Huge difference in internal space!

 

Sure - I can comment on this, having driven both for a week each.

Driving - Id3 is quicker, but e-208 feels more fun, even though it is front wheel drive, not rear wheel drive. ID3 doesn't make as much as it could from having rear drive, handling is very safe, not that exciting. Dynamically you could get in the e-208 and shift it down a back road very easily without learning it very much. ID3 would require a bit more learning to get the most out of it. Quality of the primary controls, both similar to be honest, no real issues with steering on either (e-208 feels more direct). I can't really remember the 1-pedal /regen aspects of either to be honest, sorry. The e-208 I drove didn't have the glass roof and was an early model so didn't have adaptive cruise either, so can't comment on those.

Cabin - e-208 feels like a nicer place and materials MUCH nicer than the ID3. You wouldn't think it is a much cheaper car. Really like the ambient lighting in the e-208 (it was a GT model), super comfy seats, felt sporty and modern. ID3 by comparison felt cheap, plastic, seats quite flat and unsupportive, boring materials. Plain and lacking in flair. Radio in ID3 was poor (not many speakers at all), e-208 better. I think the ID3 infotainment system is technically more capable, but the user interface isn't as nice as the Peugeot. The 3d effect dash on the e-208 is clever and looks cool. The e-208 GT is quite dark and intimate inside, the ID3 is clean and a bit clinical. The id3 is bigger.

Headlights on ID3 I drove were matrix and MUCH better than the e-208. Range is better in the id3 (model dependant), the e-208 when I was driving it was c.120-140 miles, but the id3 was more like 170.

So, I'd probably say that it depends on what kind of distances you are driving and how cool and funky you want your car to be. If you need a bigger car then the id3 is the one, if you don't, then the e-208 is a great place to sit and be.

 

Sure - I can comment on this, having driven both for a week each.

Driving - Id3 is quicker, but e-208 feels more fun, even though it is front wheel drive, not rear wheel drive. ID3 doesn't make as much as it could from having rear drive, handling is very safe, not that exciting. Dynamically you could get in the e-208 and shift it down a back road very easily without learning it very much. ID3 would require a bit more learning to get the most out of it. Quality of the primary controls, both similar to be honest, no real issues with steering on either (e-208 feels more direct). I can't really remember the 1-pedal /regen aspects of either to be honest, sorry. The e-208 I drove didn't have the glass roof and was an early model so didn't have adaptive cruise either, so can't comment on those.

Cabin - e-208 feels like a nicer place and materials MUCH nicer than the ID3. You wouldn't think it is a much cheaper car. Really like the ambient lighting in the e-208 (it was a GT model), super comfy seats, felt sporty and modern. ID3 by comparison felt cheap, plastic, seats quite flat and unsupportive, boring materials. Plain and lacking in flair. Radio in ID3 was poor (not many speakers at all), e-208 better. I think the ID3 infotainment system is technically more capable, but the user interface isn't as nice as the Peugeot. The 3d effect dash on the e-208 is clever and looks cool. The e-208 GT is quite dark and intimate inside, the ID3 is clean and a bit clinical. The id3 is bigger.

Headlights on ID3 I drove were matrix and MUCH better than the e-208. Range is better in the id3 (model dependant), the e-208 when I was driving it was c.120-140 miles, but the id3 was more like 170.

So, I'd probably say that it depends on what kind of distances you are driving and how cool and funky you want your car to be. If you need a bigger car then the id3 is the one, if you don't, then the e-208 is a great place to sit and be.

Thank you - that’s really helpful and just the sort of insight I was looking for

I have the e-208 currently and would agree with everything you say about it, but could potentially look at switiching to the ID.3 in the near future - but this is good food for thought.

Would be interested to hear from anyone else - though I realise it’s maybe a pretty small number of people who have driven both of these for any length of time!

 

Have you looked at an Id3 in the flesh? I would be very tempted to just wait and see what other VAG group cars are built on the same platform, as there will no-doubt be a nice choice of interiors, body styles, 2wd, 4wd and marque in due course. Depending on budget, Enyaq from Skoda, Q4 Etron from Audi etc etc. VW are really missing a trick in not having a 'premium interior' option on the ID3 I think.

 

Have you looked at an Id3 in the flesh?

Not the interior, no, so I may drop by a VW dealer at some point for a gander…(but it’s not so much of an issue really as I’m getting cars on monthly subscription from Onto - so in that sense I’m not overly concerned as it’s not as if I’m committing to one car for a few years or buying outright - if I didn’t like it I could in theory just swap it for something else).

 

I don't agree with the ID3 interior quality comments, I think it's become some sort of urban legend that they're that 'bad', and after all, it's just taste. I find it tidy and utilitarian in a good way. We've got the white/saffron orange interior specifically because I thought the piano black interior wasn't very nice and it is excellent quality. Not a single creak/rattle, just really nicely put together.

The only thing I miss from an i3 is the 'tactile' fabrics and materials used everywhere, but I still think with this interior it is excellent quality and feels so.

Interior space is brilliant - if you're tall, it's great. It's a massive car for a hatchback. We can fit the dog and then some in the boot.

Agree with everything on the handling. It's really nice, but it handles like a 'factory' Polo/Golf, not an 'R' spec, and I think you would have to learn to push it. I've got the Tour which probably makes handling even less enthusiastic too due to weight.

The issue with the ID3 is probably that to get the real special stuff out of it, you need a higher spec car, which Onto might not provide. Travel Assist is very good, reversing sensors, rear speakers, HUD are all in higher spec cars.

The infotainment issues that were all over the web a few months ago are, in my view, gone now they've released the update. In fact, it's a nice system. If only the sat nav database was a bit more current... because the actual interface is good.

Since the update '1 pedal mode' (B) has got much closer to i3 style driving. But, you find that the D mode is actually often more suitable.

 

which Onto might not provide

Yes, I think a lot of it will come down to which spec of car Onto have secured (yet to be announced).

 

What size dog have you got ?

I am considering an EV but need to take ferrying a large dog around (Rhodesian Ridgeback) into account.

 

We have an unusually small rescue, she looks like a german shep but is only 10kg! However, she has a crate that filled the whole of the back of the i3, and in the ID3, it fits with space at the front/back of it, and at the sides, and the parcel shelf fits over the top! The ID3's boot is very low which makes it bigger than it seems. You could get a big dog in there but you wouldn't be putting much else in there. Although, if you get the variable height boot floor there is a false floor with a large stowing space underneath it.

It's not SUV sized but it's surprising how big it is. It sold us on the car vs others.

What prompted this thread was this tweet - I feel like I see a lot of criticism from journalists about the VW system and using the touchscreen for climate control, but not so much about the Peugeot system.

Wasn’t sure if that’s mainly because the VW system is worse, or because the ID cars are just more 'prominent' / 'significant' and therefore spoken about more.

I think this is garbage. I've started to see it like the Android vs. iPhone philosophies. Both are flawed, but people who have Android are religious about getting the same concepts in an iPhone, and vice versa. So, maybe some people think what I think is garbage and that's fine, but I'm happy!

Firstly, it's clear from driving it for a while that the idea in the ID3 is that you literally set your preferred temperature and never touch it again. Although there are physical buttons for changing the temperature?!... funny how he doesn't mention that... also a bad analogy because in any 'smart' home, thermostats just do temperature and not much else... because the heating software should do the difficult work like predicting occupancy and timings!

Secondly, if you want to change the behaviour of it, you press Climate (physical button) and choose a number of presets like "Warm Hands", "Warm Feet", "Demist". 2 taps total. Seems simple to me?!

I've said it in a few places - ID3 is clearly designed so it's smart enough and good enough on default settings that you don't need to be in the menus. It just works - the climate feels nice, automates itself depending on conditions, so you don't need to touch it. And if you do, there's a quick menu for common settings.

I think people are trying to fit their model of how they want a car into a car that is trying to redefine what you change in a car day to day, as an average user.

I feel like a sales rep, but I'm just genuinely confused after doing 100s of miles in a weekend and finding it a complete pleasure to be in!

 

What prompted this thread was this tweet - I feel like I see a lot of criticism from journalists about the VW system and using the touchscreen for climate control, but not so much about the Peugeot system.

Wasn’t sure if that’s mainly because the VW system is worse, or because the ID cars are just more 'prominent' / 'significant' and therefore spoken about more.

 

I wonder what his Tesla review is like?

 

(This was the full comment)

 

I think a lot of this just comes down to not knowing how to use it. There are shortcuts to heating and climate controls, not everybody knows about them.

A two finger tap on the seat heating icon turns them on High/Med/Low/Off. You don’t need to enter the climate menu if you don’t want to.

You’ve also got the haptic heater control sliders, as close to a physical button as you’ll get.

There’s also the voice control, I quite enjoy finding new ways to interact with the car. Last week I asked the car to turn on my heated steering wheel. I didn’t even know you could ask that, but the car replied ‘no problem’.

Actually, the voice control is something I’d dismissed as rubbish going on comments from others, but now I think it’s pretty good. I’ve had no issues with it understanding me, and now I just ask it to navigate to a post code or town name, followed by street when I’m asked and it works really well.

I am getting a bit tired of journos and the like dismissing as rubbish something that is just different. It’s personal preference or familiarity most of the time.

 

I think a lot of this just comes down to not knowing how to use it.

Yeah I think that’s right - certainly to a large extent at least.

The same applies to the e208 where I had seen a number of reviews bemoaning the lack of physical climate controls, but in practice I haven’t (yet at least) found it an issue and with voice control and other 'tricks' that journos maybe don’t know (eg three finger tap in the e208) it’s really not too bad at all - and in some ways actually easier than having to reach across to a rotary dial on the far left of a centre console obviously primarily designed for LHD cars (cough Kona cough).

 

It does have buttons underneath the screen to adjust the temperature Mr journalist. Just sayin'

 

With regard to the ‘lack’ of buttons in the ID3 I think some just don’t like the touch buttons with haptic feedback. I had a sit in the car and to be honest wouldn’t be able to get along with it, personal choice I suppose. I much prefer mechanical buttons because you actually know when and if you’ve pressed them, the buttons in the ID3 seem a bit hit n miss and can be pressed without meaning or knowing.

 

Think it is quite telling other members of the VAG empire such as Skoda and Audi have gone for proper buttons on the steering wheels and ventilation controls.
My review of the ID3 vs the Pug e-208 would read exactly like itguys above.
The interior of the ID3 we test drove was dour and depressing with cheap upholstery. However, if the interior looked like that of untruth's above, it would have lifted perceptions of the interior greatly. But for an interior of a £40k car, no way Jose..
The fundametal basis of the ID3 is excellent. Chassis ok,rides smoothly and fantastic interior space, big enough battery and fast charging. I am positive they will get the interior and software completely glitch free soon enough.

 

I have Vauxhall Corsa-e which is pretty much the same as the e-208 and I cannot recommend it simply because it’s a compromised EV made on an ICE platform.

I highly recommend trying one for a week.

Regen is almost non-existent and you need to switch ‘B’ mode to get anything decent whereas ID3’s D mode has smart assisted regen.

There is no way to tell battery state of charge. You have to plug in a cable and trick it into thinking it’s charging to get %

. Or you get the app out which by the way, isn’t great. It tends to log you out and sometimes the only way to refresh it is by activating then deactivating climate.

Onto charging, while charging and the car is on, there’s no way to get the charging status info unless you turn off the car and open/close the driver door. If the car is off and charging you need to open/close driver door to get the screen to pop up. This may have been fixed in newer cars. The estimated time remaining for charging can’t be trusted. The final 1% tends to take about 45 minutes on 7kW. I think because the usable capacity is actually 47kWh. You can open the charging flap by just pushing it which is brilliant vs having to press button inside.

The range estimation seems completely random. Even after 500-600 miles of driving we can’t depend on it so we use the efficiency. I’ve driven a Ioniq, Polestar 2, Zoe, Kangoo and this is by far the worst range estimation I’ve come across.

Efficiency is 3.6-3.7mi/kWh with average of 34mph in ECO mode.

Setting off is really quick and it’s nimble like a Zoe but the trade-off is that the ride comfort is bad. I can feel bumps and unevenness on the road far too often. Road noise is loud above 50-60mph and this is coming from the Ioniq which is notoriously bad.


All of this would be acceptable maybe 3-5 years ago but the lack of thinking into the EV side of things makes it feel like a petrol car that’s been converted into an electric .

 

I have Vauxhall Corsa-e which is pretty much the same as the e-208 and I cannot recommend it simply because it’s a compromised EV made on an ICE platform.

I highly recommend trying one for a week.

Thanks, but I have the e-208 currently and like it a lot so far. Haven’t driven a Corsa-e but did have a new Corsa ICE courtesy car, which I disliked very much. I think Corsa-e and e-208 are 'the same', but also quite different. Certainly many reviews I’ve read seem to have that opinion

I find the D and B modes pretty good to be honest. Less unnecessarily complicated than the Kona was with its multiple combinations of options, but not as elegant as the i3 was with its true one pedal drive as the default.

The Peugeot app has so far been behaving for me. All the other stuff about SoC, range, consumption etc I work around very satisfactorily by using Tronity and ABRP.

When charging I tend to just leave the car turned on. Or I can pull the headlamp stalk to bring up charging info if it’s turned off.

Handling on the e-208 is pretty good - it’s fun to drive. The ride is a good compromise I think. Certainly not noticeably worse than the Kona. A little better than the i3.

Road noise and general refinement in the e-208 is good - much better than the Kona was.

 

When the car is on I’m pretty certain the charging info just stays visible the whole time in the e-208.

Example of the headlight stalk thing here:

 

Wow, the screen on the e208 looks much better than the Corsa-e. Feels like I'm driving an EV1 in comparison