Peugeot 206. More Detail Information

The Peugeot 206 is a subcompact automobile manufactured by the French manufacturer Peugeot since 1998.

206 (1998)

During the early to mid-1990s Peugeot decided not to directly replace the iconic Peugeot 205, citing the reason that superminis were no longer profitable or worthwhile. Instead, Peugeot followed a unique strategy and decided that its new, much smaller, supermini, the Peugeot 106 launched in 1991, would take sales from the lower end of the 205 range while the lowlier models of the Peugeot 306 range, launched in 1993 to replace the Peugeot 309, would take sales from the top-end 205s. Between the 106 and 306 Peugeot hoped that the 205 would not need to be replaced, and could be phased out slowly, while customers who would normally plump for the 205 would continue to have a choice with either a smaller or larger car.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, this strategy did not work. With the 205 slowly phased out sales of rival's superminis continued to sell well and even increased, and without a direct competitor to these rivals Peugeot was losing sales fast. A new supermini was required, and the 206 was launched in 1998 as a somewhat belated replacement to the 205.

Although the 206 moniker indicates a direct continuation to the 205, some critics state that the car should have, instead, been badged 207. This is because when Peugeot launched its latest generation of cars in the early to mid 1990s, with 106 of 1991, the 306 of 1993 and the 406 of 1995, the 205.

Design and engineering

With no larger in-house rival from Citroën to base its new supermini on (the Citroën AX shared its platform with the 106) Peugeot developed an all-new front drive platform for the 206.

Overview

The 206 was originally launched as a hatchback with 1.1, 1.4 and 1.6 litre petrol engines and a 1.9 litre diesel engine, a high pressure direct injection diesel engine HDi, came later. In 1999 a 2.0 GTI capable of 210 km/h as well as a tuned version of the GTI called the GTI 180, were added to the range. In 2001, two more versions of the 206 were launched - the 206 CC (Coupé Cabriolet) with a folding steel roof and the 206 SW station wagon. A 4-door sedan version was unveiled in late 2005, and will be made available at the beginning of 2006 for the Eastern European, North African and Iranian markets.

 The 206 is mainly manufactured in Peugeot's Poissy and Mulhouse factory although the car is also produced at Ryton in Coventry, England and by Iran Khodro in Iran for their respective markets. It was assembled in Chile for the Mexican and Colombian markets (French made 206 were cheaper than Chilean built, in Chile). The Brazilian production in Porto Real, Rio de Janeiro, started in 2001, followed by the SW version in 2005. The Brazilian production features 1.0 16V, 1.4 8V and 1.6 16V engines, the last two multifuel (petrol/ethanol alcohol) engines. The Iran Khodro production line also produces an unique 206 SD model, which is a 4 door sedan (saloon).

The Peugeot 206 proved to be a sales success all over Europe. It was the best-selling car in Europe from 2001 to 2003. The 1.4 LX (now 1.4 SE) was the best-selling model.

The Peugeot 206 is also being produced in Buenos Aires, Argentina since 2001 to date. The models being manufactured are XR, XRD, XS, XT and XTD. The diesel powered versions are 1.9L and are not HDI models.

Engines

Peugeot 206 was available with the following engines:

• 1.1 L (1124 cc) TU1 JP 60 PS (59 hp/44 kW)

• 1.4 L (1360 cc) TU3 I4, 75 PS (74 hp/55 kW) and 89 ft·lbf (121 N·m)

• 1.4 L (1398 cc) DV4 HDi Diesel I4, 67 PS (66 hp/49 kW) and 118 ft·lbf (160 N·m)

• 1.9 L (1868 cc) DW8 Diesel I4, 71 PS (70 hp/52 kW) and 94 ft·lbf (127 N·m)

• 1.4 L (1360 cc) ET3 16v I4, 89 PS (88 hp/65 kW) and 98 ft·lbf (133 N·m)

• 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 16v I4, 108–110 PS (107–108 hp/79–81 kW) and 108–110 ft·lbf (146–149 N·m)

• 1.6 L (1560 cc) DV6 HDi Diesel I4, 108–110 PS (107–108 hp/79–81 kW) and 177–180 ft·lbf (240–244 N·m)

• 2.0 L (1997 cc) EW10 16v I4, 136 PS (134 hp/100 kW) and 148 ft–lbf (190 N–m)

• 2.0 L (1997 cc) EW10 16v I4, 180 PS (178 hp/132 kW) and 152 ft–lbf (206 N–m)

206 problems

Some serious problems have been reported with the UK version of the 206, and, in rare cases, symptoms such as engine cut outs have occurred at high speeds, which have then lead to other faults, such as the steering lock being engaged while the car is in motion. A group of 206 owners based in the United Kingdom came together online and formed a community named "The Peugeot 206 Info Exchange" to discuss problems they had experienced, coming up with solutions and helping other drivers with their knowledge. Recently, some British members managed to take on Peugeot on the BBC television programme Watchdog. Peugeot has since admitted that there may be some problems throughout the range but as of yet they have not been able to fully identify them.

Update: Some of the problems concerning erratic tickovers and engine cutouts have been identified as problems with the engine's ECU; many owners have complained of the high costs that dealers charge for the replacement ECU however they can be bought at a reasonable price online.

Some of these simple problems can be fixed by replacing the Sagem branded coil pack fitted on some production batches of cars.

206 in rallying

In 1999, Peugeot unveiled the 206 WRC, and it competed for the first time in that year's World Rally Championship. The car was soon a success, and won the driver's championship in 2000 in the hands of Marcus Gronholm. In 2002, Gronholm again won the WRC title in his 206 WRC. His dominance that year was compared to Michael Schumacher's dominance of Formula 1. In addition to the driver's championships in 2000 and 2002, Peugeot also won the Manufacturers title three years in a row between 2000 and 2002. However, by 2003 the 206 WRC was beginning to show its age and was less effective against the competition, notably the newer Citroën Xsara WRC and the Subaru Impreza WRC, so it was retired from competition at the end of the season, to be replaced with the 307 WRC.