Peugeot 208 GT: Confidence and clarity

Agile, frisky, committed, adjustable and direct, the Peugeot 208 GT Line ekes a lot of fun from just 118BHP and a four-speed automatic gearbox. Highlighting the core compact car qualities of manoeuvrability, accessibility and frisky lightweight handling the GT Line is a new hot hatch-like appearance package for garden-variety version of a face-lifted Peugeot 208 line.

Aping the feisty design detail of the range-topping and formidably swift and sporty 208 GTI hot hatch, the affordable GT Line underscores the basic 208 platform’s clarity and little diluted and nippy thrills. Best driven with a heavy foot through winding roads, the 208 GT Line is nonetheless a comfortable, practical and well-equipped compact city car.

Contemporary and complex

A gem among a resurgent Peugeot line-up, the sporty yet classy 208 has always stood out in a competitive compact segment. Most closely rivalling the much-acclaimed Ford Fiesta and somewhat upmarket Mini Hatch, the 208’s attention to elegant detail and chiselled design has been little altered, but instead subtly refreshed and now includes the sporty GT Line. 

With a wider and dramatically hungry low-slung grille with red accents, sharper bumper design with aggressive recessed lower side foglights, visible chrome-tipped exhaust and LED light elements, including claw-like rear elements, the 208 GT Line cuts an assertive, dynamic and eager profile. Large 43cm alloy wheels with 205/45R17 tyres complete the faux-hit hatch appearance and provide high grip through corners. 

Elegant yet urgent in demeanour, the 208’s contemporary concave and convex surfacing is complex and classy canvas, with a bold bonnet groove mounted emblem and liberally tasteful smatterings of chrome. Athletic and brimming with dynamic tension, the 208’s body seems tightly wrapped and ready to pounce, with short overhangs, wide track and firmly planted road stance.

Ready to rev

Powered by a carryover naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine under its sculpted bonnet, the driven 208 GT Line variant develops 118BHP at 6000rpm and 118lb/ft at 4250rpm. Mated to a four-speed gearbox, this allows for 10.7-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a 190km/h top speed, while returning 6.7l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Buzzy, eager and revvy, the 208’s 1.6VTI engine is progressive in delivery, smooth and refined when cruising, and somewhat guttural when pushed hard. Nippy rather than outright quick, the 208 1.6-litre is responsive, confidant and flexible in mid-range. With four gear ratios, the automatic version is best when revved hard to gather momentum and ensure upshifts into the engine’s sweet mid-range spot.

Entertaining and rewarding to rev right to its rev limit and use its’ gear lever actuated sequential shift mode, the 208 GT Line 1.6VTI is a car that would be best in 5-speed manual guise. An additional gear ratio would allow one to better utilise its’ power and torque for improved versatility, performance, efficiency and lower engine speed during highway cruising.

Frisky and fun

Rising to the occasion when wrung hard and high, the 1.6VTI engine is well mated to an agile and eager chassis, and provides the 208 with the inimitable thrills of a light and responsive yet modestly powered small driven hard for brisk progress. With progressive engine and grippy tyres, the 208 digs in hard when one comes back on power early, and maintains a committed cornering line. 

Alert and ready to manoeuvre the Peugeot 208’s quick ratio steering is well-weighted direct responsive, slack-free on centre and delicately nuanced through turns. Turning in crisply with flickable fun eagerness, the 208’s wide track and short overhangs provide a stable footprint, while compact size and short wheelbase make it manoeuvrable, nimble and agile.

Slick, swift, darty and agile through switchbacks, the lightweight 1090kg 208 is composed and poised through corners, with good body control and little by way of lean, and is stable but alert at speed. Finding a happy medium between handling ability and ride comfort, the GT Line’s well-chosen 205/45R17 tyres provide good cornering rigidity and decent suppleness over imperfections.

Elegantly upbeat

Generously accommodating larger drivers even with optional panoramic sunroof, the GT Line features good front and side visibility and supportively bolstered height adjustable sports seats, for an alert and comfortable driving position. With quick ratio small steering wheel ensuring most manoeuvres are executed from quarter-to-three grip. Meanwhile, an unorthodox layout with the instrument binnacle viewed from above the low-set steering soon becomes second nature.

Stylishly recapturing the allure of its now iconic 1980s 205 predecessor with elegantly urgent design lines, the 208 GT Line’s cabin features a measured and up-market sense of style. With sparingly tasteful use of metallic chrome-like details, glossy black panels, coned instruments and a modern, elegant upbeat ambiance, the 208 features intuitive user-friendly layouts and a practical cabin.

As much at home through winding roads as on city streets, the darty 208 is practical and manoeuvrable in fast-paced yet congested urban settings, and conveniently features dual zone climate control, front electric windows, keyless entry central locking and 60:40 split folding rear seats extend boot volume from 285- to 1076-litres. Well-kitted, the GT Line features a user-friendly touchscreen infotainment screen with satnav and USB slot.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.6 litre, transverse 4 cylinders

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable valve timing

Gearbox: 4-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Top gear/final drive ratios: 0.85:1/3.94:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 118 (120) [88] @6000rpm

Torque lb/ft (Nm): 118 (160) @4250rpm

0-100km/h: 10.7 seconds

Top speed: 190km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 6.7l/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 149g/km

Fuel capacity: 50 litres

Length: 3973mm

Width: 1739mm 

Height: 1460mm

Wheelbase: 2538mm

Track, F/R: 1470/1472mm

Overhang, F/R: 783/652mm

Headroom, F/R: 882/861mm

Legroom, F/R: 874/818mm

Luggage capacity, minimum/maximum: 285-/1,076 litres

Kerb weight: 1090kg (est.)

Steering: Variable assistance, rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.9 turns

Turning circle: 10.4 metres

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/torsion beam

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 266mm/discs, 249mm

Tyres: 205/45R17