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Peugeot 206 GTi 180 review. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.

Peugeot 206 GTi 180 review
Having spent a varied week with the final flourish of the Peugeot 206 range, I was left with the feeling that the GTi 180 manages to be a grown up and a kid at the same time.

   



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Having spent a varied week with the final flourish of the Peugeot 206 range (before it is replaced in 2006 by the 207), I was left with the feeling that the GTi 180 manages to be a grown up and a kid at the same time. Remember Big starring Tom Hanks? That's what I'm talking about.

On the outside, the regular 206 GTi's mild mannered body kit has been replaced by a much brasher version, including a large tailgate spoiler and chrome-tipped exhaust with barely enough space to poke out of the rear skirt. The alloys have been replaced too, by neat 5-spoke 17-inch items and the car is lowered, though judging by the lack of space between the rear tyres and the bodywork, this was never an intended upgrade when the car was originally developed. It must be said that the 206 GTi has been transformed from an anonymous runabout to teenage eye catching and Corsa wide boy baiting hot hatch. There is no doubting its target audience.

Or is there? Sit into the 206 GTi 180, and yes, it too has been upgraded, with a chunky steering wheel and excellent figure-hugging sports seats, but it is a thoroughly grown up affair, with good quality materials and a high standard specification. Fire the 2-litre engine into life and the noise reminds you that you are about to drive a hot hatch, but then the seat belt reminder chimes. Then it chimes some more, and then louder. No non-seatbelt wearing rebel would put up with it for long. Then the dashboard beeps at you to let you know that there is the possibility of ice on the road. Then you try to execute a perfectly reasonable handbrake turn and the whole car beeps at you again. Way too grown up!

You see, once on the move, the 206 GTi 180 positively encourages hooligan behaviour. The steering is direct, if not quite as feelsome as Peugeot's last great hot hatch, the 306 GTi-6. We thought that the steering felt a fraction too heavy as well, and it could well be that the low profile tyres rob the driver of that vital feel. Grip itself is high in the dry, as you'd expect, but daddy 306 GTi-6 has a far superior ride and handling compromise, with the 206 GTi's cause not helped by the marketing people's need for those large alloys; its ride is quite poor. In the wet, understeer is the order of the day, and we would recommend turning off the traction control if you are attacking your favourite ribbon of tarmac, as it is not as good a system as fitted to newer cars.

Thankfully, the 206 allows left-foot braking, which makes things much more interesting. The brakes lasted well in our hands, despite copious use of the pedal on testing roads. Fade did eventually set in, but no earlier than some of its rivals, though the Honda Civic Type-R has a more durable set of stoppers. Likewise, the Civic's snappy gearchange remains peerless. The 206's five-speed 'box is slick and sporty enough, but could do with a sixth ratio for cruising. Additionally, we found second gear to be too high for quick driving on very twisty roads.

The 206 GTi 180 appears to be Peugeot's answer to the more powerful breed of hot hatch such as the Type-R and SEAT Leon Cupra, though it may be too little, too late, especially with the new generation comfortably exceeding 200bhp. The Peugeot's engine is a joy to push hard, with a throaty induction roar and healthy mid-range torque. Unfortunately the downside is a boomy motorway experience.

In summary, we enjoyed using the 206 GTi 180 on some of our favourite testing routes, where its stiff chassis ensured flat cornering and the characterful engine kept up a decent pace. For the money, the other options at this price point include the aforementioned Honda Civic Type R, and the newer Fiesta ST is cheaper, which makes life for the 206 a little more difficult. Peugeot needs to ensure that a suitably capable hot hatch version of the 207 is developed early in the car's life, though looking at the current Peugeot range, there is a notable lack of performance models, with emphasis on safety and the family. Are we the only ones bemoaning the lack of a decent GTi from the company that made the category its own only a decade or so ago?

Shane O' Donoghue - 25 Apr 2005



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2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180 specifications:
Price: £15,215 on-the-road (test car had pearlescent paint at £325).
0-62mph: 7.4 seconds
Top speed: 137mph
Combined economy: 32.8mpg
Emissions: 204g/km
Kerb weight: 1159kg

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.



2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 

2004 Peugeot 206 GTi 180. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.
 






 

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