It’s the new flagship of the 308 hatchback range, sports a GTi badge, and gets the same 1.6-litre turbo engine as found in the French carmaker’s RCZ Coupé.
The 308 GTi was launched sans pomp and ceremony, with cars hitting showroom floors and us media getting a simple release proclaiming that the car was now available. I must admit I find that a little odd as without some marketing effort from the French, very few out there will take notice of the latest hot-hatch competitor.
The newcomer is the five-door 308 hatch with a few go-faster visual tweaks including a lower front bumper, deeper rear apron with diffuser, and a rear roof spoiler which Peugeot says aids downforce at higher speeds. There are also angrier twin-tailpipes, new 18-inch alloys running on low-profile rubber, and a 10mm-lower ride height.
The GTi treatment extends to the inside, with finishes which include an aluminium footrest and gearlever, squared-off sports steering wheel, and classy piano black inserts. But the massive glass roof was the first thing I noticed in the cabin, and I do mean massive.
It’s just about the size of the roof itself and comes with a motorised blind for hotter days. I used it mostly at night, but felt a little exposed with the fear being criminals on bridges throwing rocks at cars.
The 1.6-litre turbocharged engine is a gem and really a hoot to play with, with ample front tyre-spinning boost available. There’s little lag to speak of, and our test unit whooshed strongly into the rev-limiter in every gear (the carmaker lists kilowatt peaks between 5 800 and 6 800rpm).
It really isn’t a lazy powerplant, and our 7.9 second 0-100km/h sprint time at our test facility near Pretoria endorsed this. The 237km/h claimed top-end is also not too shabby.
It’s also the kind of car you find yourself driving more with traction control off than on, as in the right gear that thrusty spool-up tends to trigger the electronic nanny, especially when exiting corners, and that’s a killjoy. But with outputs of 147kW and 275Nm you’re firmly in last-generation Golf GTi territory.
The gearbox complements the lively engine, with not too long ratios, a sixth gear for highway cruising, and a very direct shifting feel about it.
It never felt spongy and was very easy to use. And it comes into its own when you boot it, with quick gear changes keeping boost at a very optimum level.
There’s also quite a nice sound to the 308 GTi when driven in anger, which Peugeot put down to sound system technology described as similar to a musical instrument. A vibrating membrane in the intake manifold kicks in after pull off to produce a sportier sound – which is then amplified by an acoustic duct.
The suspension though – which Peugeot says is uprated from the standard 308 – is still not hard enough. The French have gone the stiffer bushes and different dampers route, but the ride is still too soft and the car feels a little on the light side.
It handles well through the essess, but the potential to go from regular to 2 percent low fat is definitely there. The steering is also electro-hydraulic power-assisted, which again is not ideal, but it’s been tweaked for sharper feedback and did the job.
From a practicality point of view the pedals were also a bit strange in that the clutch returned to a much higher position than the brake and gas, and the arm rest – when fully extended forward – was in the way of the handbrake.
But more worrying was the fact that our test unit, twice over our test period, went into a limp mode – with an engine management warning coming up on the centre-console display. When this happens boost is basically gone and overall power feels like 30 percent of normal.
It happens quite suddenly and for no apparent reason, which can be dangerous when pulling off at an intersection or overtaking. Both times I stopped, switched off and restarted. The one time this was a cure, the other time not – but power came back after a kilometre or two.
VERDICT:
Apart from the engine management hitch I quite enjoyed the 308 GTi. It’s not quite in the performance league of the bigger-engined Golf GTI or Focus ST, but at just under three hundred grand is a lot cheaper than the regular hot-hatch suspects.
You get fairly spirited performance for that price, an engine which felt like it could take a regular beating, and sporty-enough styling. And it really is fun to drive.