Helping to bring the E-208 GTi to a halt are a pair of 355mm front brake discs with bright red four-piston calipers. At the rear, the GTi retains the standard car’s brakes, with additional braking assistance provided by the car’s energy recovery system.

While power has increased, the E-208 GTi uses the same 54kWh battery as high-spec versions of the standard car, because that’s the biggest battery that the chassis can accommodate. It means the GTi has an official WLTP-tested range of 219 miles as standard, although if you swap the Michelins for Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 tyres at no extra cost, this extends the car’s range to 233 miles.

As ever with the 208, the first issue you encounter could occur before you’ve even turned a wheel. The i-Cockpit layout is a ‘try before you buy’ feature, and if you’re tall, you might find it tricky to find a comfortable driving position that also allows you to get in and out easily. In certain positions it can be difficult to slide your legs out from under the wheel, and it’s made a little harder with the GTi’s bigger seat bolsters.

Once in place, the GTi starts just like the standard E-208, and when you take things easy, you’ll find that the ride is surprisingly pliant for a car with lowered suspension and low-profile tyres that’s designed to deliver entertaining handling. There are no adaptive dampers, but general comfort is good, with the only criticism being the way the big wheels thump into the largest potholes. The stiff chassis follows the undulations of the road, but not to the point of discomfort.

There are three drive modes, Sport, Normal and Eco, and they adjust the level of throttle response. Apply full power, and the E-208 GTi rockets forward, and in the slippery, wet conditions of our test route in Scotland, the car did a good job of getting that power to the road. While the front axle shudders as it gets the power down, there’s none of the torque steer that you might expect from a powerful front-wheel-drive machine, although the traction control does cut in to help rein in the power.