Peugeot 205
A supermini that reshaped Peugeot's fortunes and set a class benchmark.
The Peugeot 205, a B-segment supermini, rolled off production lines from 1983 to 1999 as a single-generation model. Born from Projet M24 and launched on 25 February 1983, it took over from the Peugeot 104 and Talbot Samba, borrowing some design cues from both. It snagged the What Car? Car of the Year award in 1984 and was later named "car of the decade" by CAR Magazine in 1990. Peugeot pulled the plug in 1999 to make way for the new front-engined 206. The 106, which debuted in 1991, effectively became Peugeot’s smaller front-engined offering, developed as a close sibling to the Citroën AX and sharing many parts and a platform that later spawned the Citroën Saxo.
Before the 205, Peugeot was seen as the most conservative of France’s big three carmakers, churning out large saloons like the 504 and 505, though it had dipped into the modern supermini market back in 1973 with the 104. The 205’s roots trace to Peugeot’s 1978 takeover of Chrysler’s European arms, Simca and the former Rootes Group, which brought expertise in small cars like the Simca 1100 and Hillman Imp. Around then, Peugeot started developing a new supermini for the 1980s.
After its main launch in February 1983, right-hand drive versions hit the UK market that September. It narrowly missed the European Car of the Year award to the similar-sized Fiat Uno, but according to the award organizers, it enjoyed a longer high market demand than its Italian rival. It was one of five key small cars hitting Europe within a year of each other, alongside the Uno, the second-generation Ford Fiesta, the original Opel Corsa (sold as the Vauxhall Nova in Britain), and the original Nissan Micra. Its launch also came hot on the heels of the Austin Metro and Volkswagen Polo Mk2.
The 205’s styling is often credited to Pininfarina, but Gerard Welter claims it was an in-house design; Pininfarina only styled the Cabriolet. It’s widely seen as the car that turned Peugeot’s fortunes around. The fully independent suspension used the standard PSA Peugeot Citroën layout first seen in the Peugeot 305 estate, with MacPherson struts up front and trailing arms with torsion bars at the rear. This compact rear setup minimized intrusion into the boot, offering a wide, flat loadspace while delivering excellent ride and handling.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Peugeot
- Production
- 1983–1999
- Designer
- Gerard Welter / Pininfarina (cabriolet)
- Class
- Supermini (B-segment)
- Related
- Peugeot 309
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive · Rear Mid-engine, four-wheel-drive (205 T16)
- Transmission
- 4-speed automatic ZF 4HP14 · 4/5-speed manual
- Wheelbase
- 2420 mm / 2540 mm (205 T16)
- Length
- 3705 mm / 3820 mm (205 T16)
- Height
- 1350 - / 1354 mm (GTI/205 T16) / 1381 mm (Cabriolet)
- Weight
- 740 - (excluding 205 T16)
- Predecessor
- Peugeot 104 · Talbot Samba · Peugeot 204
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Before the 205, Peugeot was considered the most conservative of France's 'big three' car manufacturers, producing large saloons such as the 504 and 505. The genesis of the 205 lay within Peugeot's takeover in 1978 of Chrysler's European divisions Simca and the former Rootes Group, which had expertise in making small cars. After its main launch in February 1983, right-hand drive for the UK followed in September that year. It was pipped to the European Car of the Year award by the Fiat Uno, but ultimately enjoyed a longer high market demand than its Italian competitor.
The styling of the 205 is often thought to be a Pininfarina design, although Gerard Welter claims it is an in-house design; Pininfarina only styled the Cabriolet. The fully independent suspension used the standard PSA Peugeot Citroën layout that had debuted in the Peugeot 305 estate, with MacPherson struts at the front and trailing arms with torsion bars at the rear. Early 205s used the X petrol engine from the older Peugeot 104, later replaced with the newer XU and TU-series engines. Diesel models employed the PSA XUD engine, which were world-beating and so petrol-like that many buyers were won over by petrol car performance combined with diesel economy.
The 205 was an instant hit, and its styling was echoed in every Peugeot model that followed. Its exterior styling was never significantly altered in its 15-year production run apart from small details. There was a dashboard redesign for the 1988 model year, and in late 1990 the 205 received a minor facelift with new door design, clear front indicators, new 'smoked' rear light clusters, single point petrol injection and catalytic converters. The 205 was still widely regarded in the motoring press as the benchmark car in this sector by 1990.
Reader's Guide
The Peugeot 205 is credited as the car that turned Peugeot's fortunes around, markedly changing the company's perception with buyers after having long been regarded as the most conservative of France's major manufacturers. It helped boost the popularity of the Peugeot brand in the UK and was at least a factor in Peugeot's decision to phase out the Talbot brand in the mid 1980s. With potentially as many as 400,000 sales in the UK, it became the best selling car ever sold by Peugeot in the UK. The 205 was first available as a GTI in 1984, initially powered by a fuel injected 1.6 petrol engine; the 1.9 GTI was launched in 1986. The 205 GTI was discontinued in 1994. After several years of gradually declining sales, the 205 was discontinued in the UK in 1996, and production ended in 1998. A total of 5,278,050 Peugeot 205s were sold, and a significant percentage were still in circulation as of 2009. By 2014, there were still as many as 14,000 on the road in the UK. The 205's direct replacement, the 206, was launched in 1998.
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