Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport

A switch to some fresh and more appropriate rubber uncovers a bigger concern

- Stephen Dobie

WHEN I BOUGHT THE PEUGEOT LAST YEAR, it came on a matching set of tyres- often rare in the world of used cars. But those tyres were old Nankangs, beginning to look a wee bit worn up front. I made a mental note to switch them for something more in keeping with the 208's focus with reasonable haste.

But that soon plummeted down the priority list, the car's amusing balance - namely its love of lift-off oversteer that I was so enamoured of in early press cars - feeling exaggerated by its non-OEM rubber. In the dry, the car was deft and alert. In the wet it could border on the cartoonish.