Peugeot 3008 SUV

    Storm Doris blew in just as my week with Peugeot’s new 3008 SUV started; Storm Ewan blew in right in the middle of it. Trees came down, power supplies were cut off in places for a little while, and top it all off the local water authority took it upon themselves to shut my usual road to work.

  In this part of the already Far Un-lit Unknown that means long diversions on poorly surfaced single track roads, and of course the inevitable muddy verges, slippery surfaces, and horror of horrors (to modern road-orientated wide tyres that is), wet grass, that accompanies them. Or, in other words, perfect SUV testing terrain. The 3008 SUV couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

Those familiar with the last generation of the Peugeot 3008 will recall a somewhat forgettable mono-box MPV with questionable ride height; thankfully this new one’s altogether different. MPV’s I’m reliably informed are “so last season dah-ling”. SUV’s are where it’s at now, apparently. 

   No wonder then that Peugeot’s styling department have been on such a mission.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Designed to take on the likes of Nissan’s all conquering Qashqai, Ford’s Kuga, Renault’s Kadjar, SEAT’s Ateca, Kia’s Sportage… etc. etc. et al, the 3008 SUV cuts quite the stylish dash.  Up front there’s a clamshell bonnet reminiscent of Range-Rover’s Evoque. There’s jagged front lights, stainless steel sills, a “floating roof”, thanks to smoked rear glass and a blacked-out C-pillar, and an all the more sportier deep-doors-shallow-windows profile. There are roof-rails, a discrete rear roof spoiler, and being an SUV, plastic cladding aplenty. It’s the inside though that’s the real talking point. 

   The 3008 SUV gets Peugeot’s unmistakably distinctive i-Cockpit. If ever there was an interior that proves that The PSA group do things differently then surely this is it; cloth inserts on the dash, phallic gear-selectors, massaging seats and a saucer-sized steering wheel, all put in an appearance. On first acquaintance it all feels a little over-styled, but with time you get used to it - it all works rather well. The Audi-esque 12.3 inch fully electric instruments are excellent too, even if it does feel like you’ve seen them somewhere before, and the use of materials too is light years ahead of where Peugeot once were.

    It’s a shame them than some of the plastic panel gaps lower down are still decidedly, and stereotypically, “French Car” in places, and, that in order to switch certain functions on or off – the over eager Start-Stop system for instance – or to adjust the climate control you still have to go via sub-menu after submenu on the 3008’s dash-mounted touchscreen. As good as the touchscreen’s new supplementary aluminium rocker switches feel, one or two more of them wouldn’t go amiss. At least the massaging seats are comfy.

    Those seats are as a result of Peugeot sending us the range-topping GT spec 3008 SUV, they’re also heated and leather clad, Other GT goodies include 19” alloys, adaptive cruise control, a panoramic roof, and an electric tail-gate you can open and close simply (it takes practice to be honest) by waving your foot under the rear bumper.

      Further forwards, under the bonnet you’ll find Peugeot’s highly-efficient engine 2.0-litre BlueHDi 180 S&S engine, which in this case is mated to the EAT6 (Efficient Automatic Transmission six-speed) gearbox. It’s a bit vocal on start-up, and if you’re pressing on - in part due to the gearbox holding on to the ratios a little longer than expected - but if you relax a little it does too. 179bhp means it’s no slouch either.

   It’s not however a 205 GTi either. That small steering wheel does make for fast responses and the 3008 SUV is very car-like in feel, but, in a bid minimize body-roll Peugeot have opted to fit quite firm suspension which together with the GT’s bigger wheels allows road imperfections to thud their way in to the cabin. A softer-sprung, smaller-wheeled 3008 might prove more a comfortable cruiser

    The fact that there’s no 4-wheel drive option may also cause some surprise: All 3008 SUVs are front-wheel drive only. Instead there’s the option of all-season tyres and Peugeot’s Grip Control system that adjusts traction control accordingly when the going gets gooey. For most users it’s more than enough.

     And the price? Well that might be more than enough too. In GT spec, and albeit with Peugeot’s eye-catching optional (1,300) Coupe Franche two-tone paint job, “my” 3008 SUV came in just £5 shy of £33,000. As good as the 3008 is – it’s just been voted European Car of the Year- that’s a lot to ask for a mid-size front-wheel-drive only SUV – even when you really need one.

Peugeot 3008 SUV GT BlueHDi 180 EAT6

Engine: 1,997cc 4Cyl 16V turbo-diesel

Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic, Front wheel drive.

Power:  180 bhp @ 3,750 rpm

Torque: 295 lbft @ 2,000 rpm

0-62MPH: 8.9 Sec

Max Speed: 131 mph

CO2: 124 g/km

MPG: 58.9 (combined)

Price: £32,995

Many thanks to Peugeot’s UK press office for the loan of their 3008 SUV

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