Road Test: Peugeot 207 GTi

Review by Feann Torr - 22/Jan/2007

Time travels slowly @ 6400rpm. The adrenaline pumps, the senses are hyperkeen and your focus is sharp.

The only things that registers is the road snaking ahead and the background crescendo of the engine as it converts precisely metered explosions into dynamic forward motion.

Pushing the new Peugeot 207 GTi to its limits is an enlightening experience in many respects, but above all it's massive fun. 

To put is succinctly, this rally-bred hot hatch offers big thrills at a small price.

I'll be the first to admit that it's not the quickest compact car on the road, but by gum it's a rollick to drive.

The thrill of carving through corner after corner, tyres squealing and engine straining is part of what many drivers live for and Peugeot has managed to deliver an exhilarating experience in a compact, safe, stylish, affordable and very efficient package.

The original Peugeot hot hatch hit French roads in 1984, in the form of the 1.6-litre 205 GTi, then in 1999 the 206 GTi got a 2.0-litre power plant. In 2008 the 207 GTi has returned to its roots with a 1.6-litre engine, and thanks to a turbo kick, it's the fastest accelerating Peugeot GTi yet.

Coming off the back of record sales in 2007, Peugeot is in a good position and with a strong range of small cars and the GTi has every chance to make its mark. 

But today's performance car buyers aren't willing to accept compromises, so can the modern day French fang-mobile deliver? Let's have a look:

Sliding into the deeply bolstered Recaro-influenced racing seats in the sports Pug, it's not hard to see why the French GTi nameplate is so revered. 

Drilled aluminium pedals, a shiny gearshifter and bold instrument dials put you in the mood for white-knuckled driving, yet before I could hammer the GTi's spritely 1.6-litre turbo engine I had to drive home from Peugeot central.

Which meant traffic. Lots of traffic. At peak hour.

Peugeot only sells the 207 GTi with a 5-speed manual gearbox, so if you're looking for an automatic cog swapper, try the 88kW 'XE' model instead.

This manual-only setup can make driving the 207 GTi in dense traffic ponderous at times, particularly because the gearshift feels a bit loose and floppy from left to right.

But the 207 GTi's saving grace is the engine, which has a strong bottom end that delivers a punchy 240Nm of torque @ 1600rpm.

This glut of torque that washes over the front wheels at such low revs means you won't have to downshift as often, even when traffic slows to a crawl. The car will pull away from just above idle and can cleanly pickup from standstill in second gear, which makes drivability one of its strong suits.

As well as having one of the most flexible engine's in the known universe, the 207 GTi is also quite small; bad for passengers and luggage, good for zipping in and out of traffic, switching lanes and parking.

Measuring just over 4.0 metres long, it's a almost a metre shorter than a Commodore which means you'll rarely have that heart-stopping "Am I gonna make it?" feeling when merging into too-tight gaps or trying to go round cyclists on busy roads. 

Ride quality is better than most of its rivals too. Though relatively firm, it's not as unforgiving as the Ford Fiesta XR4 and makes for a better commuter car.

Because the car is small, the interior is likewise narrower and shorter than larger cars, and bigger bodied drivers may find the cabin's width wanting. 

Still, at almost 6'1", I had no such problems and found the seats to be excellent. While they look like hardcore racing seats, they're not as firm or unforgiving as some, so you get the sports image while retaining comfort.

Head room was pretty good too, and the overall seating position has improved a lot since the Peugeot 206 days, giving you a good view of the road ahead.

Boot space was pretty abysmal (270 litres), but with the rear seats folded down the rear cargo area becomes more useful, and I actually used it to move house (albeit alongside a 1-tonner).

Moving house can be a tedious, harrowing exercise at the best of times but more than anything else it involves about 37 trips to and fro. This, in turn, usually means using a lot of fuel. Yet one of the Peugeot 207 GTi's biggest drawcards is that it's a serious performance hatch with excellent fuel economy.

The days of having to sacrifice economy in search of performance are coming to an end, and we're going to start seeing even more radical performance cars in the not too distant future with hardcore hybrid (and even 100% electric setups) not unlike the Lexus GS450h.

Anyway, the claimed fuel economy figures for the fast French four-wheeler are 9.9L/100km for urban driving - not bad - and 5.7L/100km for the highway cycle which is excellent. Together this makes for a combined figure of 7.2L/100km. In short, flipping incredible.

It also outputs bugger-all carbon dioxide comparatively speaking - 171 grams per kilometre.

An absolute cracker of a car to drive through the city and in urban areas, with very responsive controls, the 207 GTi retains all the best bits from its less powerful cousins in the Peugeot 207 range, while bringing more attitude to the road.

The hypo hatch sits confidently on the road, looking more like a $40,000 car than a $33,490 job.

Showing off suitably sporty 17-inch alloy wheels with low profile tyres, a smooth body kit that comprises of a rear roof spoiler, deeper side skirts, aggressive front and rear aprons, plus a stylised twin exhaust system, the car communicates performance clearly. 

What makes the Peugeot 207 GTi really stand out is not only this overtly sporty body work, but the basic 207 design. It's body shape is instantly recognisable as a purebred European. The smooth roof line, the sporty headlights, the salaciously curved rump.

When I finally got the chance to test the vehicle on my favourite stretch of winding road, I was flabergastered. It's fast, frenetic, and a lot of fun to drive.

It all begins with the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which develops a strong surge of torque low in the rev range. Officially, peak torque hits @ 1600rpm and remains constant until 4500rpm, but the 207 GTi really start to move when the tach needle nears 3000rpm, which is when a good deal of the engine's 128kW of power joins the party.

It's a whole second faster than the Peugeot 207 GT's 8.1 seconds, accelerating to 100km/h in just 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 220km/h.

The engine's smooth but forceful power delivery makes its way from the engine via the gearbox to the front wheels, which are shod with super sticky Pirelli P Zero tyres with 205/45 R17 aspect ratios. 

These provide plenty of grip but not enough to stop the front hoops from spinning at times. Truly, the engine is just sensational and provides what feels like V6 levels of torque from low in the rev range.

The car is also fairly light, tipping the scales at 1325kg, which improves almost every aspect of performance including cornering, braking, and acceleration.

While the suspension isn't as stiffly sprung as the Ford Fiesta XR4, it's a more accomplished performer. While stiffer suspension often means less body roll and better response, any pot hole or rut can upset ultra-rigid suspension as the wheel rides roughshod over said holes. 

The 207 GTi's more compliant ride allows the wheels to dip into and then out of pot holes when cornering which means you're less likely to lose traction and slide a little bit or veer off your intended trajectory. 

It also provides a better, more uninterrupted feel of the road underneath you.

To be blunt, the Peugeot 207 GTi is one of the best compact performance hatches I've ever driven. It can finally lock horns with the Renault Clio Sport, which was always a few measures ahead of the Peugeot GTi in terms of acceleration and cornering.

It accelerates strongly and tracks round corners with aplomb. It's got a really planted feel that improves your confidence and can generate remarkable corner speeds before the tyres begin protesting. 

It grips with grim determination corner after corner and has a tenacious character that's underpinned by responsive steering and clear feedback. 

Whenever you're cranking the GTi close to its limit, time slowing, adrenaline pumping, you can feel exactly what the car is doing - whether it's understeering, oversteering, riding over ruts or about lose grip on its outside wheels.

The idea of a vehicle being an extension of your body holds true for very few vehicles, but this one comes close.

Part of the GTi's fantastic attitude comes from its high levels of grip and strong brakes that inspire the kind of confidence that let's you probe further than your survival instinct would normally allow. And the result? Pure driving enjoyment.

These self-assured brakes allow you to run deeper into each consecutive corner, providing good pedal feel and a strong mechanical bite. Measuring 305mm up front, the vented disc brakes are some of the largest in the compact hatch class. The rear anchors comprise 249mm solid rear disc brakes.

Vociferous acceleration from a 1.6-litre engine combines with a short wheelbase, high grip levels and low body roll to deliver a driving experience that doesn't disappoint. 

This short wheelbase and light weight also makes changing direction at high speed effortlessly enjoyable, and though there is a sense of understeer when you're at the limit, pushing 9/10ths, it's never enough to instill fear, as you can simply crank a bit more steering lock and the feather-weight hot hatch responds with alacrity.

The only real shortcoming this vehicle has comes from within it's own family. The 207 GT (sans 'i') is $2,000 cheaper and with a similar look, identical wheels and tyres, and strong performance, it could harm the GTi's sales prospects.

That said, the GTi name alone should be enough to heft the pint-sized prodigy into the realm of revered pocket rocket, and on the road it does deliver a significant performance advantage over the GT model. 

I was quite surprised with just how fast and hard this French streetfighter goes. Impressive doesn't quite cut it. 

Performance toys? The GTi has 'em by the bucket load.

One of the things that makes the GTi's steering so positive for a high-torque front-wheel drive vehicle is Peugeot's new SSP (Steering Stability Program). Combining with the ESP system which takes advantage of yaw control, the SSP works by adding more power to the electric power steering to "achieve optimal directional control". 

It also allows you to brake while cornering without impacting too much on your direction.

The engine is also fairly advanced. It may be small, but the torque hit drives the car forward with zeal and when you get it on the boil it's an absolute riot from point-to-point. 

The engine also features a nifty 'overboost' function that increases torque from its 240Nm claimed peak to 260Nm in the top three gears. It does this by allowing turbo boost to briefly spike beyond its limit.

The 1.6-litre engine was developed by Peugeot in conjuction with BMW, and is the same engine that powers the new Mini Cooper (and it's $7,000 cheaper!). It gets all the best equipment such 4-valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, direct petrol injection, and of course the turbo blower which adds potency.

Using a small twin-scroll turbocharger the Peugeot 207 GTi's engine has barely any turbo lag, an ailment that used to plague turbocharged engines in the past. Simply put, Peugeot and BMW have together crafted an engine that uses technology normally found in much larger performance engines, and the end result is eye-opening.

As well as an arcane ability to lance through corners at speeds that would impress Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution owners, the car also features a good deal of equipment for the $33k asking price.

On top of the ESP system, which I rarely had to switch off thanks to its subtle, smooth intervention, the Peugeot 207 GTi is one of the safest compact hatchbacks on the road. You wouldn't expect anything less of a French car though.

It comes standard with six airbags covering front and rear passengers, ESP, SSP, ABS and EBD. What more can you say? OMG.

Of course, all of these safety features are virtually useless if the car isn't structurally sound and folds like a paper bag in a collision. Thankfully the 207 GTi is indeed one of the toughest compact hatches on the market with a class-leading EuroNCAP rating of 5-stars thanks to a reinforced passenger cell. It also has a 4-star rating for child occupant protection.

Peugeot has crafted one of the best interiors of any compact hatch on the market, and everything feels well made and expertly fitted. Granted, the new Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris are far from mundane, but there's something about the French styling of the 207 interior that makes this car feel far more luxurious and more than a bit special.

Firstly, the seats. Trimmed in soft alcantara (suede), this is strictly a 2+2 seater with bucket seats in the front and almost-buckets in the rear. The door inserts are also finished in alcantara, and the driver gets fancy looking drilled alloy pedals with non-slip rubber pads. The instrument cluster is a bit lacklustre, but highly legible nevertheless. 

The leather steering wheel feels great with nice contours and has a motor sports inspired 'ring' at dead centre, which adds to the occasion.

Some of the convenience features include dual-zone climate controlled air-conditioning, a decent MP3 compatible CD stereo system, rear parking sensors, cruise control, automatic rain-sensing windscreen wipers, and an electrochromatic (auto-dimming) rear view mirror.

As I mentioned in the 207 GT review, the interior is simple and elegant, and it works. 

The air vents in particular look very cool, with almost ellipsoid designs, and the overall fit and finish and the quality of materials used surpasses that of most Japanese small cars. 

Overall: 4/5

Many of today's performance car buyers are not willing to accept compromises, which is why the Peugeot 207 GTi will go down as one of the best value hot hatches ever built.

It's one of the most fuel efficient cars when cruising at highway speeds, yet has the kind of hard-edged performance that WRX owners have come to expect. What's more, it's safe, well built, stylish, and easy to clean.

There's almost nothing holding the 207 GTi back from being one of the best compact hatches on the market. It's easy to live with, has heaps of convenience features, and certainly looks the part. 

The Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris don't even have a high performance model in their line-ups yet, but there is one vehicle that almost single-handedly crashes the 207 GTi's party -- the Ford Fiesta XR4. The Ford costs almost $9,000 less and while it doesn't have half as much grunt as Frenchy over here, it does offers very good value.

What the Pug has over the Ford is a more dynamic and accomplished drive. It's a better built car and there's lots of technology crammed within its diminutive frame to ensure it can perform. Indeed, the sense of achievement you get carving through a corner in the GTi, the adrenaline rush that comes from nudging the rev limiter through your favourite mountain pass, is unforgettable.

Without a doubt, the Peugeot 207 GTi one of the best-handling compact cars I've ever tested and terrifically rewarding to drive. So good in fact, that time seems to slow down when you drive it, allowing you to savour the experience.