The latest supermini from Peugeot, the new 208, arrives in UK showrooms this summer, and under that seductively curving outer skin sit the latest generation of efficient new engines that are the car’s big, green selling point, with low emissions and excellent fuel economy.

Diesel fans will be pleased to know that the six diesel engines have emissions starting from just 87g/km for the 1.4-litre version with the five-speed Electronic Gearbox Control (EGC) transmission, a clutchless manual, with a stop-start function. Fuel economy on this rather advanced piece of kit is a very Austerity Britain-pleasing 83.1mpg. There are two1.4-litre engines on offer and four 1.6-litre diesels. Apart from the EGC, the rest of the diesels have a fuel economy of 74.3mpg and emissions of 98g/km, apart from the 1.6-litre six-speed manual with emissions of a still-respectable 99g/km.

Prefer petrol? There's still plenty of good news on the eco-friendly front with the most efficient petrol engine, the 1.0-litre mated to the five-speed manual gearbox has emissions of 99g/km and fuel economy is at 65.7mpg. There's also a 1.2-litre engine, a 1.4-litre engine and two 1.6-litre engines on offer. Emissions on the rest of the petrol engines range from 104g/km for the 1.2-litre five-speed manual up to 135g/km for the 1.6-litre six-speed manual. Fuel economy ranges from 48.7mpg on the 1.6-litre variants to 62.8mpg for the 1.2-litre five-speed manual.

There's also been plenty of attention lavished on the 208’s interior, with the now-ubiquitous touchscreen, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, while sat nav is an optional extra.

The new 208 will be on sale in the UK in June.

www.peugeot.co.uk

By Georgia Lewis

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