Since its first appearance in May 2009, the Peugeot 3008 has become an increasingly common, (if slightly unusual) sight on UK roads. The new Hybrid version has just been launched, but for now I’ve been test driving the 3008 ALLURE e-HDi 112 with Stop/Start and 6 speed EGC.
Looks
To be honest I wasn’t blown away with the 3008 when it was first launched, it’s a bit of a strange looking thing. From certain angles it resembles a cross between a Pokemon character and an iced bun. However, once I had spent some time in it’s company, it gently seduced me and I actually grew to really like it. It’s quirky, and ‘modern’ without being pretentious. You could even say ‘different’.
Interior
I can’t vouch for the lower spec models, bit the ‘Allure’ 3008 is very lush. The seats are comfortable and the whole dash is clean, fresh and nicely set out. I love the heads up speedometer display on the windscreen, it means you don’t really need to look at the rest of the dashboard. NB It’s easy to forget about the other dials, so make sure you keep an eye on the fuel gauge, I didn’t and nearly ran out of petrol.
It has an amazing ‘Cielo’ Glass roof, that when uncovered gives the car a really open feel, much more so than its main rival, the Nissan Qashqa. Space in the back isn’t quite as generous as you would expect, and the boot isn’t huge, but it does have a handy split rear tail gate for easy access.
Performance
The 3008 e-HDi 112 is not really a car to be driven in a hurry, put your foot down and there is often a noticeable lunge when it needs to quickly change gear by itself. Of course you can bypass this and just use the gearshift paddles on the steering wheel, but then it stops being an automatic, so if you’re always late for things this may be an issue.
Once you are into the higher gears the ride is very smooth. The suspension does a great job not only of nullifying bumpy roads, but of stiffening in the corners, enabling you to feel confident about your road positioning. The higher driving location also improves all round road visibility, and engine noise while gruff when accelerating is virtually non existent when cruising.
CO2 Emissions are just over the holy grail figure of 100, but are still very good, with 127 (g/km) and 117 using the energy saving button. The stop / start system cuts the engine when it’s not needed to further reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
0 to 62 mph (100kmh) happens in a fairly leisurely 14 seconds, but the e-HDi 112 has a combined MPG figure of 57.6, (extra urban 61.4 and urban 52.3) and switch to ‘energy saving’, and you will get a few more extra miles per gallon too. In reality you’ll never quite hit the manufacturers figures, but from my own tests I was still getting 50+ miles per gallon. Potentially you can also get 700+ miles from one tank of fuel, which is great, especially if the fuel strike ever happens.
Overall
The 3008 e-HDi 112 has a lot of things going for it. It falls in-between the people carrier / family saloon market / crossover market, and was voted ‘Best Crossover’ at the ‘What Car’ awards in 2011. It’s a bit of a shame it doesn’t have a real name, if would have added to its’ personality, there are too many syllables in 3 – 0 – 0 – 8 and it’s much easier to say Skoda Yeti.
Price wise, you can pick up a lower spec model for just over £15k, and the Allure is £22,545.00 on the road, so it is reasonably good value for money. Aesthetically it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it definitely stands out from the crowd (especially in a packed car pack).
For More info visit
www.peugeot.co.uk