Photo: Peugeot
There used to be a time when Renault wasn’t the only French carmaker that made really hot hatches. Peugeot made GTi hatches, while Citroen dropped VTS and VTR models left and right.
Neither make hot vehicles any more, focusing instead on making rivals for the boring Golf. But it seems those days are coming back, as Peugeot has officially confirmed production of the 208 GTi, which is due to hit the European market in Spring 2013.
Originally, company bosses said they would only make a new GTi if they could come up with a best-in-class machine. As a performance benchmark the Clio RS is next to perfect, so they soon reconsidered. And the press bum focuses on highlighting the many styling highlight and the choice of colors and materials.
But on paper at least, the 208 GTi will be just as impressive as the as the Renault. Power will come from a 1.6-liter THP turbo with 200 horsepower and 275 Nm of torque. This is sent to the 17-inch front wheel via a six-speed manual gearbox. Peugeot says 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is reached in less than 7 seconds.
Of course, being the lightest in its class won’t hurt the 208 GTi either. At 1160 kg is considerably lighter than the 1279 kg Clio. However, the Renault guys aren’t going to take this lying down, and the new Clio RS will also be launched soon.
"The 208 was an excellent base for developing a sports hatchback. We have worked with particular attention on the steering response, the chassis dynamics and the rigidity of the suspension. The 208 GTi successfully combines performance, safety and driving pleasure." Marie Beaumont, 208 GTi Dynamics Manager.
Originally, company bosses said they would only make a new GTi if they could come up with a best-in-class machine. As a performance benchmark the Clio RS is next to perfect, so they soon reconsidered. And the press bum focuses on highlighting the many styling highlight and the choice of colors and materials.
But on paper at least, the 208 GTi will be just as impressive as the as the Renault. Power will come from a 1.6-liter THP turbo with 200 horsepower and 275 Nm of torque. This is sent to the 17-inch front wheel via a six-speed manual gearbox. Peugeot says 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is reached in less than 7 seconds.
Of course, being the lightest in its class won’t hurt the 208 GTi either. At 1160 kg is considerably lighter than the 1279 kg Clio. However, the Renault guys aren’t going to take this lying down, and the new Clio RS will also be launched soon.
"The 208 was an excellent base for developing a sports hatchback. We have worked with particular attention on the steering response, the chassis dynamics and the rigidity of the suspension. The 208 GTi successfully combines performance, safety and driving pleasure." Marie Beaumont, 208 GTi Dynamics Manager.
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