While it wasn’t the most powerful version of the 308, the GT offered a very good balance between performance and daily use of a sport-compact hatchback.
Peugeot had a great motorsport reputation, and one of the greatest rally cars ever made was the iconic 205. It wasn’t easy to replace it, but in the end, the carmaker had to move on and introduced new vehicles on the market. It is argued whether the 208 or the 308 was the true successor of that iconic car. In the ’80s, the 205 was considered a compact vehicle. By the 2017 standards, the 308 was in that segment, but the 208 was closer to the original, 205, size.

The French carmaker introduced a facelift for the 308 second generation in 2017, four years after the model’s launch. It sported re-worked bumpers both front and rear, new headlights, and taillights. In the GT version, the car featured 18” light-alloy wheels fitted as standard and a squared filler cap.

Inside, the sport-inspired interior shook with its sport-bucket seats, which looked like they were carried-over from a supercar. Their high-bolstering backseats offered both comfort and side support. Peugeot installed an infotainment screen on top of the center stack, embedded in the dashboard.

Under the hood, Peugeot installed a 1.6-liter gasoline engine that provided 205 hp. The most potent version of the 308 was the Gti, which offered 250 hp from the same four-pot unit.

This might be the last compact hot-hatch from the French manufacturer Peugeot.
Its long list of GTI-s are going back in time to the glorious 205 GTI, which was the first hot-hatch able to keep the pace of the original class founder, the Golf GTI.

Rounded, aggressive, with a front bumper designed like a shark-mouth, the 308 GTI is the ultimate expression of the sport-compact segment from France. It kept all the nice features that made the 308 so appealing but added more punch. For a better view on the road, the 308 GTI features full-LED headlights. But it doesn’t have a panoramic glass roof. The Peugeot Sport considered that if you want a GTI, you don’t want some extra kilos on top of the car. And they are right. That is the least place to add some weight to a vehicle built for the week-end track-days.

The suspension even if it is stiffer, is still a McPherson strut up-front and semi-independent on the rear. That is not very good news, but it works just fine on a race track or on a smoother tarmac. The front limited-slip differential leads to better traction. Under the hood, there is a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine featuring 279 hp. It is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

Peugeot introduced the third generation of the 308 hatchback in 2021 with a design that carried over elements from its bigger brothers from the crossover segment.
The French carmaker was eager to defeat the Golf at its game and tried to attack the segment differently. It was the first Peugeot to sports the refreshed company logo, which showed a lion head instead of the entire feline.

With cues inspired from its award-winning bigger brother 3008, the 308 displayed a front fascia with the vertical LED “fangs” on the outer side. It’s big mesh-grille looked more aggressive than any of its predecessors, while the LED headlights peeked under the hood line. From its sides, its cab-rearward design inspired a rear-wheel-drive vehicle due to its thick C-pillar and curved roofline. Its sculptured side panels and doors formed a complex aerodynamic flow, reducing the drag-resistance factor. At the back, its taillights formed a long smoked line across the tailgate. Despite the downsize and electrification trends on the market, Peugeot installed fake, chromed exhausts under the apron.

The interior looked like its designers didn’t communicate with those who shaped the car’s exterior. While on the outside, the 308 featured long, curved lines, the minimalist dashboard exposed straight lines, hard edges, and F-117 Stealth style surfaces. The steering wheel was unusually low mounted compared to the instrument cluster. Like its bigger brother 3008, the 308 featured a TFT display for the instrument panel and a secondary touch-screen for the infotainment screen. In the back, Peugeot installed a split-folding bench where three passengers could sit comfortably.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed a choice of gasoline, turbo-diesel, and hybrid systems that could offer up to 225 hp sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.

The second generation of the compact-sized Peugeot 308 was introduced in 2013 and, four years later, a facelift improved the vehicle with new features and a bolder design.
The 2017 Peugeot 308 was an improved version of the second generation of the 308. It was difficult to enhance the model since the 308 was the 2014 “Car of the year” in Europe. But still, there were some ways to improve it.

From the outside, the most noticeable change was on the headlights, which received the LED daytime running lights that looked like claws, inspired by the brand’s logo, the lion. At the front, a wide grille was installed. Its design was continued on the front bumper. On the sides, the bumper featured two large air scoops. The profile remained the same, but with some touches on the bodywork.

Inside, the 308 featured a better infotainment system with a touch-screen on top of the center console, integrated into the dashboard. The navigation system was developed together with TomTom and it featured live traffic information. The infotainment unit featured a screen-mirroring function for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 5-door version offered enough room for five adult passengers. The EMP2 platform allowed more rear legroom for the passengers.

Under the hood, the 308 5-doors. Was offered with diesel and gasoline engines. A newly developed 8-speed automatic gearbox was available for specific engines.

Taking a step in the right direction, Peugeot redesigned the 308 and turned it into a more practical and economical hatchback.
Featuring the new EMP2 modular platform, the new model had compact dimensions and its weight was reduced with 140 kg.

Aesthetically, the new design inspired style and strength with the more aggressive wheel arches and the new narrow grille. With the upper trim levels, the stylish hatchback was equipped with LED lights.

A major update, the size of the trunk was considerably increased. The rear seats could easily be folded, and while they didn’t fold flat, the trunk was big enough for big luggages.

The new Peugeot 308 was lower and wider than before, thus both ride quality and handling were improved.

The best fuel consumption was given by the 1.6-liter HDI engine that developed 115 hp. Other engine options were available, including gasoline engines for city roads.

Inside, the quality of the materials was improved, however, the cabin still featured hard plastics. The overall design was minimalistic and the upper trim levels added a touchscreen display.

The storage spaces inside the cabin were limited, especially with the tiny glovebox.

The compromise to offer such a big trunk was the short passenger space, with other competitors in the class offering better.

The GTi history is long in the Peugeot family and goes back in time in the ’80s.
In 2014, the French manufacturer released a softer brother for the 308 GTI: the 308 GT.

Back in the ’80s, it was a rare thing to see a fuel injection model on a compact car. But over the ’90s, there were only a few vehicles that didn’t have fuel injection. But the badge remained in glory. In 2014 all the performance hatchbacks had not only fuel injection, but they also had at least a turbocharger.

The 308 GT came with different styling and it was well equipped. It started on the front with a special design. It had the lion badge buried in the three-bar grille, the full-LED headlights, active turning signals in the bumper that scrolled the light outwards and some other chromed accents. The car featured 18” light-alloy wheels and, in the back, the dual chromed trapezoidal tailpipes came under a black diffuser. A small roof-spoiler complimented the rear sporty look.

Inside, the bolstered leather seats created a sporty look. The red stitches were everywhere inside the cabin. The instrument cluster featured a cockpit, meaning that there was a TFT configurable display. It also had an infotainment system that knew screen-mirroring with mobile phones.

The stiffened suspension, compared with other 308 models, had a pseudo-McPherson upfront and a deformable beam in the rear. Under the hood, the 308 GT was available with either a 2.0-liter turbodiesel unit or with 1.6-liter gasoline that features a twin-scroll turbocharger.

Two years after the new generation Peugeot 308 hatchback was introduced, the French car maker added a sport variant of it known as the 308 GTi.
The car adopts a striking stance, sitting 11 millimetres lower to the ground on large 19-inch Carbone 19 wheels. The GTi 270 version wraps all four in Michelin Super Sport rubber paired with light, Reverse rims that showcase the 380 mm discs in the front with their solid red four-piston calipers, complete with Peugeot Sport signature. The generous front end gives a hint of things to come. Across the upper section, Full LED headlamps flank an exclusive black radiator grille with a horizontal chequered pattern and gloss-black finishing. This same motif is echoed on the grille of the ample air intake, which flows into the supercharging air cooler and is surrounded by dynamic-display LED indicators and a strip in red, or chrome with Ultimate Red. There are also two front spoilers below the bumper, which not only enhance the impression of a car that really sticks to the road but also add to aerodynamic performance, with a SCx of just 0.69. The rear also gets an air diffuser and dual chrome exhausts while the interior comes with sport front seats and numerous red accents.

The Peugeot 308 was first unveiled on June 5, 2007 and was set to replace the Peugeot 307.
It brings a fresher look in Peugeot’s compact car segment. The 308 built on 307’s weak spots and brings a considerable upgrade in safety and interior quality. The Peugeot 308 sets the French manufacturer’s new design motif. As usual for the French car makers, the exterior is very appealing, while the interior has been restyled from better ergonomics. The impressive engine range available for the 308 had been developed for improved fuel efficiency and low emissions output.