You can get to Geneva in a whole lot of ways, but there's only one which is the most amusing.
That's got to be the nice youngtimer cruise, and I'll be the one to undergo that journey.
This is the Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9, made available to us by Mario Mueller from the 205/309 Club.
Thanks Mario, you don't even know how happy you've made me. But, choosing for the 205 GTi isn't just a random choice
One of the biggest unveilings on the Geneva Motor Show is the new Peugeot 208, the second generation.
A spiritual successor to this car. Without a doubt, the Peugeot 205 is one of the most legendary cars Peugeot has ever made.
When it was presented in 1983, Peugeot was nearly bankrupt. That's how bad it was.
A car which was able to turn the tide, and the 205 was that car.
The French called it a 'sacre numero' and a 'sacre numero' it became.
The 205 grew to be the car which defined the street image, and that serves it right.
Even now, so many years later, when I'm driving it... It's such a fun car to drive.
It's such an incredibly playful, joyful, happy, but very quick car.
Not only this GTi, but the 205 as a whole. High windows, clear views around you, practical,
nimble, it's just a great little car.
And the rest is history of course. After the 205, the 206 arrived. Another success for Peugeot.
The 207 was less successful, and in 2012, the 208 arrived. And now a new generation has been presented.
Let's have a look.
And all of a sudden, it's 2019. Over 30 years have flown by and I'm next to the second generation 208 in Geneva.
And it's an electric car. Who would've thunk it in the 80's, that Peugeot would make an electric version.
But it's reality. It's built on a whole new platform, the CMP-platform, and that means there are a lot of new possibilities.
Among which is an electrical version, but there's more.
If you look at this car, it's a true revolution compared to its predecessor.
If you remember the 508, this looks like a smaller version of it. Just look at that typical front fascia, with those LED-lights.
It even has the fangs 'slash' whiskers or whatever. Then, the interior. It's almost exactly the same as the 508.
Be honest, but I can't think of other interiors which look better than the interior of the 508.
That's promising, but anyway. Under the bonnet, there's an electric motor.
It's available from the start and it's available with a 50 kWh-battery pack. In the WLTP-cycle, it should be able to do 340 km on a single charge.
That's pretty good. It's funny, because its direct rival from Renault, the Clio, won't be available as a fully electric version because of the ZOE.
So Peugeot uses a different approach. Of course, they also offer petrol version. 3-cylinder petrol engines producing 75, 100...
and 130 horsepower. Also, there's going to be a diesel producing 100 horsepower.
And now we're aboard. Look. It looks a lot like the 508.
The switches are a tad different, not made out of aluminium, but it still looks good.
You've got this wide screen, the i-Cockpit... You either love it or hate it, and I love it, but that's personal preference.
The funny thing is that it's a lot more three-dimensional in here. Just look at the details.
There's light coming in from the sides as well, which gives an even bigger spacious impression.
The gear lever is true art, it looks beautiful. It's a car which will make you feel good.
However, just like that programme 'Bed & Breakfast', there's always something to complain about.
Small tips or something. So, we know from the 508 that it can be a little cramped in the back.
Now, I'll set this seat in my preferred position. Peugeot is lucky that I like to sit close to the steering wheel.
Right, it's set. Now it's time to move to the back, let's find out.
Well, it's just like the 508. You got to love it, but this is really cramped back here.
Anyway, you get a lot of beautiful stuff in return. Be honest, if you compare this with its rivals,
this car is very distinctive when it comes to design. And that's what you want in this segment, it's a car for young people...
which have a dynamic and active lifestyle, and they want to look good. And here at the back, you've got that typical Peugeot-styling...
with the black bar and the the three claw-like rear lights. It's a design which stands on its own, and it looks very, very good.
So, the 208 has to be successful, just like the 205 was 30 years ago, when it saved the company in the 80's.
There's not a lot to be saved however, because Peugeot is doing very good at this moment.
Will this be another sacre numero? We'll know after the summer, because then it'll arrive in the showrooms.