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Battle of the 200 HP Hot Hatchlings: Clio RS vs 208 GTI

Here’s something that you might have missed at the Geneva Motor Show 2013, a couple of hot hatchlings, fresh from the production line in France.
Renault Clio RS vs Peugeot 208 GTI 10 photos
Photo: newspress.co.uk
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In the yellow corner, we have the fourth generation of the legendary Clio RS, while in the red and white trunks we have the challenger, the 208 GTI. Both cars are very important to us, and to thousands of people who are looking to buy one of them right now.

The Clio RS is now much different to that car that came before it. It uses an updated version of the 1.6-liter turbo found in the Juke and couples this to a new six-speed twin-clutch transmission. Renault representative tell us that this is sealed for life and needs no lubrication… ever. They also say that its shit time of just 150 milliseconds is on par with the Cayman S in Sport+ mode.

When you realize that the Clio RS Monitor includes lap diagrams and timing and also allows download function on to USB stick, you realize this is the ultimate track tool.

The Peugeot 208 GTI has non of that fanciness. What it does have is the right looks. The 200 hp 1.6-liter turbo engine is already familiar to most Peugeot and Citroen owner, as they have been using it for a very long time. Standing face to face with the car, we realized this isn’t really a hot hatch, more of a very fast, small, prestige car. Peugeot offers a number of customization options, including the ever popular flat paint. The 208 is small and beautiful, something you buy with your heart. It also has front parking sensors which we’ve never seen on a car this size.

Which one would we buy? It’s a no-brainer really, the Clio being a technical marvel, but we suspect the Peugeot will have its share of fans. Strangely enough, for us guys, it's the Peugeot that looks overdesigned, with its multiple shiny grilles, not the fake-F1 Clio.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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