Peugeot has provided drivers with a first look at their New 308, an updated compact family hatchback designed to wrestle market share away from Ford’s Focus, VW’s Golf, Skoda’s Octavia and Toyota’s Prius.
The new 308 will make a public debut on 10th September at The Frankfurt Motor Show. Sales will start in the UK from January 2014.
“The new Peugeot 308 has a pure and technological exterior design that speaks of high strength and high quality,” enthused Gilles Vidal, Design Director, Peugeot.”
A relatively bjiou 4.25 metres in length, the New 308′s frontage houses a modern nod to the company’s floating front grille. Slim full-LED headlamps squint out topped by a line of what looks like glittering eyeliner. The rear is equally androgynous. Peugeot are calling the three stripes on the read LED lamps ‘claws’. To the untrained eye, there’s more than a hint of eyelash.
Vincent Devos, Peugeot’s New 308 Product Manager described the interior:
“When inside the car, one discovers a world of refined style, completely original in the world of hatchback cars, with a cockpit that is intense, innovative and intuitive; it is the Peugeot i-cockpit.”
Peugeot’s i-cockpit is designed to create an experience that is ‘intuitive, relaxing the driver to focus entirely on the road ahead’ (which seems a little like describing a new chocolate bar as ‘designed to be sweet in the mouth, melty on the tongue and fattening on the waist – i.e. stating the bleeding obvious). That being said, the steering wheel is compact and display easy to read, and the new i-cockpit contains a rather splendid 9.7″ touch-screen, which reduces considerably the amount of clutter and number of dashboard buttons.
Laurent Declerck, Peugeot’s New 308 Project Director weighed in with a note on driving characteristics:
“On the road, driving pleasure is enhanced by the new EMP2 modular platform. With its considerable reduction in weight, it contributes to the dynamism and easy handling of the New Peugeot 308.”
There are, apparently, 116 patent applications in the New 308. That’s impressive. But not as impressive as the weight reduction in the 2014 car: the New 308 has shed around 140kg per car when compared to similar vehicles in the current range.
How has the car become so Kate Mossian? Well, Peugeot have reduced many of the car’s major parts in size. Nifty. The ‘dieting’ also means less CO2 emissions, as low as 85g/km.
The interior has a richer feel and the chrome/gloss detailing adds a certain amount of mature luxury to the design.
From new superminis to single person taxis, automated cars to congestion charges, the unprecedented cost of inner city parking to the increasing number of bus lanes, the modern British urban driver has never been presented with a more rapidly changing landscape.
Look, we know there no such thing as a girlie car and that every individual in modern Britain should, theoretically, be free to drive whichever car he or she desires without fear of judgement, ridicule or reproach.
Well, that was before Volkswagen put a ‘vase’ on the dashboard of its ‘New Beetle’. Though it was claimed to pay homage to the vase in the original Beetle, it was clearly an attempt by the German auto giants to tap into women’s growing independence on the road and off. A recent survey by the University College London found that 2.5 million more women have driving licenses than in 1995. With so many more women on the road, it’s easy to understand why car designers are softening their design approach.
We went to Twitter and Facebook to get your thoughts on the ten girliest cars on the road and here are your recommendations, along with a few of our own.
Nissan Figaro
All those lovely feminine lines, the slightly retro styling (it is said to be based on the gorgeous Datsun Fairlady) and limited colourways – Topaz Mist, Emerald Green, Pale Aqua and Lapis Grey - make the Figaro among the most girlie of girlie rides. Did you know that each colourway is meant to represent a season of the year? Though looking every inch a girlie car, a Figaro is reportedly driven by Arsenal’s clearly big manly defender Thomas Vermaelen.
VW Beetle
(nominated by Charlotte Leuw at MyCarGossip)
Is the VW Beetle really a girl’s car? It’s tough to argue against it when you consider a re-launch that sort of hanged its hat on a flower on the dashboard. Yes, a VW Beetle has that surfer thing going on, yes it’s got a little more under the hood with each passing model, but it’s GOT A FLOWER IN A VASE ON THE DASHBOARD.
Nissan Micra
(nominated by Stephen Chalkie Bellamy)
If a Nissan Micra is not a girly car, why would Money Supermarket identify it as the perfect way to ridicule Nigel Mansell - “it’s my wife’s car” he says. New Micras have keyless entry, parking sensors, auto headlights, front and rear power windows, Bluetooth and a three year 100,000 km warranty. But is that enough to persuade manly men to get behind the wheel? Doubt it.
Fiat 500
(nominated by Stephen Chalkie Bellamy)
Another little number that’s petit, pretty and inoffensive. Perhaps it’s the 500,000 different personalised variations on offer that makes drivers think of the 500 as a girly car, perhaps it’s the celebrity appeal and the fact that Jennifer Lopez heads up their campaign.
Ford Ka
(nominated by Stephen Chalkie Bellamy)
The Ford Ka originally touted itself as a little bit street and a little bit edge but since launch the Ka has been appropriated by girly drivers, being nicknamed the nappy due to it being the baby of the Ford range. It’s not exactly sexy but it is a practical little motor – reliable, cheap to run and comfortable for young singles – it’s almost a car for people who don’t like driving.
Mini
For all The Italian Job-cool, modern Minis are everything a girly car should be – fun, frolicky, nippy, reliable and less storage space than the average clutch bag. It’s not all bad news however, in 2009, Mini Drivers were voted the sexiest in a poll which asked 2,000 men to choose their favourite. More than two thirds of those who responded said they would always try and get a glimpse of a Mini driver when one went past. Perhaps they meant Mini Driver.
Peugeot 206
Buyers of the supermini from French automaker Peugeot are 88% female and just 12% male. Perhaps it had something to do with the ubiquitous ‘Nicole’ adverts flying around during the 206’s pomp. The 206 emerged as a choice for Britain’s thirtysomething females throughout the last decade and continues to enjoy its status as a funaround.
Mazda MX-5
An affordable way to own a sportscar, the MX-5 (and to a lesser extent Toyota’s MR2) offers girl-racers a chance to enjoy a little bit of performance on the road. Even if it’s most closely associated with the fairer sex, the MX-5 remains a great fun ride, a bit of hidden secret that girly drivers continue to keep close to their chests.
SMART ForTwo
First launched at the 1998 French Car Show, the name alludes to the limited cockpit space which is just perfect for a girl around town and expensive looking bags containing ‘something for the weekend’. Perhaps best of all, and this may be more than a little contentious, is the fact the SMART ForTwo is one of the easiest cars to park on British roads. The car is about the same length as the width of a conventional car, allowing the option of driving into parking spaces and avoiding parallel parking. Just saying.
Vauxhall Tigra
The name sort of says it all. The Tigra might be a fair bit quicker than some of the other cars in this list, but there’s little point in denying that the styling, interior and relatively impractical nature of Vauxhall’s coupe marks it out as a car for girls. Still, there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?
And there’s more!
Did You Know that there’s a website dedicated to this exact subject?
The top ten girly cars as voted by visitors of girlcarguycar are:
The best way to a man (or a woman’s) heart might be through their is stomach, but the best way to part them with their hard earned car-buying cash is through their funny bones. Continue reading →
Aaaah. Its a universal language. Everybody understands Eleanor, Lindsey, Barbara, Laura, Deborah, Jessica, Ashley, Lisa etc in Memphis Raine’s codenames(Gone in 60 seconds). They are all cars!!
I have yet to come across anyone who thinks that the gender of a car is ‘Male’. So, I was surprised to see Peugeot’s new website: www.BB1-Peugeot.com
The english version states:
Its mother is a scooter. Its father is a car.
The french version says:
Son pere est un scooter. Sa mere est une voiture.
Peugeot has literally ‘Lost it in Translation’. So, what do you think really happened here ? Please don’t ask me why I was reading the french version of the website…
Motorists looking for a car that is slightly more unusual than the norm may find one of the vehicles from the Peugeot 207 range to be right up their street, it has been highlighted.
Writing for the Northern Echo, Nigel Burton indicates that the Outdoor version of the 207 SW could fit into a number of different classes.
Mr Burton comments that the vehicle is a "pseudo off-roader", which also happens to have "an elevated front suspension", alongside a "range-topping" trim level.
The vehicle tested by the reviewer was fitted with a 1.6-litre Hdi engine, which enables a driver to complete more than 50 miles per gallon of fuel.
Meanwhile, Mr Burton adds that this diesel engine also helped to improve the ride offered by the 207.
He remarks that the 207 is "an excellent motorway cruiser, with particularly good refinement, and has plenty of lowdown urge for smart getaways around town".
Interested motorists could opt to buy the Peugeot 207 SW in one of ten colours including Flamenco Red, Neysha Blue and Shark Grey.
Motorists who are tempted to buy the SW version of the Peugeot 207 over the Hatchback offering for practicality reasons will not be let down, it has been stated.
Writing a review of the Peugeot 207 SW Sport HDi 110 for CARkeys, David Finlay indicates that the cargo net in the boot is of particular use.
When completing his road test, Mr Finlay had the boot packed with his weekly shopping, but thanks to the net covering the many bags all the items were as they were left when he returned home.
He added that the drive to the supermarket features a testing road, full of hills, challenging corners and the odd plunge.
However, the vehicle stood up to the drive well and overall was described as a "splendid little car" by Mr Finlay.
Among the on-the-road statistics of the 207 SW are that it has a top speed of 120 miles per hour, while generating CO2 emissions of 131g/km and offering a combined fuel consumption 0f 56.4 miles to the gallon.
According to What Car?, the Peugeot 207 SW drives well and provides the same high-quality cabin that is witnessed in the 207 Hatchback.
Used Peugeot 207 drivers would have witnessed some saucy advertisements from the manufacturer over time and the latest in the sequence is no different.
The latest advertisement revolves around the new Peugeot 207 Verve, with a guy and a girl driving identical cars and serenading each other through the cars’ Bluetooth mobile phone connection.
One person the advert left an impression on was Ken Gibson, who then went on to write a review of the vehicle in the Sun.
He believes that despite the car portraying the look and feel of a sex machine in the advert, in fact it is "more cute than sexy".
However, he comments that it has a "sporty" edge through the inclusion of "a sharp set of alloy wheels, chrome front fog lights and subtle Verve badges".
Mr Gibson concludes by saying that "the Verve is the perfect example of just how much more sophisticated and roomy superminis have become in recent years".
Kim Basinger once featured in an advert for the manufacturer in a bid to enhance the appeal of the Peugeot 406.
The Peugeot 207 line-up is set to grow in the near future following the introduction of a new model to the market.
Peugeot has unveiled the 207 Biarritz Special Edition, which is a model based around the previously recognisable SE vehicle.
Those interested in the vehicle could also pick it up with a host of optional extras including a panoramic glass roof and front fog lights.
The Biarritz is available in both three and five door forms and comes equipped with safety features such as driver and passenger airbags.
Furthermore, thieves may find it tougher to steal the vehicle thanks to the inclusion of remote central locking and an automatic boot and door locking feature.
Low road tax and emissions are also present in the vehicle’s diesel offering, with the Biarritz generating 117g/km.
Jeremy Clarkson stated in a review of the Peugeot 207 in the Times that he was surprised by how quickly the car zoomed away from a set of traffic lights and overall he "sort of liked it".
Peugeot has unveiled a number of new modifications to its popular used Peugeot 206 model.
Already rolled out in a number of emerging markets – most notably in South America, where it is sold as the Peugeot 207 Mercosur – the new-look 206 Plus boasts a number of features set to make it a favourite in the packed small-car sector.
These include a front-end facelift designed to make the entry-level car look more like the 297, with a wider gaping mouth grill fitted alongside more angular headlights, while the interior has also been revamped to be more in line with the larger model.
Under the bonnet, the 206 Plus boasts a 60-horsepower 1.1-litre engine, with the car also available in 75-horsepower, 1.4L or 1.4L diesel models.
This comes soon after the French manufacturer launched its ‘DriveSexy’ marketing campaign, aimed at encouraging motorists looking to buy a used Peugeot 207 to look into its new Verve range, which boasts extras such as a selection of trim colours and sporty bumpers.
