A Brief Peugeot 308 Gti 2019 Review

By Author: Barry Sharp
Total Articles: 9
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The 2019 Peugeot 308 GTi is the latest version of the ever popular hot hatch. This segment has become quite crowded in recent years, so it’s crucial that the 308 GTi is ready to hit the ground running and compete with its rivals. In this brief review, we will take a look at what the 308 GTi has to offer so that you can make an informed purchasing decision.

At First Glance

The new Peugeot 308 GTi looks fantastic, the interior is extra special and very well presented compared to its rivals. The 1.6L engine generates 200 kW of power, it is a hard puller, and there is now a limited slip differential too. Fuel economy is 8L/100km combined which is quite reasonable for a hot hatch. Some drivers may find the infotainment fiddly to use until they get used to it and ergonomics will not satisfy those used to a traditional layout.

The Peugeot 308 GTi

This model was first released here in Australia in 2016 when there was very little in the way of competition. The only real rivals were the Renault Megane RS which had aged and the Golf GTi which could only muster 162kW of power in total. Honda has not released ...
... the Civic Type R here, and the i30 N hadn’t even been produced yet. Fast forward to now, and the hot hatch market has really exploded here. Every car maker has some skin in the game, and the Peugeot 308 GTi needs to work hard to maintain or gain market share.

On the surface, this should be easy for the competition, virtually every rival has a 1.8L or 2.0L four cylinder engine, and yet Peugeot have gone with a 1.6L power plant. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story, the 308 GTi turbocharged engine can punch far above its weight generating 200 kW of power and 330 Nm of torque to the front wheels. This is all managed with a six speed manual transmission and a mechanical locking differential. This is a true petrolheads car, there is no automatic transmission variant, and you may need a gym membership to control it.

The 308 GTi has a small displacement compared to the large turbocharging unit. Now you may think that this would lead to a laggy turbocharging experience, but this setup seems to work very well indeed. It’s easy to pull hard at around 1,750rpm up to the redline and peak torque can be achieved at 1,900 rpm. The engine feels silky smooth, and it’s economical too at 8L/100km combined if you're not thrashing it.

Control can be managed via a smaller steering wheel than many drivers may be used to. Feedback on the experience is provided by the i-cockpit instrumentation in the ergonomically designed cabin.

If they are looking for a Peugeot 308 GTi, Perth based drivers should get in touch with us here at Perth City Peugeot and we will be happy to arrange a no obligation test drive.