Peugeot 308 GTi Revealed with 270 PS

Peugeot is being very reasonable these days sticking to what they do best – which is making fast, small cars – rather than wasting time and energy competing in segments they know they can’t possibly win in. And so they are now launching a new hot hatch in form of the 270 PS, five-door Peugeot 308 GTi.

Set for debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the new Peugeot 308 GTi is pretty much in the sweet spot as far as European hot hatch buyers are concerned. It is powerful, it is frugal, it is fashionable – what with a two-tone livery instead of a normal paint job – and above all, it is practical, offering four big doors for getting in and out the car and a large fifth one for loading up the luggage.

The engine powering the Peugeot 308 GTi is the same 1.6-litre THP petrol you find in the 208 GTi and the RCZ-R. Here it develops 270 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque and comes with a standard manual six-speed gearbox connected to the front wheels. You can opt for a weaker 250 PS version, but we don’t see why would anybody want to do that.

Other highlights of the Peugeot 308 GTi include a fine-tuned chassis that sits 11mm closer to the ground compared to the standard version thanks to new springs and dampers, 19-inch wheels with high-performance rubber, large brake discs, and revised ESP system that works in tandem with a trick front differential.