Peugeot’s baby SUV grows up
The new 2008 Peugeot squares up to take on the hyper-competitive baby SUV segment. Damien O’Carroll reports.
When it launched in 2014 Peugeot’s 2008 small SUV was interesting, but flawed, with a decent 1.6-litre engine, but an old and clunky four-speed automatic transmission holding it back. A facelift in 2017 added the brilliant 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engine and a six-speed auto, but nobody really noticed, which was a shame, because it was a good little thing. But now there is an all new one, and you can’t help but notice it.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Peugeot has gone all out on the new generation 2008 and the small 208 hatch that it shares a platform with, and there is no better evidence of that than that platform, designed from the ground up to be powered by a range of drivetrains including, of course, electric, the powertrain that will dominate the future. Or not, depending on your point of view.
Regardless of that, offering a choice of powertrains is Peugeot’s plotted path to the future, with the option of electric, petrol or diesel in the same car, rather than dedicated electric models.
Except in New Zealand – we won’t be seeing the diesel here – so it will just be a choice of petrol or electric. Although not quite yet – Peugeot’s local distributor, Auto Distributors New Zealand, is in the final stages of evaluating the allelectric version, with the hopes of seeing it here before the end of the year.
So for now we will be seeing two petrol variants landing here in July, both powered by the latest version of Peugeot’s excellent 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engine in two states of tune – a 96kW/ 230Nm version in the Allure model and a 115kW/240Nm version in the top-spec GT. Both engines are hooked up to a new eight-speed automatic transmission.
Much like the deeply impressive 508 sedan and wagon, the new 2008 has a hugely high-quality interior that is packed with the latest technology and driver assists. Modern and stylish, the 2008’s interior advances Peugeot’s ‘‘i-Cockpit’’ design with a new 3D display that, while initially seeming gimmicky, works wonderfully well by bringing the information you actually need to the front of the display.
It is difficult to effectively describe it and all but impossibly to show in photos, but the overall effect is both stunning and remarkably functional.
Where did you drive it?
At the international launch in the south of France, where the narrow chip-seal winding back roads were not entirely unlike those in New Zealand.
Here the refinement and surprising silence of the 2008 shone through strongly. Because the new platform has effectively been designed as an EV first and foremost, the combustion-engine models benefit from the extra effort put into sound proofing and isolation necessary for EVs.
This gives the 2008 the sort of refinement usually not seen in cars of its size and this, combined with the remarkably high quality interior makes it feel much more expensive than the $35,000 starting price that Auto Distributors NZ is aiming for, meaning that the 2008 will also share the 508s impressive ability to offer BMW/Audi/ Mercedes-Benz-like levels of quality and equipment at a significantly lower price point.
Refinement and quality aside, the 2008 also shone dynamically on the occasionally rough, frequently off-camber (you know, just like New Zealand . . .) roads.
Feeling rather unsurprisingly like a slightly larger, taller 208, the 2008 boasts sharp, accurate steering and a nicely judged balance between agile handling and ride comfort. Something that Peugeot was legendary for, but has occasionally forgotten how to do.
We only got to drive the 115kW/ 240Nm GT and the 100kW/260Nm electric e2008 on the launch, so can’t comment on the lowerpowered entry-level Allure, but the triple in the GT was a delightful little unit, with all of the character and polish we are used to from Peugeot’s little 1.2.
Surprisingly the EV version retains a lot of the petrol 2008’s character and agility, despite a hefty 340kg weight penalty.
With its WLTP ‘‘real world’’ range of 310km, the EV loses the 29 litres of extra boot space under the floor in the ICE models, but little else, presenting proof of Peugeot’s assertion that you can have the same car with different drivetrains and little to no compromise.
What’s the pick of the range?
It depends on your priorities really. The fact that petrol and electric versions are essentially identical in every other regard, it comes down to personal preference and, of course, price.
While no local pricing has been revealed yet, Auto Distributors NZ is predicting a $35,000 starting point for the entry level Allure and a 25 to 30 per cent premium for the e2008.
While the three-cylinder engine has an undeniable charm, so does the effortless punch of electric propulsion, and it is only a good thing to have a choice in the same car. With it, Peugeot has pulled off the masterstroke of literally allowing the buyer to get the powertrain that suits their lifestyle best.
However, that said, we strongly suspect the lower-powered entry level Allure we didn’t get to drive may well offer the best package of engaging driving, quality and value for money.
Why would I buy it?
Because it is a beautifully built stylish small city SUV that can capably take on open road trips with refinement and agility.
The choice of a pair of wonderfully flexible and endearing three-cylinder petrol engines or a polished all-electric powertrain just makes it more appealing.
Also, if the pricing is as sharp as the 508, then it will also be a small European SUV that effortless outguns the more expensive competition in terms of sheer value – and quality – for money.
Why wouldn’t I buy it?
Because it is a funny French car, which is still enough to put people off, regardless of Peugeot’s increasingly excellent showing in reliability surveys globally.
Also because it is a funny French car, it still packs a few gallic eccentricities and ergonomic oddities that, to be fair, you quickly get used to. After all, it is a supremely characterful experience all round. Oddities included.