Peugeot 208 GTI 2013-2019 - the DEFINITIVE review...
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Jonathan Crouch writes an in-depth Peugeot 208 GTI 2013 review. If you want to watch more reviews on vehicles like this Peugeot 208 GTI 2013, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and comment what YOU want us to review next.
Back in 2012, while the motoring press may have wanted Peugeot's 208 GTi to be a raw, uncompromising hot hatch, the French brand instead went its own way and brought us something that, though still huge fun, was actually quite a bit more sophisticated than that. A car for people who might remember this model's iconic 205 GTi Eighties predecessor but these days want something that doesn't put them through the wringer in delivering its best, something a bit more grown-up. It's a class act. And an interesting used buy.
History
It seems that it's impossible to consider a verdict on Peugeot's 208 GTi without harking back to its legendary predecessor, the 205 GTi we first saw in 1984. Contemporary hot hatch road tests lament the fact that in contrast to that iconic car, modern shopping rockets are too fat, too grippy and too safe, testers getting all dewy-eyed as they reminisce about the time they entered a beet field backwards at 85mph in a 205. Ah, the nostalgia of being out of control, surrounded by metal with the structural integrity of a Sprite can.
Nope, we'll take a modern hot hatch any day and put up with a little less mid-corner throttle adjustability in exchange for things like air conditioning, a decent stereo, turbocharged grunt, seats that fit, an engine that can cover big mileages without issue and a dashboard that doesn't twitter like the queue at a One Direction gig. We're silly like that.
So though we'll accept that some potential 208 GTi buyers may have had a 205 GTI on their bedroom wall as kids, we're also as sure as Peugeot was at the launch of this car in 2012 that these people these days look for something better built, more comfortable and safer while still delivering excitement when they want it. That last bit is important and very much defines what this car is all about. You might well be able to buy faster supermini-based hot hatches from this period and you can certainly buy ones that deliver a bigger adrenaline rush, but this 208 is a car very much designed to respond to your moods rather than constantly imposing its personality upon you. If you've grown out of being dictated to, you're probably going to like that a lot.
There were standard and plusher 'Prestige' models available. Both were facelifted for the 2015 model year, at which point a top 'Peugeot Sport' variant was added in to the top of the range. The 208 GTi sold until 2018.
Writer - Jonathan Crouch
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