The gti 180 wasn't a bad car but didn't live up to the expectations of the 205 gti, 106 gti and the 306 gti6. The steering was questionable and as mentioned the gear change was missing but the engine pulled alright and it handled well too.
I think it didn't stand a chance as not only did it not live up to its predecessors but the hot hatches of the time we're turbo or vtec so the little pug got left behind.