PEUGEOT 208

Here's a blast from the past: a small manual petrol that's a relative snip

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The demise of the small, affordable supermini hasn't been as severe as we had feared - at least, it hasn’t yet - and the burgeoning clique of quirky, pint-sized EVs is also encouraging. But even so, when it comes to trusty petrol hatchbacks at a knockdown price, today the field is thinner than it once was, as well as being more expensive. This is problematic not just for young drivers who have recently attained their licence and crave nothing more than freedom, but also for any of us who wants cheap, hassle-free motoring, with a decent warranty, in an up-to-date model.

Peugeot's launch of a new 208 Style earlier this year slipped under the radar, but the 1.2-litre petrol version tested here is a welcome arrival, being well equipped and, at the time, costing less than £20,000 (the asking price has since risen a touch to £20,245).

This, note, still doesn’t make it a remarkably cheap car in a class that includes even less expensive, similarly sized cars from Renault, Dacia and MG. But the 208 Style has a good level of equipment, a better-than-average output of 99bhp and an enticing manual gearbox.

We test it here not because we think it is in any way a game-changer, but because it may very well be the kind of quietly satisfying supermini that will, in a few short years, sadly be close to extinction.

With its mechanical simplicity, our test car weighed all of 1122kg on the scales at Horiba MIRA, against a claimed weight of 1090kg. It is fair to say that rarely, these days, do we road test a car that treads so lightly - not that you would expect any other outcome. The 208 is only a mite longer than four metres and carries a little 1199cc three-cylinder engine in its nose, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives through an open differential. There is not a shred of hybridisation in the powertrain to add weight to the recipe, and only 16in wheels. These, note, are not the alloys they initially appear to be. Steels lurk behind.