A family trip to Norfolk gave us the opportunity to spend some time in Peugeots latest 3008 Hybrid Allure. Here’s how we got on.
Model choice & price
It’s simple either Allure from £34,660 or GT from 38,160
Engine, emissions, fuel economy & performance
Even simpler with just one engine which is a 1.2 petrol six-speed auto offering 126hp (100kW), with CO2 emissions of 124g/km & a combined fuel economy of 48.5mpg. A 48V system with a small battery adds the extra miles to the cars range.
Acceleration from 0-62mph time takes 10.2 seconds.
Specifications
Allure features the new 21″ HD panoramic curved display, 3D connected SatNav, a wireless phone charger, tri-zone climate control, keyless entry & go & a reversing camera. You also get dual Bluetooth connections & wireless Apple Car Play & Android Auto. GT adds pixel LED headlights, a handsfree tailgate, a black ‘Diamond’ roof, a heated steering wheel & front seats, 8-colour ambient lighting, an Alcantara interior & rear door sun blinds.
Exterior
Peugeot’s have been getting more handsome of late & the 3008 is no different introducing a fastback profile to the range for the first time. There’s a redesigned front end with slim LED headlamps, lions claw vertical light strips & a large Peugeot logo in the centre of the diamond shaped front grille. Both versions also come with Peugeot emblemed wheels, an aerodynamic profile ending with the sloping fastback rear, a narrow rear light band & a floating spoiler.
Interior
The i-Cockpit is still there but it’s had a major facelift. It’s now the ‘Panoramic’ i-Cockpit & features a floating, curved 21″ HD panoramic screen that combines the head-up display with the central touchscreen. Slightly curved towards the driver, the screen looks fantastic & although most functions are accessed through it, Peugeot have sensibly included i-Toggles, their fully customisable touch-sensitive buttons that can be programmed to provide quick access to up to ten of the user’s favourite functions; phone contacts, air-con & SatNav for example.
The instrument cluster sits in front of the driver combining all the information relating to driving such as speed, power, driving aids & energy flow. You still have Peugeot’s compact steering wheel now featuring touch-sensitive controls, but the larger cluster is far easier to see above the wheel than before, a major plus for taller drivers. Ambient lighting & Peugeot’s Air Quality System (AQS) also feature.
Fixtures & fittings
Quality wise it’s the finest Peugeot cabin yet. Our test car the Allure featured a light grey textile decor for dashboard, door panels & central console arch, All of the finishes are excellent including the plastic glove box front & door pockets.
Sustainable design
Peugeot uses more than 500kg of green materials throughout the new 3008 including green steel & aluminium, which make up 60% of the total mass of green materials. Recycled plastic is used in bumpers, deflectors, storage bins & carpets. Reducing the number of decorative inserts on the body & removing all chrome-plated parts from the exterior of the new 3008 has further aided the cars sustainability.
Practicality & interior space
Up front there’s a twin cup holder in the centre console, a glovebox, decent sized door pockets, with the rear central armrest also featuring two cupholders & a smartphone holder. The boot offers 40/20/40 folding rear seats, with a boot capacity of 520 litres increasing to a very useful 1480 litres with the rear seats folded. 3008 has an adjustable 2-position boot floor with 4 luggage tie-down rings & 2 bag hooks.
Despite the new fast-back roof line, there’s good passenger room on board with front seat passengers spoiled for head & legroom. The centre binnacle cocoons the driver in a comfortable driving position with easy access to the new touchscreen & dashboard functions. Rear passengers get surprisingly good headroom although legroom behind a taller driver isn’t brilliant. All seats are adjustable meaning everyone should get comfortable & the cabins airy enough to not feel claustrophobic with our teat car featuring a glass sunroof.
Infotainment
It’s very much on trend. The HD touchscreen is fully customisable with ‘over the air’ map updates for the SatNav. Wireless Mirror Screen for Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, DAB, AM & FM radio, Bluetooth with 2 microphones so you can connect to 2 phones, a Smartphone wireless charger & 4 USB sockets two front & two rear also feature. We connected our iPhone seamlessly & the massive screen is both clear & easy to work, with the functions quick to load.
Safety
The 3008 has you very well protected & comes with adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, lane keep assist, speed limit sign detection, automatic emergency braking with collision warning, lane departure warning, Driver Attention Alert, long-range blind spot monitoring & Advanced Traction Control.
Driving
A 600 mile driving week in Norfolk gave us the chance to give the Hybrid 3008 a proper once over. There’s a lot of narrow roads in north Norfolk, so we’re pleased to say that the 3008 manages to feel agile over undulating roads & through tight turns with little or no body roll. The light steering is a bonus for urban driving & the on-board parking aids make tight spaces accessible. The all-new Panoramic i-Cockpit, one of the best we’ve come across too.
If you head out onto a motorway or dual carriageway, this will give you the opportunity to engage the adaptive cruise control, which with distance adjustment makes longer journeys stress free. It’s all carried out within a quiet cabin aided by the acoustic windscreen & the cars sleek design, with the 3008 scoring highly as a people-carrying motorway cruiser.
There are three driving modes Eco, Normal & Spor. Eco tones everything down & will help you eke out extra miles. Normals a bit more fun with Sport the most noticeable in changing the cars driving dynamics. Having said all that when you do put your right foot down to overtake a slow moving tractor – plenty in Norfolk – even in Sport mode the 3008 with three adults & luggage on board is lacklustre to say the least. After all this is a car running on a 1.2 petrol engine with only 136hp so don’t expect rapid acceleration nor excitement.
You can’t cross Norfolk on anything other than A roads so the inevitable lines of 50mph traffic allowed us to focus more in the cars ambience than perhaps we would normally. It’s certainly comfortable & quiet too. The boot swallowed our five-day bags easily & the dog had plenty of room on the floor to sleep as we drove along. Neither my wife nor daughter liked the angle of the front seat head rest – I had know much issue – & we all felt that the air-vents were to small to cool the cabin down fast enough. I wasn’t especially enamoured with the dash-mounted gear change location which is a bit of a reach from the drivers seat, so no fast 3-point turns are possible. My only other gripe is having to turn off driving aids every time you re start the engine for Lane Keep Assist & Speed Warning. Although happily there’s short cut ADAS button which at least makes it very easy.
Perhaps we’re being a bit picky here, but these are the kind of things you notice when you spend a long time in a car. Importantly, none of these would put us off having a 3008 as a family car as it ticks all of the boxes elsewhere.
Pros
A better looking car you won’t find. Very well built & equipped with the latest teach & safety included. Real world economy for us was an impressive 50 MPG plus & we managed to get 495 miles out of one full tank of petrol.
Cons
A little expensive compared to the competition. Annoying safety features need to be turned off. Air-vents are too small.
Verdict
The 3008 is s very competitive offering. What lifts it above cars such as the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai & Hyundai Tucson, is that it’s far better looking & for some that may be the clincher. Price wise it’s a little high compared to these, but the 3008 build quality is exceptional & the infotainment, safety & cars ride are all top notch.
A Burnham Market 4/5
