Peugeot 208

1 / 3

At a glance

Who is this car for?

Travellers who would rather feel the drive home from Tivat Airport than let the miles pass unnoticed, the 208 is the most engaging small hatch on the rank.

• Couples who enjoy driving
• Bay-of-Kotor weekenders
• Short coastal loops

On the road from Tivat Airport

Behind the wheel

The 208 Mk2 is the more pointed alternative on the TIV economy rank, and the difference shows before you have left the airport access lane. The 1.2 PureTech 100 hp three-cylinder is the engine to ask for at the kerbside, keener than the 75 hp variant and willing to rev. The five-speed manual is short-throw and positive; the eight-speed auto matches the engine well. The i-Cockpit dash is divisive: a low small wheel, instruments read above it, piano-key climate switches. Some drivers love it, others never settle. Try the seat at the handover lane before signing the rental agreement, especially if you are tall.

On Tivat Airport routes

The roads radiating out of Tivat Airport play to the 208's character. The 12 km Vrmac tunnel run to Kotor rewards the quick rack; turn in and the nose obeys with a tightness softer rivals lack. South past Krašići toward the Lustica peninsula, the firmer damping that makes Podgorica's patched tarmac noisier is the same damping that keeps the body tidy through the long Budva approach curves. The 8 km dash to the Kamenari ferry slip is dispatched in eight minutes, which leaves time to be first onto the next Lepetane sailing. The longer Sozina motorway leg to Podgorica is where the three-cylinder becomes audible at 3,500 rpm.

Space and load

The 311-litre boot is the smallest among the TIV French hatches, with a higher load lip and noticeable wheel-arch intrusion. Two cabin cases and a soft weekender fit; a third medium piece needs the load cover stowed and the parcel shelf out. Hiking kit for two heading inland, boots, 40-litre packs, shell jackets, goes in with one rear seat folded. Beach gear for a Plavi Horizonti day eight kilometres south of the airport works seats-up if you skip the parasol. For two passengers on a sensible TIV packing list it is adequate; for anything fuller, the 308 is the better collection.

Best journeys from TIV

The 208 belongs to the TIV arrival who actually enjoys the drive. The returning visitor on a week of bay loops who wants the Vrmac descent to feel like something, the solo traveller based at a Budva hotel and carving the Jaz to Bečići coastal stretch at sunrise, the couple stepping off a cruise call at the Port of Kotor who would rather a small car with personality than one that disappears. It also suits anyone tired of touchscreen submenus, since the piano keys give you climate without a glance away. It is the wrong TIV car for tall drivers uncomfortable reading instruments over a small wheel.

Practical notes

Real-world petrol economy runs to 5.2 L/100 km in mixed driving, slightly better than the Clio TCe in practice. The 44-litre tank stretches past 750 km, which means a one-week stay built around bay distances rarely needs a refill. At 4.055 metres the car parks in the Kotor Tabačina bays and the Budva pedestrian-zone perimeter without drama, and slips into the TIV short-stay lot directly in front of the terminal for late-evening collections. Front-wheel drive on all-season rubber copes with the sheltered bay winters cleanly. The electric AC compressor stays composed on a 35 degree August handover.

The verdict

Pick the 208 from the Tivat Airport rank when you want actual character under the bonnet and through the wheel for a week of bay corniche driving. The Vrmac descent into Kotor at first light, the Lustica peninsula loop south of TIV, the early-morning Jaz to Bečići coastal stretch; these are the moments the 208 was built for, and they are all within twenty minutes of the kerbside handover. Skip it if you value load space over agility, a conventional cabin layout over the i-Cockpit, or the quietest possible Sozina motorway cruise to the capital and back.

Inside the car

• i-Cockpit
• Apple CarPlay
• USB Charging
• Rear Parking Sensors