A Week With A Peugeot 108

Blogging is something I started for fun, and a way to document my thoughts – it has always been something I have maintained as a hobby and a way to share my new experiences. More recently, it has become a platform that has opened the doors to letting me create my own experiences, rather than sit back and watch them happen. One of these most recent opportunities is something I never would have thought I would get the chance to do; borrow a brand new car for a week long test drive. Now, I am no Jeremy Clarkson (ew, no thanks) and I’ve only watched one Top Gear episode – so this review is not going to be a technical or car-reporter worthy review – however I can tell you exactly what I think, in my own words, of the new Peugeot 108 car.

For one week, I was lucky enough to test drive the Peugeot 108 white convertible model. A 2015 reg, this car has all the ‘mod cons’ and including colouring and extras comes to around £13,000. It’s not cheap for a runaround car, but as soon as I hopped in it I fell in love. It’s the little things that really sold me on it: the silver chrome mirrors, the swirly wheels and all the easy to use dials inside. Yeah, I told you I’m not a car journalist, but I am a gal in her 20’s whose in the market for a new set of wheels and this seems right up my street.

There are of course cheaper alternatives of the car, but I really loved and used all of the features on the 108 I tried. I particularly loved the audio system and screen; it was so easy to hook up my phone via bluetooth to play all my favourite tunes whilst driving around and call my mates safely and hands free whilst driving. The only thing I thought missing from the screen was a sat nav, but I have no doubt you can probably ask for this to be installed. Another handy screen function was the reverse camera which guides you into a parking space and helps you navigate tricky corners. It’s super easy to use and makes shopping dead easy when you can quickly park in a tricky space and nip out to buy your goodies.

Peugeot refer to the 108 as their ‘city car’ and I can totally understand why; it was an absolute pleasure to drive around Manchester and I felt a pang of saddness to give it back. It’s the perfect size for me; as a single girl about town all I need is a runaround car, and although this is definitely a compact car, it is also larger and more powerful than you think. The car I drove was 5 door and there was plenty of space for chucking your friends in the back, but more importantly, I loved how safe I felt in this car. It’s chunky (in a good way) and feels sturdy and I had no qualms driving it on the nightmare-ish M60 Manchester motorway at rush hour. It just felt like it would protect me, which aside from style, is all I really look for in a car.

I also think it’s worth mentioning how easy the car was to drive. Although it looks compact, it’s 1.2 engine can power up pretty darn quick and made driving on motorways and duel carriageways (of which there are a lot around Manchester) an absolute dream. You also sit pretty high up in the car which I was pleasantly surprised with, and the steering wheel and gears are comfortable and easily positioned. A real selling point for me was also the sunroof – I mean, Manchester is famous for it’s rain, but it didn’t stop me making full use of it whenever I could. It felt like a little luxury that should be used whenever possible, including when it was pouring down… Like in these pictures!

As it happens, I am in the market for a new car. As it also happens, my current car is a very old (but much loved) Peugeot 106 – a tiny black baby which I have never had any problems with despite having for many years. Although I’ve absolutely loved my Peugeot 106, over the past few months whilst I have been looking at new cars I had not previously considered another Peugeot – I was looking along the Fiat 500 route for something a little more cute and stylish. However testing out the 108 has completely changed my direction: I am now obsessed with this little beast and have been looking into this as my next purchase. I love how Peugeot champions these as fully customisable and city cars, although to be perfectly honest, I would be over the moon to have one exactly as I tried.

Although Peugeot have not gifted me this car or sponsored this review in anyway apart form letting me borrow this babe for 7 days, I felt compelled to write this review and let you know about a car which you may not previously have considered as a stylish little runaround car. It’s a model I didn’t previously have on my new car wishlist, but now it’s right at the top. If you get the chance, give it a test drive at your local Peugeot dealer and give it a try – I think you might like it.