The benefit of using a small engine in a relatively lightweight hatchback is economy, and both 208 GTi and Peugeot Sport have official combined economy figures of 52.3mpg, with CO2 of 125g/km. For the record, the Peugeots’ closest rival, the Ford Fiesta ST, manages 47.9mpg and 138g/km.
The most impressive thing is that the GTi and Peugeot Sport are capable of achieving figures in the mid-forties on a motorway run and low-forties should be within reach of most. On a recent run through France, with higher autoroute speeds and some cut-and-thrust Parisian traffic, a 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport still returned over 35mpg in our hands.
Subscribe to evo magazine
Other running costs should be similarly low – it’s still a supermini, after all – though on the Peugeot Sport, the 205/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports cost around £120-130 each before fitting, and that’s if you can find them – at the time of writing, few online outlets have them in stock.
Peugeot does offer a range of affordable servicing plans, though offers like Peugeot’s ‘Just Add Fuel’ package (which rolls VED, insurance, servicing and roadside assistance into the monthly purchase cost) are currently only available to buyers above 30 years of age.
