Sector: Supermini Price: £16,695 Fuel: 62.8mpg CO2: 99g/km

As much as Peugeot’s 200-series cars have spawned some excellent GTIs, there’s been an equally noteworthy set of sports-styled versions bubbling just below the surface. A lineage which the GT Line joins as part of the most recent facelift.

Based on the Allure trim, it gets the usual faux-performance upgrades; 17-inch part-polished alloy wheels, a red-pinstriped grille and sports-styled interior with red stitching and accents of aluminium. Like the XS, Quiksilver and most recently the XY before it, this is as close to a GTI as you can get without going for the real thing.

The 208 line-up is more selective in its powertrain line-up than most, limiting this to the three most powerful non-GTI engines rather than making it a purely visual upgrade. So there are 100 and 120bhp 1.6-litre BlueHDI diesels to choose from, and the PureTech 110 petrol tested here. All manual versions come under 100g/km CO2 – impressive for a car with only five gears.

Given the £950 price walk between the petrol and lower-powered diesel – especially as a share of the value of the car – the PureTech 110 makes a good case for itself. It’s one of PSA’s new three-cylinder, turbocharged engines – remarkably quiet for something so small, and with quick, sharp responses to throttle inputs. It means the hints of GTI go beyond the styling.

But they’re not as deep as the XY was. This car’s closest predecessor, the 208 XY, had an upgraded suspension setup with wider front and rear tracks from the GTI. The GT Line doesn’t, but it’s a sure-footed supermini and the combination of small steering wheel, peppy engine and bucket seats add up to an entertaining drive.

Plus the 208 is still a huge step forward in terms of quality over the 207 and 206 before, and the facelift takes this even further. It’s more aggressive-looking on the outside, and most of the cabin feels well built, with an abundance of tactile materials, plush leather trim and plenty of customisation options to wade through – including textured paint and fluorescent accents.

One customisation option you don’t get is a CD player, Peugeot making do with a touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth and USB inputs. This does now support smartphone app streaming via MirrorScreen, but not the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto systems – a frustrating omission for a car aimed at young drivers.

Technology and bespoke style comes at a cost, though, and Peugeot’s positioning within PSA means the 208 is towards the top end of the warm supermini segment. In GT Line guise, it’s more expensive than a five-door MINI Cooper, which is more powerful but less well equipped, and the big-volume rivals from Ford and Vauxhall undercut it. Particularly the aggressively priced Corsa SRI VX-Line, which also gets a much wider engine line-up and a large enough gap in P11d values for the CO2 difference not to matter much.

For Peugeot’s best-seller, though, GT Line is as savvy an addition as any of its predecessors. The 208 may be on a march upmarket, but at this end of the range it’s making sportiness that little bit more affordable.

Verdict:

The GT Line gets just enough of the GTI fun factor without the associated on-costs. But at nearly £17,000 in five-door form, it’s getting very close to genuine hot hatches.