THE road snaked away over the moors and there was not another car in sight.

I had gone out in the early morning to put the brilliant Peugeot 208 GTi through its paces over some demanding roads and I was having a ball.

This is a hot hatch that's right up there with the best of the opposition, and when the available discount is taken into consideration, it's one of the most reasonable to buy.

Others have scored it lower than the Fiesta ST, but I cannot see how. It has the most brilliant performance, pulling from very low revs with ease, and sounding marvellous right through its rev range.

Through those moorland switchbacks, it was perfectly balanced and very safe, with tremendous grip and tenacious roadholding.

It had been a great companion, albeit with a fairly knobbly ride at times - something that goes with all such overtly sporting cars.

Suffice it to say that despite some quirks, this is very desirable.

Inside, there's room for four in comfort and the boot is also plenty big enough for most. The steering column must be adjusted perfectly or it can be difficult to see all the instruments but there is good seat and column adjustment.