What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com April 2020 69

AudiA1SportbackvsMini5drvsPeugeot 208

into the poshendofthesmall

car market, cornered by the Audi

A1 and Mini. Can the 208 really

compete in such company?

DRIVING

Performance, ride,

handling, re nement

You’re probably expecting to hear

that the Mini is the sporty choice,

and when it comes to straight-line

performance, it certainly is. With a

larger, more powerful engine than

its rivals here, it’s the only one you

could genuinely describe as nippy,

and it can easily beat the other two

away from a set of traffi c lights.

The A1 comes second in the

0-60mphdash,despitehaving

the smallest engine of our trio,

with the 208 bringing up the rear.

However, thanks in part to its

shorter gearing, the 208 actually

picks up speed quickest when you

accelerate from low revs in a high

gear, something that’s handy on

A-roads and motorways.

It’s also easier to drive than

the Mini; the latter has a notchy

gearbox and an unnecessarily

heavy clutch pedal. Mind you,

the 208’s gearshift is a bit woolly

compared with the A1’s, so it

doesn’t snick from one gear to

another as satisfyingly. The A1

also has the most positive and

feelsome clutch pedal, which

helpswhenyou’retryingtokeep

things smooth at low speeds.

There’s more bad news for the

Mini when it comes to cornering.

The British brand may trade on

the ‘go-kart feel’ of its cars, but that

isn’t always the case in reality. The

steering feels artifi cial and overly

heavy, and although it’s certainly

very quick (only a tiny movement

of the wheel is needed to get the

car to change direction), this

only serves to make the Mini feel

nervous at higher speeds.

The A1 not only has more

naturally weighted steering but

also feels far more composed

during quick changes of direction,

plus it has more grip when you

needit.Asaresult,it’samore

enjoyable car to drive at all speeds.

So, where does that leave the

208? Well, although it feels the

least eager to change direction

and leans the most through bends,

we still prefer its more composed,

predictable cornering manners to

the Mini’s disjointedness. It can’t

hold a candle to the A1, though.

The Mini also disappoints for

ride comfort – despite our test car

coming with optional adaptive

suspension (£600). Even in its

most relaxed setting, you’re

jostled around too much along

scarred urban streets; things

don’t even completely settle

down on the motorway.

Peugeots new 208 aspires to go

toe-to-toe withposhsmall hatches

such astheAudiA1 andMini5dr.

Let’s givethem a good workout

Photography:JohnBradshaw

Sweat

the

small

stuff

Easilythemostcapableandfunthroughcorners,theA1is strongoncomfort,too

Evenonoptionaladaptivesuspension,ridecomfortis reallyquitepoorin theMini

New 208 is moreaboutcomfortandhushedcruisingmannersthandrivingthrills

AUDIA1SPORTBACK

MINI5DR

PEUGEOT 208

BEST

TO DRIVE

Thanks to Bellway, Lion Wharf Old Isleworth