 1.2-litre engine alongside the previous 1.0-litre.
On the inside there’s a brand new dashboard with smarter materials plus a touchscreen system on all bar the entry-level model. Peugeot has done a good job of giving the little 108 some character.
It manages to wear the new family grille with ease and with standard 15in alloy wheels and tinted windows on Allure models it manages to look smarter than you might expect of a humble city car.
It feels classier inside, too, and although there’s the odd flash of body colour it all hangs together well. There’s also a stack of personalisation options inside and out.
The 108 is less than 3,500mm long but still manages to offer respectable space inside. Up front it’s nice and airy, with comfortable front seats and plenty of space.
In the rear it’s a bit tighter — adults sitting behind big front seat passengers might grumble, but kids will be happy. The boot now offers 196 litres, too, and as long as you pack sensibly, you can fit a decent amount of shopping in there.
The view out from the driver’s seat is excellent thanks to the big windows and the dashboard layout is clear and attractive.
The 1.2-litre three-cylinder fires up with an enthusiastic thrum, and while it’s not the quietest at low speed it is smooth.
It’s also quite a perky unit and although it needs some revs to get going it does so happily.
The steering is faithful and accurate while remaining light at low speeds and the ride is good for such a small car. The only demerit is that pulling away smoothly requires a delicate left foot on the clutch.
The top-spec Allure packs features — such as a reversing camera — that are still quite unusual for a car in this class, and there’s leather on the steering wheel, too.
The 7.0in touchscreen uses phone mirroring so you can use your smartphone’s connectivity although you do need to download some new apps to get features like sat-nav.
The 108 would suit a range of buyers; newly qualified drivers can get behind the wheel of the 1.0-litre Access model for less money while older buyers can enjoy the low running costs and small-car convenience with high equipment levels on the top-spec models.
Families might find it a bit too tight on space for holidays but it could handle the school run with ease.
