The 308 GTi is arguably the most underrated car on the market. The big brakes, the LSD, and the 270BHP is great - but the secret sauce is the fact that it's only 1200kg. That is unbelievable, and significantly lighter than all of its rivals. It has a significantly better power to weight ratio than the Golf R, WRX STI, Audi S3 etc. Wouldn't be surprised if it smokes almost everything on the track as well assuming it has a good suspension setup
The 308GTI weight is such a huge achievement, a full size family car with four doors and 270HP weight only 1200KG is pretty sensational. So sad we will never see number like these in performance cars anymore.
Love my Clios, when I lived in Aus I had a 172, then a 182 then a mk 3 RS200. Now I'm in the RS220 Trophy and it's a blast! Surprisingly I don't even miss the manual. It's not as raw as the mk 3 was but I'm also mellowed a bit with age so I love that it's easier to live with but still has gobs of performance!
The 308 GTI is super cool. I looked at buying one about 3 years ago, but the cost of servicing the brakes was a bit of a put off (the Peugeot dealership told me it would be about $5000 to do the front brakes if/when they needed doing, and they only carry enough stock nationwide for one car - made me worried that one day you might not be able to get the parts needed). Amazing performance though and a good lightweight package.
@@KiwiCarLife yeah it's a bit of a 'gotcha' if you aren't aware. When I looked at buying, I made it dependent on them changing the brakes (even though they were in very good condition) and then giving me back the old set of factory Alcon discs so I'd have a backup pair. There is a company in the UK that does an aftermarket part for much less - I remember calling them up. In the end somebody else who was less 'demanding' came and bought the car (fair play to them, hope they are enjoying it) and I wound up buying a new Swift Sport for the same sort of money. The 308 GTI is a phenomenal car for sure, but I suspect dealers and private sellers aren't quick to tell prospective buyers about the crippling cost of doing the front brakes. Definitely an underrated car (I'd argue it's more impressive than the likes of the i30N that I now own, because of the lightweight nature) but be wary of potential costs.
@@paul--b clearly better I agree. Matt is clearly overreacting. Here in kiwi carlife, it feels more professional and friendly at the same time. A channel managed by a real enthusiast. 😉👍
really good review mate the renaultsport clio and megane usually get good reviews over here in the uk my pal has got a clio and m4 and i think thats his 3rd or 4th clio
Great video and an interesting review. I'd always over looked that generation 308 because they look so dull, I didn't know they drove so well. As for Renault, they didn't get the memo about dull French cars in the 2000's the go-faster Clio's and Megane's were always awsome.
Aha you finally drove the 308 GTI! Nice review man. From what iv seen with Tiffs group review of hot hatches a few years back on the youtube channel 'lovecars' and also the aussie track hot hatch group review a few years back the Pug is seriously fast on track. It's a car i've considered going after for track work but I'll prop just turbo and upgrade LSD my already modified track focused CL7 R to get the lap times I'm after.
Yeah man I was amazed at how light it was and that definitely makes the driving experience a lot better. For a golf size car it feels very fast and nimble
I'm pretty sure I know you real life. My concern with the 308 is the reliability. I knew a guy who got one of the older 308s for hills and blew it up in a week. Hopefully they've been improved
@@christopherjohnston6343 Possibly ;) re reliability I'm curious was it one of these 308 GTI 270's or an older car? From what I've read the 270hp engine Pug's are heavily upgraded from any of the earlier 1.6's with forged internals. The other note is in 2019 Peugeot won the 2019 UK Vehicle Dependability Study top spot. However re this car the brakes scare me, prob be worth certifying a Pug with different front brakes like Wilwoods so that then they are affordable to keep replacing discs from track work.
The 308 GTi is a competitor to the Megane RS, so would be interesting to see how you feel between those two. I loved my 207 GTi and love my Megane RS and would be cool to see a comparison.
@@KiwiCarLife If you buy a Clio RS secondhand, after it has already taken that massive initial depreciation hit in the first few years, they then hold their value pretty well.
Interesting comparo mate, I never really thought about the 308 gti but it seems to be an amazing hatch! The Renault looks a great car as well for a bit of fun. I looked up the classifieds for 308 gti's here in Australia, not many for sale and the ones that are, are around mid twenty grand in price.
Very nice video, just wish it would have been a bit longer, specially when trying the 2 cars. Great job anyway. Peugeot was globally more famous than Renault in the past for making hot performances cars, but in NZ it must not be common to find 205 GTI, 309 GTI16, 405 Mi, 405 T16, ... Peugeot even went to the supercar world (the hypercar back then), with the Peugeot Oxia. Such a shame they only produced 2 of them, without selling even mass produced limited edition. The Oxia was faster than any F40, 959, xj220, ... Bonus : I don't know if you can find a 309 GTI16 in NZ, but this thing was a hot car back in the days, being fitted with 2.0L from the 405 Mi16. Great P.W.R and sound as well.
Yeah I was very surprised to find out about some of Peugeots achievements. Frankly I always saw them as a manufacturer of ugly unreliable slow rubbish cars from the 2000's, and their latest stuff is just weird especially with that tiny steering wheel and gauge pod above layout. Very French shall I say! But clearly they've had a rich history of producing great cars, and I'm glad to see their modern performance hatches seem great too
@@KiwiCarLife Unless you’re a muscle car fan, you don’t really miss out on much (even though you guys have muscle cars of your own like the Commodore anyway). Like I own a 15’ Civic Si (think Civic with a 205hp K24 but weighs a hefty 1360 kg) that is USDM, and while I love the car and it’s fun to drive, it falls short in comparison to a FD2R or a DC5 ITR. Anyways, I wished we had as much cool offerings here😔.
Mate these cars are almost 10 years old now. They are back to making rubbish cars again! The only modern French car I'm interested in is the new R5. Wouldn't swap my mk2 Clio 182 for a mk4 that's for sure. RIP Renaultsport. Enjoying the content regardless.
@@KiwiCarLife Yeh the merger of FCA and PSA to make Stellantis in 2021 was a bad move by PSA. Then Renault killed off Renaultsport and merged the remainder with the Alpine brand. Now they use the Alpine badge as a trim spec. Only the new A290 electric hatch and the beautiful A110 remain.
If you are going to get a Clio model, do not get anything other than an RS trim level because anything below it are terrible options. The engines are SUPER tiny with little to no power at all so good luck getting a move on, even calmly. The LG infotainments are horrendous from lagging, connecting to bluetooth sometimes takes 20 mins and sometimes it can just stop working. Only merit I can give non RS Clio's are they are very economical.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
The 308 GTi is arguably the most underrated car on the market. The big brakes, the LSD, and the 270BHP is great - but the secret sauce is the fact that it's only 1200kg. That is unbelievable, and significantly lighter than all of its rivals. It has a significantly better power to weight ratio than the Golf R, WRX STI, Audi S3 etc. Wouldn't be surprised if it smokes almost everything on the track as well assuming it has a good suspension setup
Yeah man I was shocked at how light it was. Maybe that's why it feels so fast and nimble compared with the competition
The 308GTI weight is such a huge achievement, a full size family car with four doors and 270HP weight only 1200KG is pretty sensational. So sad we will never see number like these in performance cars anymore.
Yeah man I was shocked when I found out how little it weighed
Your production value keeps getting better! 👌
Thanks man!
Love my Clios, when I lived in Aus I had a 172, then a 182 then a mk 3 RS200. Now I'm in the RS220 Trophy and it's a blast! Surprisingly I don't even miss the manual. It's not as raw as the mk 3 was but I'm also mellowed a bit with age so I love that it's easier to live with but still has gobs of performance!
That's excellent yeah I was surprised at how good it was!
The 308 GTI is super cool. I looked at buying one about 3 years ago, but the cost of servicing the brakes was a bit of a put off (the Peugeot dealership told me it would be about $5000 to do the front brakes if/when they needed doing, and they only carry enough stock nationwide for one car - made me worried that one day you might not be able to get the parts needed). Amazing performance though and a good lightweight package.
Goodness yeah that’s not ideal. I’d be trying to get parts from FCP euro or similar rather than from a dealer
@@KiwiCarLife yeah it's a bit of a 'gotcha' if you aren't aware. When I looked at buying, I made it dependent on them changing the brakes (even though they were in very good condition) and then giving me back the old set of factory Alcon discs so I'd have a backup pair. There is a company in the UK that does an aftermarket part for much less - I remember calling them up.
In the end somebody else who was less 'demanding' came and bought the car (fair play to them, hope they are enjoying it) and I wound up buying a new Swift Sport for the same sort of money.
The 308 GTI is a phenomenal car for sure, but I suspect dealers and private sellers aren't quick to tell prospective buyers about the crippling cost of doing the front brakes.
Definitely an underrated car (I'd argue it's more impressive than the likes of the i30N that I now own, because of the lightweight nature) but be wary of potential costs.
Well done, mate! Keep up the content and hard work!
Matt Watson in the making!!!
He’s better than Matt, come on.
Thanks man!
@@paul--b clearly better I agree. Matt is clearly overreacting. Here in kiwi carlife, it feels more professional and friendly at the same time. A channel managed by a real enthusiast. 😉👍
308 GTi. One of the best hot hatches of the last 20 years and probably THE most underrated.
Agree underrated, dunno if I'd say best but it is very good
Engine go boom
@@KiwiCarLife I said ONE of the best 😉 Megane 3 and Fiesta ST are up there too.
Most the others weigh too much nowadays!
_Never been in a later model 308 but a friend of mine owns a K-Swapped RS CLIO running 195wkw, it’s very fun!!!_ … _cool review_
Goodness me that would be insane!
really good review mate the renaultsport clio and megane usually get good reviews over here in the uk my pal has got a clio and m4 and i think thats his 3rd or 4th clio
Thanks man, yeah they're definitely popular over there so I've heard!
@@KiwiCarLife theres seems to be more clios than meganes but unfortunately both are outsold by the german cars most people are badge snobs
Well well was gonna contact you about testing a Clio RS, my one! Nek minnit! Good on ya man fully dig your content and active follower
Haha beat ya to it! Thanks for the offer though!
Great video and an interesting review. I'd always over looked that generation 308 because they look so dull, I didn't know they drove so well.
As for Renault, they didn't get the memo about dull French cars in the 2000's the go-faster Clio's and Megane's were always awsome.
Yeah man I was really surprised too! Fantastic car. And yeah apart from some of the build quality all the 2000’s Reno RS’s were fantastic
Aha you finally drove the 308 GTI! Nice review man. From what iv seen with Tiffs group review of hot hatches a few years back on the youtube channel 'lovecars' and also the aussie track hot hatch group review a few years back the Pug is seriously fast on track. It's a car i've considered going after for track work but I'll prop just turbo and upgrade LSD my already modified track focused CL7 R to get the lap times I'm after.
Yeah man I was amazed at how light it was and that definitely makes the driving experience a lot better. For a golf size car it feels very fast and nimble
I'm pretty sure I know you real life.
My concern with the 308 is the reliability. I knew a guy who got one of the older 308s for hills and blew it up in a week. Hopefully they've been improved
@@christopherjohnston6343 Possibly ;) re reliability I'm curious was it one of these 308 GTI 270's or an older car? From what I've read the 270hp engine Pug's are heavily upgraded from any of the earlier 1.6's with forged internals. The other note is in 2019 Peugeot won the 2019 UK Vehicle Dependability Study top spot. However re this car the brakes scare me, prob be worth certifying a Pug with different front brakes like Wilwoods so that then they are affordable to keep replacing discs from track work.
@spencerl885 older car. Early 308 GTI for sure
The 308 GTi is a competitor to the Megane RS, so would be interesting to see how you feel between those two. I loved my 207 GTi and love my Megane RS and would be cool to see a comparison.
Yeah ngl I definitely preferred the Megane RS265 I reviewed a year ago. That was a sensational car
Depreciation hit the Mk4 Clio RS hard. They've been $15k AUD and under for 5+ years now. Crazy good value at that price.
Yeah I guess that is a big downside to these cars is it doesn't take long before they're completely worthless haha
@@KiwiCarLife If you buy a Clio RS secondhand, after it has already taken that massive initial depreciation hit in the first few years, they then hold their value pretty well.
Hahahaha the Top Gear Peugeot skit! And that Gran Turismo music! Cool video my man, keep it up!
Thanks man!
Interesting comparo mate, I never really thought about the 308 gti but it seems to be an amazing hatch!
The Renault looks a great car as well for a bit of fun.
I looked up the classifieds for 308 gti's here in Australia, not many for sale and the ones that are, are around mid twenty grand in price.
Yeah man I was actually really impressed by it!
It's a shame Peugeot and Renault have quit the hot hatch market. We'll never see cars like this again.
Yeah seems like it aye. In their hay day they were great cars
Very nice video, just wish it would have been a bit longer, specially when trying the 2 cars. Great job anyway.
Peugeot was globally more famous than Renault in the past for making hot performances cars, but in NZ it must not be common to find 205 GTI, 309 GTI16, 405 Mi, 405 T16, ... Peugeot even went to the supercar world (the hypercar back then), with the Peugeot Oxia. Such a shame they only produced 2 of them, without selling even mass produced limited edition. The Oxia was faster than any F40, 959, xj220, ...
Bonus : I don't know if you can find a 309 GTI16 in NZ, but this thing was a hot car back in the days, being fitted with 2.0L from the 405 Mi16. Great P.W.R and sound as well.
Yeah I was very surprised to find out about some of Peugeots achievements. Frankly I always saw them as a manufacturer of ugly unreliable slow rubbish cars from the 2000's, and their latest stuff is just weird especially with that tiny steering wheel and gauge pod above layout. Very French shall I say! But clearly they've had a rich history of producing great cars, and I'm glad to see their modern performance hatches seem great too
Have recently seen that exact same Clio RS in Auckland. Was somewhat on display at a classic Italian car meet not too long ago.
Yeah man it's only done 4000km! Immaculate car
Makes me want to get another 308 haha
Honestly I was impressed!
I never even heard of these cars! (they aren't sold in Canada haha)
Canadians youtubers tried the amazing Alpine a110, and they fell in love with it. Maybe you saw it ?
Yes that would be another interesting one to try. And yeah North America misses out on a few interesting cars we get here.
@@KiwiCarLife Unless you’re a muscle car fan, you don’t really miss out on much (even though you guys have muscle cars of your own like the Commodore anyway). Like I own a 15’ Civic Si (think Civic with a 205hp K24 but weighs a hefty 1360 kg) that is USDM, and while I love the car and it’s fun to drive, it falls short in comparison to a FD2R or a DC5 ITR. Anyways, I wished we had as much cool offerings here😔.
This particular Clio has a Supersprint catback system installed
Ahhh so that's why it sounds really good haha
nice review
Thanks man!
Mate these cars are almost 10 years old now. They are back to making rubbish cars again! The only modern French car I'm interested in is the new R5.
Wouldn't swap my mk2 Clio 182 for a mk4 that's for sure. RIP Renaultsport.
Enjoying the content regardless.
Wow really? I guess I am a used car reviewer generally but I assumed these were still current model. That's a shame
@@KiwiCarLife Yeh the merger of FCA and PSA to make Stellantis in 2021 was a bad move by PSA.
Then Renault killed off Renaultsport and merged the remainder with the Alpine brand. Now they use the Alpine badge as a trim spec. Only the new A290 electric hatch and the beautiful A110 remain.
If you are going to get a Clio model, do not get anything other than an RS trim level because anything below it are terrible options. The engines are SUPER tiny with little to no power at all so good luck getting a move on, even calmly. The LG infotainments are horrendous from lagging, connecting to bluetooth sometimes takes 20 mins and sometimes it can just stop working. Only merit I can give non RS Clio's are they are very economical.
Yeah man I would never buy a non performance Renault. They sound awful haha
Yess granturismo music
Ofc haha
I rented the base Clio in 2004, it handled so well, like a go kart. Now drive a ' 380 ' where did I go so wrong ?😅
HAHAH
You need to drive a Clio 182. Get yourself to Sydney and you’re welcome to the keys of mine.
I've heard good things about them. Next time I'm over I'll let you know haha
I will take the renault ❤❤
Good car
Ren Alt? Ren Oh bro.
Oui oui
You need to take a mk3 rs200 out!
Yeah I love mine, such an awesome car
I've driven one! I loved the engine, very Honda like
@@KiwiCarLife will there be a review coming soon? 👀
👍
👍
Best hot hatches = France!!
I was impressed!
If the 308 looked better it would be quite the hot boi
Yeah it's quite sedate aye