Peugeot 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport
A modern Peugeot hot hatch has joined the Fleet, too, and its custodian is very pleased indeed
I’M NOT GOING TO TRY TO PLAY THIS down: I adore modern hot hatches. I love how focused and dedicated they can be in the pursuit of driving thrills. So with our JCW Challenge heading back to Mini (full end-of-term report next month), the opportunity for me to switch into another small, intense three-door hatchback couldn’t be more welcome.
Especially when the new car is the Peugeot 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport, as it’s my favourite hot hatch currently on sale. And I don’t just mean my favourite pocket rocket: I’m more of a fan of the compact French hatch than any of the bigger, 300bhp-plus superhatches. The new Civic Type R is exceptionally talented, the Focus RS is undoubtedly aggressive, the Golf R fast and refined, but none expresses the same fizzing, excitable energy that the 208 does. Okay, it doesn’t have the repertoire, sophistication or even pace of a Golf GTI, and it isn’t as luxurious on a motorway or main road, but I know which I’d rather be driving when the tarmac gets twisty.
You might think the £23,385 Peugeot could seem a bit lacklustre after the £32,000 Mini, with its fancy Nitron dampers, super-sticky tyres and Quaife limited-slip diff. But other than an interior featuring a lot of plastics – something I think every hot hatch should have anyway, so you’re reminded of its humble roots – the 208 GTI is hardly any less serious. That’s thanks to the work of the engineers at the Peugeot Sport division, because although the standard 208 GTI was a more than acceptable hot hatch, Peugeot Sport found plenty of areas it could improve upon.
Firstly, they massaged the 1.6-litre turbo engine’s output from 197bhp and 203lb ft to 205bhp and 221lb ft. Along with lower gear ratios, and a Torsen limited-slip diff to improve traction, that dropped the 0-62mph time by 0.3sec to 6.5sec. To help slow the car down again the single-piston front brake calipers were replaced by four-pot Brembos, while inside there’s some chunky-looking, heavily bolstered seats and a set of red mats. (The tiny, dial-obscuring steering wheel of the standard car is completely unchanged.)
Welcome changes, undoubtedly, but it’s what PS has done to the chassis that really makes a difference. The front track is 22mm wider, the rear 16mm, and although the tyres remain 205-section items, they are now grippier Michelin Pilot Super Sports. A softer front anti-roll bar alters the car’s balance (the rear remains the same), as do 30 per cent stiffer front springs and 80 per cent rears. The
ride height is 10mm lower, the dampers have been uprated, and the entire geometry has been significantly altered, too – you can tell by the noticeable amount of negative camber on the front wheels.
Options on our car include satnav (£750), Active City Brake (automatic emergency braking to avoid low-speed collisions; £250) and the two-tone, gloss black and matt blue ‘Coupe Franche’ paint scheme (£945). But all these are superfluous as far as I’m concerned. All the significant parts – those which make this 208 lively yet predictable, and so rewarding to drive – come as standard. It might not claw away at dry tarmac like the Mini, but the car’s natural, pointy balance is so much more accessible. As such, my time as custodian of this super little hatch should be very enjoyable. Once I’ve run it in, that is.