After the shakedown in December, Peugeot continued the testing of its newest rally car, the 208 Type R5. During a four-day session, Peugeot Rally Academy driver Craig Breen had the opportunity to develop the car after Bryan Bouffier had his fun last month.
Its strongest points are its brakes and the 5-speed sequential gearbox, according to the driver, while he also loved how much torque the 1.6-liter turbo engine had. On paper, that would mean 295 pound feet next to 280 horsepower. We would love that, too.
The Type R5 is the third model coming from Peugeot's motorsport-oriented 208 lineup after the 208 R2 and the 208 Racing Cup. Built with rules of the S2000 category in mind, it features widened tracks with Michelin rubber in the four corners wrapped around 18" wheels, while the power goes through two self-locking differentials. It has to have a minimum weight of 2645 pounds, but Peugeot tries to get more performance out of the package than its previous S2000 cars.
They also keep operation cost lower by having a number of components similar, like the hub carriers, which are identical on both axles. That's great news for potential customers, who can order it starting from March.
We will most likely see the 208 Type 5 in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the European Rally Championship and the National Championships, where this French hatch will get dirty very fast indeed, just like another R5 did before...