Peugeot’s new 3008 Hybrid crossover is now here and is another of the brand’s truly attractive machines. They seem to keep pumping them out in a range of sizes and styles, with similar shapely family cues. And clearly the styling appeals because you see enough of them on the road, at least where I live anyway.
Built on a fresh Stellantis platform, the newcomer features a coupe-like silhouette and has earned a Red Dot Award for product design.
Up front are pixel LED headlights while a floating rear spoiler aids aeros. The three-claw rear light signature marks it out as a Peugeot. Grille jewels look good, as does the huge new Peugeot lion up front. About the only aspect we’re not quite so sure about aesthetically is the pair of side badges attached to the rear of the front fender. I’d rather see a big one on the rear, mirroring that on the front.
And of course the unique styling continues inside, with a lovely curved widescreen that you view from above the cool F1-style oblong steering wheel. There’s no head-up display here – it doesn’t project onto the windscreen – and it isn’t needed, saving Peugeot funds on added electronics. Having the guts of the display in front of you and a little to the left also makes it easier to manipulate the IFT screen without becoming too distracted. It genuinely works.
There are two models; the Allure at $57,980 (plus ORCs) and the GT
at $62,480 plus the same. Both come with paddle shifters, three drive modes, adaptive cruise amongst the usual driver assist systems, LED ambient lighting in eight colours, and a surround camera. There are Alcantara seat coverings and leather trim for the GT which also gets an electric tailgate, pixel LEDs with adaptive high beam, 3D claw-effect rear LEDs, a leather-clad wheel with GT logo, aluminium pedals and stainless steel door trims, and aluminium dashboard and door panel finish. You get a Focal sound system too, from a long established French hi-fi firm. It works well, but not so much the AC system, another that doesn’t blow a whole lot of cool air at you in the heat of summer.
In winter though, there are heated front seats. Any form of lumbar adjustment for the driver is good, here manual. In the back is a centre armrest with cellphone holder while GT also gets an autodimming mirror. Those opting for GT can specify Nappa leather seat coverings for $4500. This upgrade includes a massage function and ventilation/heating while a panoramic sunroof is a $2990 update.
Powering the 3008 Hybrid is a 1.2L triple that features a 48V mild hybrid system (15.4kW/51Nm motor, 0.89kWh NiMH battery). Together they generate system power of 100kW and 230Nm. Drive is via a six-speed DCT to the front wheels. The WLTP combined fuel use figure is 5.4L/100km, with a CO2 figure of 122g/km. Peugeot rates 0-100 acceleration at 10.2sec.
It says the powertrain operates in electric mode for up to half of city driving. We joked about it being the downhill half given how small the battery is. And actually, that’s the case. Virtually the entire time we drove it in town, we could hear the motor running. In fact, just once when crawling along at slow speed was it operating on electric power alone. So how Peugeot came to that 50 per cent conclusion is a complete mystery. ‘Up to’ 50 per cent of the time includes five per cent, which might well be closer. Unless you’re in a permanent traffic jam. Because not only is its battery quite small but it’s NiMH tech. That tends to be bigger and heavier for a given power rating, compared with Li-Ion batteries that last longer.
Anyhow, during our time with the car the only time we saw anything like fuel use of 5.4L/100km was during motorway cruising. Over its 1500km lifetime, the trip computer reported mean fuel use of 8.2L/100km and that was our experience as well. We did see it fall slowly to between 5.5 and 6.2L/100km during sustained motorway running under active cruise but it quickly returned into the eights again after performance testing, as you’d expect, and a run into the hills. So a figure in the fives we imagine would involve lots of stop-start in-town running. It’s quite big on regen this, and often in everyday running you don’t really need to resort to using the brakes.
While fuel economy isn’t exactly startling, neither is performance but then with only 100kW and 230Nm to shove around 1573kg of high-rise machinery, you’d not expect fireworks. Normal mode is okay for town, but it perks up a sight more in Sport where we left it outside of urban confines. There it met its performance claim exactly, but a 7.15sec overtake is hardly startling. And the emergency stop certainly didn’t rewrite any record books, most in the low 40s, with a best of 38.7m. Brakes feel grabby at times too.
On the upside this does ride well, while handling is typically front-drive/torsion beam rear.
Luggage capacity is great at a claimed 588L with all seats in use and 1663L after split folding, though it’s in two tiers. Still, impressive for a vehicle that’s only 4542mm long, and with a 10.6m turning circle. We packed our E-bike into the back easily enough after split folding, having first removed the front wheel. E-bikes are awkward damned things to pack in a car. Unless you allow their handlebars to rotate 90 degrees which makes life much easier.
Inside is a bit sci fi, but also practical. Configurable i-Toggles allow for 10 shortcuts to the functions of your choice.
The RRP for this GT variant, as mentioned, is $62,480 plus ORCs. There are six colours on offer, all but the new Obsession Blue are a $750 upgrade. All Peugeots are covered by a five-year/100,000km warranty.
So I guess popular rivals like RAV4 and Mitsi Eclipse Cross can rest easy. The latter has 55km of EV range, a combined fuel figure of 2.1L/100km, almost as much overall range of 650km (Peugeot reckons 700km) and costs $40k during the run-out period.
RAV4 was amongst the best sellers in NZ last year, despite not being new. That’s because it goes well, can EV for a bit in town, is about as abstemious on the motorway (5.3L/100km overall), is a bunch quicker than the Peugeot (7.8sec) and has the T badge of being unbreakable. Moreover, it has a pair of motors and kicks off at $48,790. Little wonder it’s popular and still selling well.
The 3008 can certainly hold a candle to its Japanese rivals visually and for its spec levels, but it’s outclassed on the efficiency front which many are chasing at present for obvious reasons.
Just as well it looks as good as it does then, both inside and out. And for some, especially those who don’t want to go with the flow, that and the fact it’s a hybrid, might almost be enough.
Peugeot 3008 Hybrid GT
$62,480 / 5.4L/100km / 122g/km
0-100 km/h 10.21s
80-120 km/h 7.15s (205m)
100-0 km/h 38.70m
Speedo error 96 at an indicated 100km/h
Ambient cabin noise 72.5dB@100km/h
Engine 1199cc / IL3/ T / DI
Max power 100kW@5500rpm
Max torque 230Nm@1750rpm
Motor output 15.4kW / 51Nm
Battery 0.89kWh
Drivetrain 6-speed auto / FWD
Front suspension Mac Strut / sway bar
Rear suspension Torsion Beamr
Turning circle 10.6m (2.56turns)
Front brakes Ventilated discs
Rear brakes Ventilated iscs
Stability systems ABS, ESP,
Safety AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size f/r- 255/55R19
Wheelbase 2739mm
L/W/H 4542 / 1895/ 1641mm
Track f-1630mm r-1636mm
Fuel capacity 55L
Luggage capacity 588-1663L
Tow rating 750kg (1200kg braked)
Service intervals 12 months / 20,000km
Warranty 5yrs / 100,000 km
ANCAP rating Not yet rated
Weight (claimed) 1573kg
