When it comes to prevalent motoring brands in the UAE it has to be said that Peugeot may not be at the tip of everyone's tongue. While enjoying great popularity in Europe where the economical yet appealing alternatives to Japanese and German hatchbacks are ubiquitous over here Peugeots are a little more infrequent.

A huge push has recently been made to address this balance. Over here the release of a GT range of most of Peugeot's models will appeal to the speedsters who like to be noticed. Over in Europe it will prove another reason to take a look at the marque over its counterparts.

It has to be said that at least with this 308 GT Peugeot has done a good job. It was with a degree of apathy that we initially took this one for a spin. It looked good from the outside but it was a step into the unknown when it came to the drive. Thankfully a pleasant surprise lay in wait.

The 308 GT possesses an environmentally kind-ish 1.6-litre turbo engine producing around 200 horsepower. 0-100km/h will come in under 8 seconds which is pretty good for a car in this segment. It is the driving responsiveness however where the 308 GT really stands out. A small wheel and incredibly light steering make this car unique. Make a U-turn and you'll feel like you could just as easily complete 360 degrees in the same amount of space and carry on going such is the agility. You could actually steer this car with two fingers although safety dictates you shouldn't. The lightness of this substantial hatchback is also surprising. It is roomy inside with a fair amount of luggage space yet is not weighed down by these facts. This contributes to its decent fuel consumption.

Inside you're also going to find a relatively luxurious environment. The GT line comes with optional leather seats (which were in the one we tested) a lovely sun roof and a large central touchscreen that is one of the easiest around to navigate. The dashboard is also nice and simple.

Things we weren't too impressed with: while the car does offer a 'sport' mode it doesn't really add much to the experience. The steering gets a little more rigid and more fuel may be thrown into the engine but the difference in acceleration is minimal. Perhaps the only significant alteration when flipping into this state is the engine's tendency to linger on a lower gear but ultimately it's a bit unnecessary.

Overall though we'd have to say we were pleasantly surprised with this vehicle.