310 PS Peugeot 308 GTi Breathes Down The Neck Of VW Golf R

With its 272PS (268hp / 200kW) offered in stock form, the Peugeot 308 GTi goes up against the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai i30 N.

After paying a visit to Clemens Motorsport, however, it’s now capable to take on the Golf R.

The French tuner specialized in modifying cars from Peugeot, Citroen and DS is offering three distinct levels of power upgrades. The first one lifts the output to 290PS (286hp / 213kW) and 360Nm (266lb-ft) of torque by optimizing the engine control unit (ECU).

Level 2, on the other hand, allows the turbocharged 1.6-liter petrol engine to churn out 303PS (299hp / 223kW) and 380Nm (280lb-ft) of torque. This was achieved by fitting an intercooler kit, divert-air valve and high-performance air filter, all developed in-house by Clemens Motorsport.

The hottest offering is Level 3, which delivers 310PS (306hp / 228kW) and 400Nm (295lb-ft) of torque, by modifying the air intake with a new air filter, and adding a 70mm stainless steel exhaust system. The numbers are identical to those of the stock Golf R, which takes only 4.6sec to reach 100km/h (62mph) from a standstill – although, unlike the Peugeot, the Golf comes standard with all-wheel drive.

Clemens Motorsport completed the tuning job by adding new alloy wheels to the French hot hatch. Called CC-Zero, they come from Schmidt Revolution and are 8.5×19-inch in size, shod with 235/35 tires, while 20-inch ones are also available.