PEUGEOT KILLS THE GTI
November 9, 2009 5:27 PM | Posted By: Ollie Marriage
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 by 1 member | 10 Comments | 1779 Views
Related Categories: Ollie
Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 by 1 member | 10 Comments | 1779 Views
Related Categories: Ollie
Right, very simple one. Are you happy about Peugeot's pronouncement that it's killing off the GTI badge? No more hot hatches, no possibility of Peugeot rediscovering its hot hatch mojo.
My feelings are entirely one-sided. I'm gutted. I'm fully aware that Peugeot hasn't built anything worth driving since the 306 Rallye, but until today I lived in hope. I'm looking forward to the RCZ, but it's a coupe and tradition dictates its primary aim will be to look good, not to drive well. As such there's no real pressure on Peugeot to make it an absolute honey round corners and that concerns me.
I hope I'm wrong, I really do, I really hope Peugeot can get its reputation back to where it was 15 years ago, but the decision to bury the GTI badge, and turn a back on such a rich heritage of hot hatch legends puzzles me. It's like Peugeot realises it can't rival Renaultsport and its answer is to take a completely different tack - one that focuses on image and uses the Audi TT as its marketing template.
So let's have a vote: No more Peugeot GTI's - a good thing or a bad thing?
My feelings are entirely one-sided. I'm gutted. I'm fully aware that Peugeot hasn't built anything worth driving since the 306 Rallye, but until today I lived in hope. I'm looking forward to the RCZ, but it's a coupe and tradition dictates its primary aim will be to look good, not to drive well. As such there's no real pressure on Peugeot to make it an absolute honey round corners and that concerns me.
I hope I'm wrong, I really do, I really hope Peugeot can get its reputation back to where it was 15 years ago, but the decision to bury the GTI badge, and turn a back on such a rich heritage of hot hatch legends puzzles me. It's like Peugeot realises it can't rival Renaultsport and its answer is to take a completely different tack - one that focuses on image and uses the Audi TT as its marketing template.
So let's have a vote: No more Peugeot GTI's - a good thing or a bad thing?
Rating:
COMMENTS
Chris Hughes at 4:18 PM February 13, 2010
I think that it's a real shame that the Peugeot GTi is dead. Peugeot should look at how popular the Clio Sport has been for Renualt here in the UK to see that there is still a market for a good fun and relatively cheap hot hatch thats fun to drive. The new citroen DS3 that John Simister tested in the last issue of Evo shows that there is a chassis in the PSA group that is still fun to drive all they need is a sexy new body the engine from the JCW Mini Cooper S (co-developed with PSA) and maybe a new rally car ... and a light weight Rallye version too ... oh and bring back the classic multi colour racing stripes on a white body shell ...
john999s at 3:22 PM December 22, 2009
I was lucky enough to have owned facelift 205GTI 1.6 in 89-91 and it was a fabulous thing. In recent years nothing they have made is frankly worthy of the badge to the extent the only Peugeots I driven in recent years are rentals. Peugeot really needs to look at some of its history and go back to some of its core values including in no particular order styling, ride quality, handling and comfort. Once they've made a small car that looks good, rides and handles well which is comfortable across French or UK roads then they can sharpen it up with decent chassis tweaks, more hp and classy styling to rejoin the GTI club with something worthy of the badge and our money. Maybe call Pininfarina and get the head Hunters to call some Renault or Ford people and go from there....
Peugeot kills the GTi at 6:33 PM November 10, 2009
Driven a lot of great cars along my 30's. Some of them fast and fun enough to enhance my skills when driving hard. Uprated Audi RS2, 306 GTi-6, Evo V, Impreza GT and WRX, E46 M3, modified Xsara VTS and many others. As a proud owner of a 98 Saxo VTS, 07 C2 VTS and a phase II 167bhp ZX 2.0 16V I regret hearing that Peugeot quit the hot hatch generation. Most of my teenagerhood was based on their special hot hatches. Unfortunately few 205 and 306 GTi were imported to Brazil and much of them are almost dead. Agree with RedlineS3. Bragging of GTi badges demands expertise and good achievements. Late 206 RC was not 205 substitute. 307 never had anything that could go near 306 GTi-6/Rallye... Although being dead for the make, hte hot GTi's will last forever for us, lovers and careful owners.
Eurocar at 1:51 PM November 10, 2009
This one is for a friend of mine who went on and on and on about how crap the Peugeot 206 is, and how you'd never get a decent resale on it. The point being that our Peugeot was in the same basket. But! Our Peugeot is a '98 306 GTI and it's fantastic to drive. Really really fun and compact and enough to make driving around the city everyday thoroughly enjoyable (apart from the stiff clutch. It's a little less enjoyable).
I would love to have seen Peugeot keep the GTI badge, but revive it with something real and deserving of the moniker. I can't see that getting rid of it makes good brand sense. It's like saying, "sorry we now make shit GTI's, can't figure out how to make a good one again so we won't bother at all".
And the RCZ? Frankly no substitute in my opinion. I should imagine it will be bought by patriotic French customers who wanted to feel like they had a TT but were waiting for the local, flag waving version, even though it doesn't speak Peugeot to me like a hot hatch GTI speaks Peugeot.
Monkey Harris at 1:14 PM November 10, 2009
Mixed feelings about this. Yes, it's sad to hear they've called time, but they haven't made a decent one in yonks, so we should have been mourning them ten years ago. Trying to think what my favourite was. Probably a basic facelift 1.6 GT1. Or maybe the press 306 Rallye in the photos. That was the car I wrote one of my first road tests for Autocar on.
VITOR SANTOS at 11:14 PM November 9, 2009
I HAVE A 106 gti FROM 1996. tHE CAR FOR ME IS FABOLOUS. iT PERFORMS VERY GOOD, HANDLES EVEN BETTER ANS THE RELIABILITY IS FANTASTIC. iT HAS ALMOST 170000 kMS. hERE IN pORTUGAL A LOT OF OWNERS TUNE THE CAR AND FOR THAT REASON DAMAGED/TRASHED THE CAR, MAINLY ON THE SUSPENSION. wHAT I THINK THE CAR NEEDS VERY GOOD TYRES. tHE PIRELLY p 700z DON´T PERFORM. i´VE REPLACED THEM BY POTENZA RE720. iS THE STOCK DAMPERS ARE OK, THEN ENJOIED YOURSELF CAUSE YOU HAVE A FABOLOUS CAR. i´VE DRIVEN ALSO TWINGO rs, mINI cOOPER, sWIFT sPORT, BUT THEY CAN NOT EVEN MATCH 106 GTI. aND I THINK 106 GTI IS BETTER THAN IT´S TWIN SAXO vts/CUP, AND I ALSO PROVE IT.
THANKS
VITOR SANTOS
funlurva at 9:00 PM November 9, 2009
As a very proud 309 gti owner for the last 20 years I am both sad and red faced for Peugeot. Only the 306 gti AND rallye came close to capturing what the 205 and 309 had(I know no one likes the 309 gti but just go drive one and if you don't come back with a smile on your face you need a 1007 as a daily driver!!)and it is a massive missed opportunity for the French manufacturer. Thousands of people loved the fine handling hatches and accolades galore were poured upon their offerings. I have waited and waited for some one at Peugeot to grow some balls again and make a decent handling car, but sadly the above headlines seem to show that its now not going to happen. Maybe we need to wait for some high up boss with ridiculous visions to retire (think 911 and flappy paddles) before a decent car comes out of the French factory again. Good job there is still Renault out there with its ear on the rails of the hot hatch railway!!
desmond at 5:42 PM November 9, 2009
Also, sorry to be pedantic, but that picture is a Rallye, not a GTi ;)
desmond at 5:42 PM November 9, 2009
I think It's a shame overall, as potentially there's an opportunity for some superb cars, but the GTis of recent times seem to have been a shadow of their former selves.
RedlineS3 at 5:41 PM November 9, 2009
I am sad that Peugeot are killing off its use of the GTI badge. But perhaps it should have been done years ago, instead of inflicting the half-baked 206 and 207 "GTI" models on the world.
So bad in one respect, good in another that in prevents the GTI name being further sullied.
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