If you’ve read basically anything I’ve ever written you’d know that I adore French cars. It doesn’t matter what sort of French cars, either. I love everything from the cheapest Citroëns to the most expensive Bugattis and all of the incredible stuff in between. A lot of it is down to design, where I think the French are unmatched, and some of the best and most beloved French designs are on hot hatchbacks like the Peugeot 205 GTi or Renault Mégane RS. The newest French hot hatch is the Peugeot E-208 GTi, the first performance version of the current-gen 208 and the first time there’s been a fully electric GTi, and oh my god look at those wheels.
See what I mean about French car designs? No one else would have the audacity. I’ll go more in-depth on the wheels in a moment, but I think the E-208 GTi being unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans says a lot about how serious Peugeot is regarding the GTi’s performance chops. The company says its electric hot hatch “offers the best performance in its category with elegance and discretion,” and describes it as “a friendly, and somewhat humble car… for those who know.” Who doesn’t want a car like that?
Who doesn’t love Hole?
Peugeot says the E-208 GTi’s 18-inch wheels are inspired by “the iconic ‘Hole’ wheels of the 205 GTi,” and yes I did laugh at that. Instead of a traditional center logo the seven-hole wheels have a large red GTi script with Peugeot written inside the bottom of the “G.” I think this is the most extreme wheel center I’ve seen, with the BMW XM being put down a peg. Peugeot says the seven holes help optimize brake cooling, too.
The rest of the E-208 GTi looks sick too, and Peugeot says its designers didn’t want to overdo it, to make sure it’s still not as in-your-face as some of its competitors. As the car’s track is wider than a normal 208 (by 2.2 inches up front and 1.1 inches in the back) its wheel arches have also been widened and flared, and its suspension is 1.2 inches lower. The front bumper and grille have some new and larger intakes, there’s a bigger spoiler and the rear bumper has a new diffuser with a third brake light in the center of it. There are red accents in the headlights, on the arches and around all of the badges, and the car’s red paint color is new, though Peugeot doesn’t say if that’s the only color it will be available in.
Racing engineers helped
Powering the E-208 GTi’s front wheels is an electric motor making 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque, at least 100 hp more than the standard E-208 and a good deal more torques too. It’s also got 75 hp and 51 lb-ft more than the previous-gen gas-powered 208 GTi. Peugeot says it’ll hit 62 mph in 5.7 seconds, quicker than any other car in its segment and about on part with a rear-drive BMW i4, and top speed is 112 mph. The GTi has a 54-kWh battery pack with Peugeot quoting a 217-mile range on the European cycle, a bit less than an Alpine A290. It can be charged at 100 kW, going from 20% to 80% in under 30 minutes, and there’s vehicle-to-load capability too.
The E-208 GTi also gets a limited-slip differential up front, a Sport mode for the stability control systems that also turns off all the driver-assist systems, model-specific shocks and springs, a rear anti-roll bar and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. The brakes are upgraded to 14-inch discs with 4-piston calipers up front, but the rears are the same as on a normal E-208. Peugeot says its engineers used learnings from the 9X8 hypercar competing in the WEC to perfect the GTi’s thermal management and energy recovery, and the race team also helped tune the brakes and chassis. Its steering tuning is unique as well, and while Peugeot doesn’t say how much the E-208 GTi weighs, it says its power-to-weight ratio is the best in the segment.
Oops, I red myself
On the inside the E-208 GTi has a ton more red accents, with my favorite detail being the bright red floor mats. The front seats are a lot sportier than a normal 208’s and have an awesome striped pattern with a mesh fabric on only one side of the seat, a throwback to the 205 GTi 1.9. The steering wheel is smaller and chunkier and covered in Alcantara, with an emblem that glows red. All of the gauge cluster and infotainment graphics are red, along with the ambient lighting, though for those you can select some other colors too. Peugeot says the lights are “accompanied by a unique onboard immersive sound experience, which awakens all the senses. Derived from the performance of the motor, it delivers further driving sensations and can easily be activated or deactivated, as the driver prefers.” First the hole wheels, now this? Peugeot, buy me a drink first.
Peugeot has yet to announce how much the E-208 GTi will cost, but as with the rest of the brand’s EVs it has an 8-year/99,419-mile warranty on the car itself, and the same coverage for the battery too. Customers will also get a home charging box and a charging pass for Europe’s Free2Move network. Ugh. I wish Peugeot was still coming to America.
