What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

70 April 2020 whatcar.com

The A1 is far more easygoing,

dealing with all manner of bumps

more smoothly and effectively.

However, the 208’s softer

suspension means it’s the most

comfortable of our trio for much

of the time, fl oating over ripples

and undulations and only gently

swaying from side to side as it

does so. It’s only over a series of

sharp-edged impacts that you feel

shockwaves through the car.

But surely the 208 can’t compete

with its premium-badged peers

when it comes to isolating you

from the outside world? In fact, it

can; it’s actually the quietest at a

steady 70mph, with the least tyre

noise fi ltering into the interior.

The Mini may have the smoothest

and quietest engine, but it’s by far

the worst for wind and road noise.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Driving position, visibility,

build quality

As with bigger Peugeot models,

the 208’s driving position is

controversial. You’re supposed

to view its digital instruments by

looking over, rather than through,

the steering wheel – something

Peugeot has tried to make easier

by shrinking the steering wheel to

the size of a dinner plate.

And if you happen to be long

in the body, or you sit close to

the steering wheel with the seat

jacked up, you’ll probably think

the whole arrangement is great.

But just as many will fi nd that the

wheel completely blocks their view

of the instruments and will have

to resort to moving the wheel or

seat to an unnatural position just

so they know what speed they’re

doing. We’d strongly advise taking

a test drive before buying. The

208’s ‘3D’ instruments are also a

case of style over substance, being

trickier to read at a glance than

their equivalents in the A1.

The A1’s conventional driving

position works for a greater range

of shapes and sizes. While its seat

doesn’t hold you in place quite as

well around corners, the fact that

it has adjustable lumbar support

(available only as part of a £1400

leather upgrade on the 208) makes

it comfi er on longer journeys.

The Mini is the only car here

with leather seats as standard,

plus there’s adjustable lumbar

support to stop you from

slouching. And although you get

old-school analogue dials, they’re

actually pretty easy to read. Our

only minor complaint is that the

pedals are offset to the right of

the steering wheel, forcing you to

sit at a slightly skewed angle.

You can’t fault the Mini’s

interior quality, though. It feels a

cut above its rivals, with materials

COMPARISON

AUDI A1 SPORTBACK

MINI5DR

PEUGEOT 208

The optional 10.1in touchscreen

(pictured) comes as part of

the (£1695) Technology Pack.

However, the standard 8.8in

version is all you really need

and still gets you Apple CarPlay

and Android Auto smartphone

mirroring. Being a touchscreen,

it’s inevitably more distracting to

use than we’d like, but at least

the screen responds promptly

when you prod it. Sound quality is

decent rather than exceptional.

The Mini’s standard infotainment

system (pictured) isn’t all that

great; we’d de nitely recommend

upgrading. The Navigation Plus

Pack (£2000) gets you a class-

leading system that’s packed with

technology and is really easy to

use. But for considerably less cash

(£900), the regular Navigation

Pack brings Apple CarPlay

and Android Auto smarphone

mirroring, as well as a built-in

and connected sat-nav.

Pay an extra £650 and you’ll

get this 10.0in touchscreen with

in-built TomTom navigation and

live traf c updates for three

years. Frankly, we’d save the

money, because you can mirror

any number of free navigation

apps on your phone to the 208’s

(admittedly quite small) standard

7.0in touchscreen. The fact that

you need to use the screen

to adjust the air-con is both

annoying and distracting, though.

INFOTAINMENT

INFOTAINMENT

INFOTAINMENT

2 You get digital

instruments as standard,

but this full-colour Virtual

Cockpit setup costs extra

2 You’re supposed to

view the instruments

over (rather than

through) the wheel...

2 Analogue dials move

when you adjust the

steering wheel, so they’re

always easy to see

3 There aren’t as many

soft-touch materials

in the A1 as you might

expect in an Audi

3 ...but some drivers will

have to set the wheel

or seat at an awkward

height to see them

3 Pedals are offset to

the right of the steering

wheel, so you sit at a

slightly skewed angle

2

2

2

3

3

3

1

1

1

1 Driving position is

tough to fault, thanks to

plenty of adjustment and

a comfy, supportive seat

1 More soft-touch, plush

materials than you’ll  nd

in the A1 make 208 feel

properly posh inside

1 Mini’s interior blends

a smile-inducing retro

theme with a real feeling

of quality and solidity

BEST

DRIVING

POSITION