How the Peugeot i-Cockpit has changed the way we understand driving position

In 2012, the first generation Peugeot 208 became the first production car to be equipped with the Peugeot i-Cockpit. This innovation did not come out of the blue: the brand’s concept cars played an important role in the reflections that gave rise to this driving position, especially the Peugeot SR1, launched two years earlier. They fulfilled their role as laboratories of ideas. Over the past two decades, all the cockpits of the brand’s concept cars have presented innovative visions of the i-Cockpit that were eventually incorporated into series models. The Exalt has strongly inspired the dashboard of the Peugeot 508. In the new 208, the i-Cockpit architecture follows directly from the Fractal concept car. As for the 3D instrument panel, it comes from the Quartz. For example, Peugeot concept cars never sew without thread.

Since its appearance in the first generation of the 208, the i-Cockpit has not stopped evolving to the rhythm of creations of the brand, while retaining the main elements: a compact steering wheel to offer more driving sensations and increase agility, improved instruments, which have become a high-resolution digital print since the launch of the 3008 SUV, a high-definition touch screen , always within reach and sight and a series of switches, the ‘Toggle Switch’ that mimic the keys of a piano and allow direct and permanent access to the most important comfort functions.

The Peugeot i-Cockpit uses a three-level stratification to achieve perfect ergonomics and driving comfort. First, the data appears right in the driver’s field of view, who doesn’t have to take their eyes off the road. The hands are another priority aspect: the materials are pleasant to the touch, the connections between the elements are perfect, the tactile or physical controls are in the best place. The Shift and Park by Wire control on the EAT8 automatic transmission is intuitive and ergonomic. The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow manual gear changes without losing the automatic function. Finally, the passenger compartment forms an enveloping cockpit around the occupants. The front seats combine excellent comfort with perfect support.

The design of the i-Cockpit takes into account numerous rules in the field of ergonomics, visibility and architecture. The brand’s architects were guided by anthropometric data studied on numerous populations, which made it possible to calculate, among other things, the adjustment ranges of the seats or the steering wheel, to enhance the sensation of bubbles and to improve ergonomics. on board, regardless of driver size.

In addition to opening a page in the brand’s history, the new Peugeot 308 also brings significant innovations to the i-Cockpit, which offers an immersive experience thanks to its evolutions in ergonomics, design and connectivity. The compact steering wheel goes one step further to become an element that participates in the driver assistance functions, through sensors that detect the intensity of the driver’s grip. It allows you to manage equipment such as the radio, the multimedia system, the telephone and various technologies. For greater comfort, it optimizes its ergonomic shape and can be heated.

Also notable are the fully configurable virtual i-toggles that replace the physical controls of the air conditioner. Placed next to the central screen, as if it were an open book, they offer an aesthetic and a unique technological level in the segment. Each i-toggle is a button that acts as a tactile shortcut to climate control settings, a telephone contact, a radio station, the launch of an application… that each driver can set according to his wishes or usual needs.

Similarly, connectivity takes a big step forward with the new Peugeot i-Connect system. Thanks to the wireless Mirroring function, you can communicate with two phones at the same time via Bluetooth. The experience is completed with the Peugeot i-Connect Advanced connected browser and the voice recognition command ‘OK PEUGEOT’, which allows easy access to the infotainment functions.

This technology is also present in the new and recently presented Peugeot 408, which has the latest generation of the i-Cockpit cockpit with the most advanced driver assistance functions, supported by 6 cameras and 9 radars. Its technological arsenal includes the Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go function and the Night Vision system.