- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
80kW, 147Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
French flares
Pigeonhole: Hot hatchling.
Philosophy: City slicker with sporting intent.
Who's buying it: Owners of the original 205 GTi who've been waiting years for a replacement, and other performance-minded types.
Why you'd buy it: Style, style, style. And performance.
Why you wouldn't: Build quality is below modern acceptable standards.
Standard equipment: The flagship of the petite fleet lacks nothing. Climate-controlled air conditioning, CD player, remote central locking, power steering, power windows and mirrors, map-reading lights, vanity mirrors in both sun visors. The list goes on.
Safety: Dual airbags plus a side airbag in the driver and front passenger seats - the preferred location. (Side airbags mounted in the door may not necessarily line up with the occupants in a side-on crash.) Height adjustable front seatbelts with pre-tensioners, anti-lock brakes, excellent headlights, rain-sensing wipers, an authoritative, loud horn and a well-positioned hazard light switch, easy to find in a hurry.
Cabin: Flecks of brushed aluminium, suede and leather scream "hot hatch". The sweeping curves and flash design continue inside but it is not well finished. The cheap-looking plastics fit poorly and the test car had numerous squeaks and rattles.
Seating: The sports seats grab both driver and front passenger in a bear hug. Excellent lateral support and plenty of adjustment. Comfortable amount of rear head and leg room.
Engine: The perky 2.0-litre four-cylinder (102kW) pushes the 206 GTi to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds (respectable) and revs best between 4,000 and 5,000rpm. Anything more is a waste of premium unleaded petrol.
Transmission: Five-speed manual shift has a longish throw between each gate and the car jumped out of gear a couple of times. Reverse went missing sometimes, too. The aluminium gear knob looks flash and feels great but gets v-e-r-y hot in the sun. Fingertip gear changes required on really hot days.
Steering: Thick-grip, leather-wrapped, height-adjustable wheel completes a well-weighted, precise package. Turning circle feels much tighter than the official figure of 9.8 metres.
Ride: Usually a highlight of French cars but a disappointment on this model. Every bump, hiccup or cats eye on the road sent a shudder through the cabin which, in turn, set off other squeaks and rattles. It was so bad, the CD jumped at least half a dozen times - rare these days.
Handling: Bella! Excellent grip thanks to well-sorted suspension and quality Pirelli P6000 V-rated tyres wrapped around 15-inch alloy wheels. One word of warning: the tyres won't be cheap to replace and anything less will compromise its prowess in corners.
Fuel: Expect a best of 8.9L/100km zipping around town and 5.9 on the open road but be prepared to pay for premium unleaded.
Brakes: Highlight of the car. Excellent, precise. You can feel the calipers bite each disc and feel the suspension squat down. Pulls up on a dime. Yum.
Build: Not so good and, in the end, responsible for turning us off this car. Panel fit is poor, the interior has more rattles than a creche and the doors rarely closed first go. Other cars sampled have had things fall off and had strange noises emanate from the engine bay.
Warranty: Two years unlimited km. Given the quality issues, another year's coverage would be reassuring. Do they know something we don't?
Security: Engine immobiliser.
Audio: Average sound through six-speaker in-dash CD player. AM/FM radio reception is poor and there's no fast-forward function on the CD player. The audio control stalk on the steering wheel column is handy, though.
Cost: There is only one model and it is $31,400 plus on-road costs. The only options are metallic paint ($625) and an electric sunroof ($1,500).
Verdict: A joy to drive and a beauty to behold, but the shoulders slump every time you hit a bump.