By all accounts the Peuegot 208 GTi is a very fine car. It brings Peugeot back into the hot hatch market with genuine credibility. The limited edition 30th anniversary model takes this to a new level, while reminding us of the masterful 205 GTi.
Then this video comes along and f@#ks it all up.
[Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]
This video showcasing eight seven of the best hot hatches money can buy is not perfect, but it is pretty cool. The clip was published by the Goodwood Road & Racing YouTube channel and features French racer Nic Minassian behind the wheel of four old and four new hot hatches, listed below:
Save for the GTD that makes for a very impressive line up of cars, all of which we would love to drive. And driving them all on the same day, on the same road, well, that would be a great day out.
Just don’t expect this clip to wow you with performance stats or hard data.
Peugeot’s little hot hatch is turning 30 years old. To celebrate they’re producing this 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Limited Edition model, which has just been revealed at the increasingly important Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The 208 GTi 30th will go on sale in November after a full launch at the Paris Motor Show in September. For now we don’t know how limited this model will be or if any will be coming to Australia.
We do know that the crazy “dual-material livery” is optional and we assume it’s only available in the black/red combo you see here.
The standard 208 GTi has 147kW/275Nm and this model has had its 1.6 litre turbo warmed over a little to produce new numbers of 155kW/300Nm. For the mathemiticians among you you may have already worked out that 155kW equals 208 when measured in old skool horsepower. Enough to make a slight 0.3s improvement on the 0-100km/h time, which can be done in 6.5s in the 30th.
As the old advertising line says, the best way to approach a corner is to “take a lion through it” and to Peugeot’s credit they are living that ethos. Lowered suspension is an easy party trick and 10mm has been knocked off the ride height. More impressive, though, is the increase in track, by 22mm at the front and 16mm at the rear. Small numbers, perhaps, but sure to have a positive difference on handling.
Whenever I see a 205 GTi my little hot hatch heart beats a little faster. Now it may just do the same if I ever see a 208 GTi 30th whiz by.
Peugeot Australia seems very pleased with itself now that the 208 GTi is on our shores. And with a starting price of $29,990 for this pugnacious hot hatch it’s easy to see why.
The 1.6 litre turbo offers 147kW/275Nm and with only 1160kg to move around it can reach 100km/h in very respectable 6.8 seconds. It has a proper manual gearbox along with stacks of standard kit, including sat nav with a 7″ touch screen, Blutetooth, dual zone climate control, cruise control and more.
There’s lots of GTi-specific trim and badging as well, to remind you that you’re in the halo model.
We think this car offers a lot of potential and like the Golf GTI has often spent its life living in the shadow of the original, the 205 GTi in this case. We hope that the 208 GTi can live up to its reputation.