Peugeot 205 GTi vs Renault 5 GT Turbo vs Citroen AX GT: It’s '80s French hot hatch heaven – car pictures of the week
In issue 343 of evo, we test iconic '80s hot hatches from Peugeot, Citroen and Renault – these are our favourite shots
It’s well known that the traditional hot hatches we love are dying out. Production of the Honda Civic Type R has ended, the Ford Focus ST is no more, and Renault Sport is long dead. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still get your hands on a brilliant hot hatch from years – if not decades – gone by.
Though the first hot hatches hailed from the 1970s, we’d argue that the following decade was when they really hit their stride. Some of the best came from France and the likes of Peugeot, Citroen and Renault. In issue 343 of evo, we drive an icon from each of these marques and relive the days of pure, basic, no-frills hot hatches. All of them are now available for less than £15k, and we’re not sure you can have much more fun for that kind of cash. To read the full feature, pick up a copy of evo 343 in-store or online via the evo shop.
First up is the seminal hot hatch of the era: the Peugeot 205 GTi. Its pert form looks as fresh today as when it first appeared on the Geneva motor show stand in 1984, and the driving experience hasn’t aged a day, either. The Phase 1.5, 1.6-litre example we tested has a modest 115bhp but makes every drop of power count through a quick-shifting five-speed gearbox, a kerb weight under 900kg and wonderfully delicate handling.
Meanwhile from Renault, there’s the 5 GT Turbo. It’s a brawnier car than the 205 and has a charm of its own, with a gutsy 1.4-litre engine boosted by a Garrett turbo to 120bhp. The car we tested has been fettled to give an extra 20bhp, and a grippy chassis makes it a joy to lean on and work hard.
The 5 GTT’s character is markedly different to the Peugeot’s, as well as the third car in our test – the wonderfully quirky Citroen AX GT. As well as being the rarest of the three it’s also the most unique to drive, as evo’s Dickie Meaden found out.
‘It takes some time to dial yourself into the way the Citroen handles,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty of lean and it floats across surfaces current high-performance cars would hate, but even though it feels soft it also has a tenacious hold of the road. Not in the sharp-edged manner of a stiff, board-flat, low profile tyred hot hatch, but with an elastic, fluid progression. As lean increases with load so does the sense of grip, then once the suspension nears its limit of travel the AX adopts a unique stance.’
Three different flavours of '80s hot hatchback, each perfectly capturing the essential thrill of driving. To read the full test, pick up a copy of evo 343 in-store or online.
