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By Jonathan Crouch

Jonathan Crouch checks out Peugeot's fastest small EV, the E-208 GTi.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 55

Peugeot revives its most famous hot hatch badge with this E-208 GTi. This potent pocket-sized EV shopping rocket isn't quite as distinctly 'Peugeot' as some of its most illustrious predecessors, but it marks a welcome return for the brand to the performance market. Can the E-208 GTi trade on more than just nostalgia? Let's see.

Backgroundword count: 140

Peugeot, Renault and Volkswagen all reckon they invented the idea of an affordable supermini-based hot hatch. And all are now represented in this segment for the electric era. Peugeot's class entry, this E-208 GTi, revives 'GTi'-branded models from the marque - not seen since the last combustion 208 GTi went out of production in 2018. And builds on a classic bloodline of hot hatch models from the company that goes all the way back to the iconic 205 GTi of 1984. There's never previously been an electric Peugeot GTi model. And sceptics might wonder whether there really is now, since all the engineering that matters here has been borrowed from Stellantis Group cousin models like Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce and the Abarth 600e. But Peugeot insists that the E-208 GTi has distinct brand DNA. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 264

The links between this car and the old 205 GTi model it was supposedly inspired by amount to more than just a few trimming cues. One of the key engineers behind this E-208 GTi, Jean-Marc Finot, now Senior Vice-President of Stellantis Motorsport Operations, was also one of the engineers who created the 205 GTi back in the Eighties. And Finot was determined that this modern EV would have all that original model's 'typical Peugeot GTi agility and steering feeling'. So lots of work's gone into a sport suspension set-up 'with specific hydraulic stops' which drops ride height by 30mm. The engineers also fitted a limited-slip differential and widened the track - by 56mm at the front and 27mm at the rear. Ages was spent tuning the steering rack for more feelsome feedback. And the bespoke 18-inch wheels are fitted with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. The engineers here had less influence on the drivetrain, borrowed directly from existing Stellantis Group contenders in this segment like the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce and the Abarth 600e. Here, it puts out 278bhp - a vast increase over the 154bhp output of the regular E-208. As a result, thanks to 345Nm of torque, 62mph takes 5.7s, which is 0.2s quicker than the 255bhp MINI John Cooper Works Electric and 0.7s faster than the 217bhp Alpine A290. Top speed is 112mph. There's a slightly larger 54kWh battery than the usual 51kWh unit fitted to a conventional E-208, but despite that, EV range is just 217 miles (down from 268 miles you get in a regular E-208).

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