The town was a little over fifty miles away to the south, nearly at the end of a long peninsula, and there were two ways of getting to it. The west coast road, the one most people use daily, is fast and flowing, easy but exhilarating. The east coast road, a completely unjustifiable alternative unless you live in one of the villages or on one of the farms dotted along it, is so twisty and three-dimensional that it can easily add half an hour to the journey time.Which one to choose for a test of the Peugeot 208 GTi? Why, both of them, of course. East there, west back. Port out, starboard home.Peugeot has made it clear right from the start that the 208 GTi is not a track car. Frankly, if it had been, it would have been unbearable on this single-track Green Hell. The equivalent 207, which had about the same suspension travel as a skateboard, would have tried to bounce clear off the road and into an adjacent field.The 208 soaks up the many, many bumps, crests and dips far better than the 207 could ever have done. It does all it can to keep every wheel in contact with the tarmac at all times, and generally allows you to apply full throttle - or something close to it - whenever visibility permits.Driving this car on the media launch in north Wales some months ago, I thought that although Peugeot's decision to mount a small steering wheel unusually low worked for 208s in general, it didn't make me feel in full control of the 200bhp GTi. I think the same now. I'd rather have the more conventional arrangement.But I would be more concerned about this if the GTi were difficult to drive, and really it isn't. The turbo lag, and a matching slowness in the steering, brakes and gearchange, mean that you're very unlikely to be on the limit unless you absolutely thrash the car, which is not the sort of thing you're likely to do.Don't get me wrong, though. This thing is quick. It's just that it's quick in a satisfying rather than exciting manner. And although I know hot hatch fans who would much rather feel their kidneys bouncing around every time a brutally low-profile tyre on a huge wheel smashes into a bump (not possible on the 208, as the only tyre size is a modest 17"), I reckon that this way has its merits too.We reach the town, stop for a breather and an ice cream (raspberry ripple, thank you for asking) more because of the road itself than because of the car we've been using. Then north again up the smooth and swooping road on the west coast.Although there are some sections which require a bit of thought, and which the 208 negotiates expertly, this is more about enjoying the experience of motoring than the car itself. We waft from one lazy corner to the next in considerable comfort, and with the ability to overtake slower traffic smartly and without fuss, only rarely needing to nip down a gear in the process (perhaps just as well, since Peugeot gearshifts have never been of the highest quality and this one isn't exactly a game changer).Of the Big Three supermini-based hot hatches, this is by some way the softest. The Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo is much more user-friendly than its predecessor but is still sharper than the 208, while the Ford Fiesta ST is as angry a car of its type as I've known. Choosing one above the others is - or should be - far more about the kind of driving you want to do than about brand loyalty. If you like the idea of owning a hot hatch but at the same time prefer a quiet life, the 208 will certainly be your favourite of this trio. Engine 1598cc, 4 cylinders Power 200bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 47.9mpg / 139g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.8 seconds Top speed 143mph Price £18,895 Details correct at publication date
