Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Peugeot 3008

The first version of Peugeot’s 3008 found success as a spacious five-seat people carrier. But, since its launch, the market has swayed dramatically in favor of SUVs. In response, Peugeot’s latest 3008 has taken on the styling of an SUV. This is done without losing out on any of the space it previously enjoyed.

Peugeot is also making big noises about its aspirations to be a premium manufacturer. Nowhere is that more in evidence than the 3008’s impressive interior. Whether that’s enough to stand out in markets that include the Seat Ateca and Mazda CX-5, let’s find out.

Here’s a list of pros and cons.

Space in the Peugeot 3008

The 3008’s interior is unlike anything else in the class. It wraps around those in the front in a way that presents an airy, futuristic feel. Headroom is good, although the panoramic sunroof eats into it noticeably. While the glovebox is small there are plenty of other useful storage spaces up front.

With the rear seats in place, there’s plenty of leg room for one tall adult to sit behind another. Those with children will note that the 3008 is offered with three Isofix mounting points. There are two in the back and one in the front passenger seat.

The boot is the same size as the one you’ll find in a Seat Ateca. It features an adjustable floor as standard to let you choose between a flat loading lip or extra capacity. Provided it is in its raised position, it also gives a flat load bay when the rear seats are folded.

Talking of the boot, there are a couple of accessories you might want to consider. The first is Peugeot’s e-Kick folding electric scooter. It weighs just 8.5kg and stores and charges from the boot. The other is a sliding boot floor, which can hold up to 100kg. It is useful either as a picnic seat or when loading heavy items.

Comfort in the Peugeot 3008

Peugeot has found a great balance between body control and ride comfort for the 3008. 18 and even 19-inch wheels give a comfortable drive. The only exception is over sharper bumps, but even then only a Nissan Qashqai beats it.

The 1.6-litre diesel engine is rather rattly, but the 2.0-litre version is much better. This is because it doesn’t need to work as hard. It is aided by a system that pipes a meatier soundtrack through the car’s speaker system.

The petrol engines are quiet when accelerating gently. Both wind and road noise are well contained in all models and the seats are excellent. Taller drivers should note that the seats with electric adjustment don’t allow you to sit as low as those with manual controls.

Dashboard Styling of the Peugeot 3008

The 3008’s “iCockpit” is, as far as Peugeot is concerned, one of its greatest selling points. At the heart of it is what is basically a small steering wheel, but in the 3008 Peugeot has upped the ante by fitting a configurable “virtual cockpit”-style digital display screen for the dials, as well as a high-quality touchscreen and some fantastic material choices, such as the twill or wood panels in the dash.

Not only does this all look and feel very swish, but it works well too, even if the digital dial display isn’t as good as Audi’s (you can’t zoom in and out on the satnav, for example). Drivers of any recent Peugeots will be pleased to hear that there is a panel of physical buttons which means you don’t have to use the touchscreen for every single function.

Driving Ease of the Peugeot 3008

The 1.6-litre diesel is available in two outputs, but even the more powerful version feels a touch sluggish when overtaking, so you’d be tempted to upgrade to the 2.0-litre. Of the petrol options the 1.6 offers decent performance but is expensive, so for most the cheaper 1.2-litre engine will offer peppy enough performance.

The standard six-speed manual gearbox is fine if not outstanding, while the automatic (optional on the smaller engines, standard on the bigger ones) is occasionally hesitant to change.

Rear visibility is restricted on account of the high window line. Thankfully all models have rear parking sensors, while upgrading to Alure also brings a reversing camera.

The 3008 needs one of the more powerful engines under the bonnet to turn it into something with enough pace to entertain, but assuming that’s the case it puts in a respectable performance, with well controlled body lean and eager acceleration.

The steering is quick but offers nothing in the way of wheel, which can be a disconcerting combination in tricky conditions, even if ultimately there is a lot of grip on offer.

Unlike its rivals, Peugeot doesn’t offer its SUV with four-wheel drive, instead reckoning that its optional Grip Control system combined with all-season tyres gives most drivers all they’ll need in terms of getting through the worst of the winter.

Reliability of the Peugeot 3008

Peugeot’s warranty is rather complicated – it offers two years of unlimited-mileage cover, but the third year is limited to 60,000 miles.

That compares poorly with the four-year, unlimited-mileage warranty on the Renault Kadjar, let alone the seven year, 100,000-miles of the Kia Sportage.

Peugeot traditionally performs well in official fuel economy tests, and the 3008 is no exception. The most economical diesel model managed 70.6mpg, while the 1.2 petrol recorded 55mpg.

Our tests were in very low mileage cars, which struggled to top 40mpg. However, I’d expect this to improve significantly with more miles on the engine, matching the likes of the Seat Ateca and Mazda CX-5.

Safety in the Peugeot 3008

All version of the Peugeot 3008 feature six airbags as standard, as well as numerous safety systems including lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking, which means the car can automatically apply the brakes if it detects you are about to run into the vehicle in front.

Further Reading –

Mazda CX-5 – The latest favourite SUV

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