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The Peugeot 206 XR 5-door boasts Euro-chic at a sub twenty grand price tag. Admire its superb aero lines, check out the CD-radio, rear foglight, detailed dashboard and great interior packaging. Hmm - then check that price again. Yep still under $20,000...
On the surface the newly introduced 1.4-litre model looks like a bargain of the new century. But take a closer look under the skin and there are some surprisingly deficiencies. Like, a braking system that uses solid front discs and rear drums - very old tech. Or an engine with just 55kW - that's darn low - and which has only 8-valves. In contrast, the Toyota Echo - substantially cheaper at a starting price of $15,940 - has both a much more sophisticated 1.3-litre engine (16 valves and variable cam timing as well) and produces 15 per cent more power. Or, take the 1.4-litre European origin Holden Barina. Even cheaper with a starting price of $14,990 - and it has no less than 20 per cent more power! The Peugeot XR has one airbag - while the base model Barina has two.
And talking about safety, it is completely unforgivable that the Peugeot hasn't any rear seat head restraints. Provision for them - sure. But in this model the holes are blanked off...
So what at first glance could seem to be a real bargain perhaps isn't anything like as good when just a handful of comparison cars are thrown into the discussion. But if the Peugeot were nearer the mid-sixteens rather than $19,990, even with the brakes and the engine power we'd have very few complaints. (Though we would buy the head restraints from another 206 model and have them fitted before we took delivery of the car.) For the 206 has that rare blend of traits that makes for a brilliant small car: wonderfully usable power, a brilliant ride/handling compromise, a capacious and practical cabin, and breathtakingly good fuel consumption.
Let's start off with the engine, because on the road it is so different to how its paper spec would suggest that it should drive. The 55kW peak power figure is achieved at a relatively low 5500 rpm, while the peak torque figure of 120Nm is produced by the time the engine is turning at just 2800 rpm. The upshot of these technicalities is that while the 206 won't win too many traffic lights grands prix, in normal city and country use the engine is lively and responsive, producing good results without needing to be revved hard. At 110 km/h in fifth gear, for example, putting your foot down still gives good acceleration. However, as with any low-powered car (even one weighing a commendably light 950kg), passing moves should be undertaken with care and the car will be slow to climb hills, especially with a number of people on board. So despite a slow 0-100 km/h time of around 13.5 seconds (claimed is 12.2), the XR doesn't feel like a slug.
Making the most of the engine is a slick-changing 5-speed manual gearbox. The clutch is light and progressive, and the gear ratios are well-matched to the engine performance. However, in the test car fifth gear had a slight whine.
But perhaps the best thing about the driveline is the stunning fuel consumption figures that the car can turn in. Used on a mixture of high-speed freeway, tough winding road hillclimbing, and normal urban conditions, the XR consumed only 6.1 litres of fuel for each 100 kilometres. And that's no fluke - the AS2877 government test figures show an incredible 4.6 litres/100 highway and 6.6 litres/100 km city cycle. We don't think that it would be at all hard to get around 5.5 litres/100 on a trip - giving a potential range of 900 kilometres on one tank...Quite stunning fuel economy.
And if the engine is a lesson in how to make very good use of little, the suspension is a whole semester. Wearing very thin (although sometimes surprisingly noisy) 175/65 Michelin Energy rubber on steel rims, the XR isn't a car that you'd expect to have rip-snorting handling. Or much grip at all, for that matter. But you'd be wrong - like it's much more expensive GTi brother, the base model has real sophistication in its on-road competence. The average punter will enjoy the precise and well-weighted steering, and the way in which the 206 tracks so well around corners. But the enthusiast will simply revel in the way in which the car can be steered on the throttle, that almost-uniquely Peugeot blend of front-wheel drive handling prowess evident even in this most humble model of the 206 line-up.
And the handling excellence is not at the expense of ride, either. For a small and lightweight car, the 206 XR has an excellent ride, coping equally well with sharp and sudden potholes, patched roads - and most anything else that a road can throw at it. About the only surface that had an upsetting affect was a concrete freeway, where the distance between the slabs was just sufficient to start a slightly unpleasant up/down motion. But over every other surface the Peugeot was simply very good. Helping in its ride comfort are excellent seats which have been designed to work in tune with the suspension.
Inside the cabin the good news story continues. As standard, the XR is equipped with air con, front electric windows (the rears make do with manual winders that can foul the seat squabs), adjustable B-pillar seatbelt height, remote central locking, and headlight height adjust. Together with the beautifully clear instruments and the remote stalk for operating the sound system, the XR doesn't feel at all bare-bones.
Rear seat room is pretty good in all directions, while with the rear set backs laid flat (unfortunately revealing easily-scratched painted metal) the load area which is already competent grows to be large. One reason for the relatively big boot space is that the spare wheel is stored under the car, making it that much more awkward should you ever have to extract it. Typical of the car are its two pull-down handles on the inside of the open hatch, and how the hatch has a separate release handle (meaning that when the car is unlocked, you can open it without a key.) The glovebox is large and front and rear door pockets are provided.
The driving position is a touch long-arms-short-legs, and although the steering wheel is adjustable, that movement is only for height when really a reach change is what is needed. The ventilation is quite poor - the fan needs to be cranked to ensure an adequate amount of cabin airflow - and the foot pedals are very close together. In fact, if you have large feet and shoes, you might even find the Pug quite hard to drive. Another downer with the pedals is that the brake pedal travel is quite long, being both a bit disconcerting at first and also making it hard for the enthusiast to heel-and-toe.
So the news isn't all good - but the upshot is that if you don't mind paying that bit extra over some of the other good quality small cars that are around, you probably won't be disappointed with the Peugeot 206 XR. But get the dealer to install those rear head restraints...
| The Peugeot 206 XR was made available for this test courtesy of Peugeot |
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