The lion roars
Under the bonnet of the new 308 GTI is a 1.6-litre four cylinder petrol engine equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharger that pumps out 266bhp through the front axle which, as it turns out, is more than enough to make the wheel squirm in your hands as you duke it out with the torque steer under hard acceleration.
Applied carefully – though not too carefully – and that power will take you to 60mph in a quick-enough-to-boastabout-it-down-the-pub six seconds on the way to a top speed of 155mph.
You get to change gear the old fashioned way with a short stick placed conveniently close to your left hand – there’s no paddle-shift gearbox option – but the six-speed manual is light, precise and slick with a satisfyingly positive action.
The GTI rides on stiffer springs and uprated dampers and sits 11mm lower than the rest of the 308 range. The front track is 10mm wider than standard.
Though the car is quick to respond to changes in direction the steering doesn’t provide a great deal of feedback and can looks sleek and modern.
It’s well put together too, with some decent quality materials and genuinely nice details.
The instrument binnacle sits high above the tiny steering wheel – according to Peugeot so that you don’t have to take your eyes off the road for too long – and its design is mimicked by the 9.7in touchscreen surround.
That touchscreen controls the navigation, entertainment and air con. Because everything is centrally controlled it can be a little fiddly navigating the menus just to turn the air con up a degree or two but the touchscreen is at least responsive.
The seating is set quite high and, while I can have no complaints about getting comfortable, I was never able to get everything quite spot on.
Front seat passengers are blessed with plenty of head and leg room but anyone of above average height will not thank you for being stuck in the back.
The pay off is that you get a boot that’s bigger than a lot of the 308’s rivals.
Peugeot have made some great drivers’ cars, and the 308 GTI is another one to add to that illustrious list. PLEASE NOTE ALL OF THESE PRICES ARE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COMPARed,, WITH THOSE ON THE INTERNET BUT IT IS INTENTIONAL THAT OUR STOCK LEVELS ARE LOW AS WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN OFFER THE BEST VALUE BY SOURCING CARS ON A ‘DAY TO DAY’ BASIS IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE - JUST MENTION YOUR REQUIREMENT -