Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: £16,995 to £16,995
Sorted suspension, torque available from low down the rev range, good steering feel.
Not the hardcore driving experience many were hoping for.
Great fun, but missing that spark that would make it iconic.
The driving position in the 207 GTi is excellent, thanks to a very comfortable figure-hugging bucket seat and a steering wheel that's both reach- and rake-adjustable.
The suspension - an uprated MacPherson assembly at the front and a torsion beam on the rear 30% stiffer than the THP 150 - is also just right: firm enough for the car's sporting character but not too crashy a ride around town.
The 207's electric power steering is also fitted to the GTi, but it's been recalibrated here for greater feedback and the adjustment also means that it doesn't feel as quick to self-centre as the standard set-up.
The GTi is not the balls-out thrill machine some might be hoping for, and many might feel a sense of disappointment at its lack of hardcore credentials - but in the safety-first environment in which we now live, it was never realistically going to be that. However, it is a great fun drive that will give a lot of pleasure to the 1,000 or so annual UK buyers who will hand over their cash.
The BMW/PSA-developed 1.6-litre engine previously fitted in the GT is again used in the GTi, but this time uprated to 175bhp and delivers 180lb-ft of torque.
However, thanks to a twin-scroll turbocharger that starts to generate 113lb-ft from only 1,000rpm, and delivers maximum torque at only 1,600rpm, there is no identifiable turbo lag, so all the power's on tap immediately. There's also an overboost function that can take the torque output to 195lb-ft in the top three gears.
The gearbox is the five-speed version already fitted in the 207 is still a little imprecise in its changes. However, the one change is to the ratios: first has a longer ratio, with the others shortened.
