Vehicle on test
Peugeot 207 GTi
Good:
Looks, standard equipment, handling, performance
Not so Good:
Price with extras, nervous ride, tyre noise
Overall:
In Germany, it seems big, powerful saloons are the “must-have” for cruising the autobahns, while the Italians love a supercar, judging by the amount of exotic machinery produced there. Here in the UK, though, we can’t get enough of the humble hot hatchback. Volkswagen started the ball rolling with the Golf GTi, but Peugeot weren’t far behind – I fondly remember some great drives in my trusty 205 GTi – and so it’s no surprise that the French company launched a performance version of the 207, even though it appeared in showrooms a full year after the 207 was first launched.
Powered by the same 1.6 litre, 175bhp turbocharged engine as found in the new MINI Cooper S (Peugeot and BMW jointly developed the engine), the 207 GTi is a lively little beast. Capable of reaching 62mph in 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 137mph, it’ll still return over 39mpg on the combined cycle, so it’s actually seems quite practical too. It’s also a good looker, with the test car sporting quite a muscular appearance.
So far, so good, but this is where it all starts to go downhill, I’m afraid. My first impression once I hit the road was of a rock hard suspension, which made the 207 feel twitchy and nervous. Now a stiff suspension and the resulting firm ride are usually the mark of a hot hatch, but I reckon Peugeot have gone too far this time. The car corners like it’s on rails, but its constant jiggling around is actually quite tiring after a while. The only time it settles down is on a completely smooth stretch of tarmac, but we all know that’s a rarity on UK roads these days. To make matters worse, there’s also a lot of tyre noise from the car’s fat rubberwear that becomes annoying after quite a short space of time.
The 207 GTi will be going up against some stiff opposition; the afore-mentioned Cooper S, the Honda Civic Type-R, Vauxhall Corsa VXR and the Renaultsport Clio 197 have all been identified by Peugeot as competition for the car. In its basic form, the Peugeot is certainly in the same price bracket, but our test car had over £3,000 worth of extras that included colour sat-nav, a 5-disc CD autochanger and an “Octane” pack of goodies. That brought the price up to over £18,000 – ouch!
Despite the fact that I desperately wanted to like the 207, I just can’t quite bring myself to recommend one. The constant rumble from the tyres and the “on edge” ride mean that it’s not a car I could live with day to day, while adding a few luxuries brings the price up into eyebrow-raising levels. As we always say, however, it’s always best to try these things out for yourself; you might well love the 207 GTi’s looks, handling and performance and be able to overlook the way it rides. Just don’t say you weren’t warned….
Report by Mark James
