2015 Peugeot 308 GTi by Peugeot Sport

Even more sugar-coated temptation for hot hatchback fans, in a year that’s already had a new Honda Civic Type R, Audi RS3, Mini JCW and Renaultsport Clio Trophy.

The new Peugeot 308 GTi by Peugeot Sport is the latest installment in a line of fast French front-drivers, such as the RCZ-R and 208 GTi 30th Anniversary, which have already impressed us with their hardcore purposefulness and driver engagement. They’ve also done their bit to restore Peugeot’s reputation among petrolheads from the doldrums of the last decade, towards heights not seen since the halcyon days of the 1990s.

This warmed-up 308 has equally promising potential. The car is driven by the same engine and gearbox we liked so much in the RCZ-R, but updated with a higher-pressure direct fuel injection system for an even broader spread of torque and freer high-range power delivery. It rides 11mm lower than the rest of the 308 range, with stiffer springs and uprated dampers, a front track that’s 10mm wider than standard, and more negative wheel camber on both axles.

Stiffer suspension bushings at all four corners should provide for more precise handling and better control feedback; Alcon brakes measuring 380mm up front, clamped by four-piston calipers, the stopping power; and the same Torsen helical slippy diff as we’ve seen on the 208 GTi and RCZ-R transmits power to the road, via a lightweight set of 19in rims and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

Peugeot will offer a cheaper, less powerful version of the car alongside the model we tested, with a detuned 247bhp engine, smaller wheels and front brakes, an open front differential and less figure-hugging sports seats. But with a list price only just above £28k and a standard equipment list including LED headlights and sat nav, the full-fat version looks like appealing value in any case.

Before we get too carried away, this isn’t our first taste of the 308 GTi. A quick drive in a late prototype earlier this year made it apparent that Peugeot’s engineers have been aiming to dethrone the current VW Golf GTI, with a car of apparent substance, certain driver appeal and rounded good manners, rather than to reincarnate the legendarily lithe and lovely 306 Rallye.

That may be a less enticing mission statement, but the 308 is well-placed to achieve it – with its smart, tactile cabin quality, and an engine that’s frugal enough to put the car in a class-leading position on company car tax liability. The car’s second-row seats are a little short on space, but the boot is a decent size, making for a more-than-respectable score on usability, too.

Peugeot’s 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo petrol engine sounds more reserved here than in the RCZ-R, but press the ‘Sport’ button on the centre console and the car’s soundtrack comes to life. Some would doubtless rather the effect wasn’t achieved via ‘frequency augmentation’ through the car’s audio speakers, but to this tester’s ears the audible results are more than acceptable – in a growling, burbling, tremulous sort of a way.

Performance feels every bit as strong as you’re likely to want, the four-pot pulling hard, and with a pleasing consistency and zestiness, through the entirety of the rev range.

There’s no paddleshift gearbox option here, though; Golf GTI owners may not like the sound of that. And rather than make a particular virtue of the manual as Honda has for its hot Civic, Peugeot’s six-speed gearbox lacks mechanical definition, and feels a little more limp and ordinary than it ought to.