It is widely acknowledged that the French make excellent hot hatches, and while the two major forces may have stepped out of line with a few models here and there, the most recent of which is the forgettable 308 GTi from Peugeot, most of the hot stuff they put out really seems to work well in its intended purpose.
They also seem to price their sporty models just right, and usually have more than one model in the lineup for buyers to choose from. So, naturally, we’re eager to see what the new Peugeot 208 GTi is all about.
The fact of the matter is that not many of us will ever have the chance to own a supercar, or any of the really hot stuff big boys (and girls) like dreaming about, so whenever a fast car with a lot of heritage behind it and a small price tag is about to burst into the market, we’d be foolish not to be interested.
Still, until we do get to drive Peugeot’s little road rocket, which cracks the benchmark sprint in under seven seconds, we will have to be happy with reviews, or in this case, shotgun rides.
It seems to have become a thing with the British motoring press to go out and be driven around in an eagerly anticipated car, despite the fact that aside from hearing some man talking in a difficult to understand accent and taking in the car’s engine note (if relevant), there’s not that much you can learn from such an exercise.
Still, in this piece, Autoexpress tries to go one better, and has the shotgun rider compare his experience as a passenger […] in the 208 GTi with the driving experience of a 106 Rallye, 306 Rallye and the best known lion-branded hot hatch to date, the 1.9-liter 205 GTi, which is the car that the new GTi will have to live up to.
However, times have changed so much since the inception of the 205 GTi that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a car like that to be built again…
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO