Peugeot 205 GTi Review 1984

There can be no doubt that the outward similarity of the Peugeot 205 GTi and Peugeot’s Group B rally weapon, the Turbo 16, is due to more than coincidence. But for most sporting drivers, the 205 GTi is about as close as they’re going to get to Peugeot’s compact but potent contender for World Rally Championship honours. 

Peugeot 205 GTi 1984

Although the hot hatch GTi is the first 205 to appear in three-door form, it is clear that from the outset the range was intended to contain both three- and five-door versions which would accept a wide variety of power units and suspension systems. This is by far the most fun.

What most obviously sets the GTi apart is the installation of the 1580cc XU5J engine, a fuel-injected unit producing 105bhp at 6250rpm, 99lb ft of torque at 4000rpm and working on a higher 10.2 to 1 compression ratio.
The suspension has stiffer coil springs, uprated dampers, strengthened mounting points and a front anti-roll bar. Brakes are healthy 9.7in ventilated discs at the front and 7in drums at the rear. Completing the picture are 51/2x14 in light alloy wheels, similar in design to the T16’s, wearing 185/60 R14 Michelin MXV low-profile tyres.

Power delivery from the 1580cc XU5J engine proved sparkling, adding to the car’s tremendous nippiness. From rest, 60mph was dispatched in an impressive 8.6sec while the 116mph top speed vies with the Escort XR3i and Astra GTE for class honours. There are no flat spots or obvious holes in the power delivery – a point underlined by the consistent in- gear incremental acceleration time in the all important mid-range. The gearshift is exceptionally light and slick and arguably the nicest of all the hot hatch gear changes. No argument about the chassis, though: the 205 GTi sets new standards for responsiveness. 

It has tremendous front-end grip and traction, very little body roll in hard cornering, and because of its stiff springing and fairly strong damping, virtually no pitch during hard acceleration or braking. Combine this ‘flatness’ in road behaviour with steering which, despite a fairly normal 3.8 turns lock-to-lock, seems to have a very quick response either side of the straight-ahead position, and you have a car which is an extremely neutral handler in most circumstances. It is, though, prone to oversteer if you lift-off on the limit. In the main the ride is well controlled over most bumps with a marked absence of any sort of crashing, jarring reactions. At the same time it can feel quite coarse and fidgety on some types of road surface.

With the exception of different front seats, steering wheel and instrumentation, the layout of the 205 GTi is the same as other 205s, the only slight complaint being that the thick-rimmed steering wheel gets in the way of the two smaller gauges on the left side of the binnacle. The front seats are a definite improvement on other 205s with good vertical and lateral support. They seem to be spoiled for tall drivers, though, by the low-set, somewhat distant position of the steering wheel which promoted a rather hunched driving position. In the back headroom is good, though legroom is limited if a tall driver and passenger are sitting in the front. An average consumption of 29.5mpg is quite competitive for a hot hatch and points to a range of over 300 miles on an 11-gallon tankful of four-star.

There can be little doubt that the Peugeot 205 GTi offers exceptionally good value for money. Granted it doesn’t have quite the passenger and luggage carrying capacity of the Astra GTE, Escort XR3i or Golf GTi, but it will easily keep up with them, both in a straight line as well as around corners, and it is notably cheaper. Our choice, then, for the top of this group has to be jointly the Peugeot, for the reasons already stated, and the fuel-injected Vauxhall Astra GTE for its excellent ride and handling compromise.

This was the original review by Auto Car in June 1984.