By: IOL Motoring Staff
Peugeot's best selling vehicle was not about to go stale anytime soon, but to give it an even fresher edge in its cut-throat segment, Peugeot has treated it to a raft of improvements for 2015.
A fresh-but-familiar look is ushered in by a redesigned front bumper that houses a wider grille, new 'two-tone' headlights, taillights that have been reinvigorated with a claw-shaped LED pattern and a new range of alloy wheels.
Its young-at-heart target audience will also have more colour and exterior personalisation options, highlights being the Orange Power paint option and the Menthol White exterior styling package as you see in the gallery above. Undercover detectives are not listed among the target market for the former option.
Not much changes inside, where the 208 already stands apart with its small steering wheel, higher-than-usual instrument panel and large touch screen.
There are, however, a new batch of gadgets on offer, including Active City Brake, MirrorScreen, reverse camera and a new park assist system.
On the engine front, Peugeot continues to offer its normally aspirated PureTech three-cylinder petrol engine in 1-litre and 1.2-litre guises, pushing 50 and 60kW respectively, and they've been joined by a turbocharged, direct injection version of the 1.2. Mated to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox, the new 1.2 turbo motor develops 82kW and it can be paired with a new 'GT Line' trim, which adds an extra dash of street cred with its GTI-like interior and exterior design enhancements.
The 1.6-litre turbocharged GTI also soldiers on, albeit with some new design features, while the aforementioned GT Line is also available with upper versions of Peugeot's 1.6-litre HDi engine.
Which of these models is coming our way will be made clear when the new 208 hits South African showrooms during the third quarter of this year.