Peugeot 206 INDEPENDENCE
Is The Latest Value-Added 206 Independence From
Peugeot Set to Continue This Popular Superminis Reign Of Supremacy. Steve Ghosley Checks It Out...
The Peugeots 206 has been selling well since it first burst on to the Supermini market in 1998. As well as winning World Championship rallies, its still the top-selling retail car in the UK. Worldwide, over a million have been sold since its launch, and with five worldwide plants busy churning out more, another 700,000 examples will be pounding the roads by this time next year.
Even so, despite so much customer interest, Peugeot still feels that it has to encourage sales by producing value-added models. Hence the introduction of the entry-level Independence version featured here, priced from an affordable £7,595 in 3-door 1.1-litre petrol form only. As for specification, well theres not as much for your money as weve seen in recent special edition 206s, but you still get body-coloured bumpers and mirrors, a rev counter and an anti-roll bar to stabilise the handling.
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Plus, like all the latest Peugeots, you get a proper three-year warranty included. The specification runs to most of the essentials. That means a CD player, twin airbags and ABS brakes with EBD. What more do you really need?
"The 1.1-litre engine does a reasonable job being neither particularly fast nor refined"
Carrying the burdens both of history and expectation, the 206 has always had to be a very good car indeed - and most potential customers will probably agree that it is. Some will even see it as a class-leader - no mean feat against opposition as good as
Renault's Clio and
Ford's Fiesta. Certainly,
Peugeot have left few stones unturned in their efforts to trump these direct rivals. Over £630 million was spent in creating the 206 platform, designed to support not only the three and five-door hatches featured here but also the coupe/cabrio model and the SW estate. Step inside though, and it's just like every other Peugeot you've ever sat in. Though the dark plastics used are rather sombre, the materials chosen are light and attractive. You wouldn't mistake this for an up-market saloon but it's an environment you'd be quite happy with, even on a long journey. Rear
seat accommodation isn't one of the 206's strongpoints - but then you could say the same about most of the other cars in this sector. At least the boot is a reasonable size, thanks to compact rear suspension. There are nice touches like the front passenger seat cushion, which flips forward to reveal a storage space within the seat's structure. Alternatively, the seat's backrest can be folded flat for really long loads. As for the styling, well, make up your own mind; either way, you're probably used to it by now. My only comments are practical ones; the rear doors could be larger and the top of the tailgate is so low that it slightly cuts into the interior mirror's field of view. I'd also add, however, that the prominent nose looks just great bearing down on you from behind. The 206 has also been treated to a mild facelift of late which runs to the tune of a honeycomb grille, the obligatory clear headlight lenses and a bigger chromed Peugeot lion badge on the back. Uniform coloured rear light lenses have also been introduced. On the road, it's much as you might expect, given the impressive abilities of other cars from this company's stable. Class-leading attributes include the slick gearchange and the absorbent suspension. And handling? Well, unlike its predecessor, the 206 advances the science no further in this respect - the class standard is already too good for that. Nor, unlike the 205, is it the kind of car that enthusiasts will find excuses to drive.
The power steering is a little light and the body roll a little too pronounced. Having said that, traction is excellent and it's possible to get into a fast, fluid driving rhythm that few other cars could sustain. The 1.1-litre engine does a reasonable job despite being neither particularly fast nor refined (rest to sixty takes 15.2s in the 1.
1 on the way to 98mph) but it is extremely frugal so expect to average around 46mpg in this model. The Independence is part of a currently revised 206 range designed to maintain interest in one of the companys oldest models and stimulate sales. Despite its lack of a huge number of value-added features, this variant remains an engaging car to drive and it still looks good on the road. Plus, with a low insurance rating of only 2, it remains an ideal first car for a young driver.
And of course, it still looks the part. Lets face it, that always helps
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Peugeot 206 1.1 Independence
PRICES: £7,595 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 2
CO2 EMISSIONS: 148g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 15.2s / Max Speed 98mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 30.1mpg / (extra urban) 50.4mpg / (combined) 40.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's and Passengers airbag, ABS with EBFD and EBA
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3835/1652/1432
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